The Moonstone Covenant by Jill Hammer (Preorder)

Publication Date: Fall 2024

Cover design by Federico Parolo and Cem Eskinazi

The story of four women who set out to uncover the secret origins of an intricate, magical city—and to change its fate.

Istehar Shan, whose unique powers allow her to communicate with trees and books, has led her community of refugee forest people to a remarkable place. In the archipelago-city of Moonstone, Istehar’s people find themselves in an extraordinary, multicultural metropolis that houses the Library: the world’s all-encompassing repository of wisdom. But in their search for a new home, the refugees soon garner the suspicion of Moonstone’s locals, who forbid their magical practices. And when a hostile prince makes a bid to inherit the city’s rule from his father, Istehar and her people realize they may be faced with exile—or worse. Meanwhile, Istehar has married three wives from Moonstone—a brave warrior librarian, a subtle-minded former concubine, and a tenacious apothecary who has spent years trying to solve her parents’ murder. Driven by magical intuition and guided by a mysterious book, Istehar and her wives embark on a journey that will transform not only their lives, but the city of Moonstone itself.

About the Author

Jill Hammer is a celebrated author, scholar, rabbi, ritualist, poet, and dreamworker. The Moonstone Covenant is her first published work of fantasy fiction, but she has been reading and writing fantasy since she was young. Like some of her characters, she has a deep love of books, trees, enchanted castles, and mysterious alleyways. She is the author of eight other books, including works of fiction, poetry, and feminist theological scholarship. She lives with her family in Manhattan, where she spends a great deal of time in Central Park. 


Praise for The Moonstone Covenant

“The Moonstone Covenant is a many-layered feat of imagination, gathering the stories of four very different women who share a marriage—as difficult a feat in their world as it would be in ours—and spinning them through the traumas of a world on the edge of chaos, a place where magic is core to the lives of the women who wield it, but is loathed and feared by those who surround them. Each wife’s viewpoint, her unique voice, opens up the weave of this world, leading us by the hand into a magical and spiritual system deeply embedded in the earth: trees speak here, and have opinions that can change the way the world works. 

In lyrical and beautiful language, Jill Hammer lays bare the prejudices of an island landscape where the waterways are as important as highways. Through the tale of a four-way marriage, she carries us into the depths of relationships between women, the flows of feeling and passion, history and trust, treachery both imagined and real. Betrayal lies at the heart of this story, but its healing is a thread running through from the start. A genuinely engaging, enlivening, and inspiring read!”
—Manda Scott, author of Any Human Power and host of the Accidental Gods podcast 

“Part murder mystery, part political thriller, part fantasy epic, The Moonstone Covenant celebrates the power and wisdom of books, the natural world, and queer love. This wondrous novel is a gift of imagination for readers everywhere.”
—Jonathan Vatner, author of Carnegie Hill and The Bridesmaids’ Union

Book Details

350 Pages | Paperback | 129 x 198 mm | ISBN: 9781961814158
Publication Date: November 5, 2024