House of Matchsticks: Volume 1

Elisa Downing

Jul 2022 · House of Matchsticks Book 1 · Dark Window Books · Narrated by Zura Johnson

About this audiobook

Deadly machines. Strange creatures. A sinister secret.

A crew of treasure hunters risking their hearts to uncover the truth.

But they’ll have to find the lost House of Matchsticks first ...

"Readers will be swept away ... [House of Matchsticks] is a literary rarity." –The Booklife Prize

On the surface of the sea, a burning island beckons the Collector.

Approaching the fire, the Collector bears witness to a vicious crime. When he realizes an innocent life will be lost—a baby, swathed in a bundle and left to die in a floating rowboat—the Collector makes a choice that will change his course forever.

So begins House of Matchsticks, a brand-new, unforgettable YA Fantasy series set in a world called Benemourne, where a mysterious ore powers a society rife with danger.

Follow Isaline, a girl who dreams of becoming a City Watchman in Benemourne’s capital, and Jack, a former treasure hunter with a dark and painful obsession, as they are dragged with the Collector into the beginnings of a deadly adventure.

House of Matchsticks is a third person, multi-POV series with found family, slow-burn romance (straight and LGBTQ+), and a healthy dose of action/adventure. This is Part 1 in the series. Expect a cliffhanger.

The House of Matchsticks series:

1. House of Matchsticks
2. Night of Matchsticks
3. Tree of Matchsticks

... and more to come.

PS. Your first clue: it’s all upside down.

Ratings and reviews

Audio ARC review: (I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review) Holy heck! That ending of part one! This book is definitely my jam. It’s got everything I love, interesting characters with enough of a back story to understand their motives, but not too much where you lose the actual plot line. You get magic, a little found family brewing and I’m here for all of it. I feel like the story is just starting in this one and I can’t wait for it to continue!