The Astrologer’s Daughter

Shortlisted, Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, 2015
Shortlisted, Davitt Awards, Best Young Adult Novel, 2015
Shortlisted, Aurealis Awards, Best Young Adult Novel, 2014
Longlisted, Gold Inky Award, 2015
Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book for Older Readers, 2015
Kirkus Best Teen Books, 2015

Avicenna Crowe’s mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing.

The police are called, but they’re not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid.

But Avicenna has inherited her mother’s gift. Finding an unlikely ally in the brooding Simon Thorn, she begins to piece together the mystery. And when she uncovers a link between Joanne’s disappearance and a cold-case murder, Avicenna is led deep into the city’s dark and seedy underbelly, unaware how far she is placing her own life in danger.

Pulse-racing and terrifyingly real, The Astrologer’s Daughter is a stunning, original novel. It will test your belief in destiny and the endurance of love.

Rebecca Lim is a writer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia, with a background in commercial law. Rebecca is the author of sixteen books for children and young adult readers, including The Astrologer’s Daughter (a Kirkus Best Book of 2015) and Afterlight. Shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Aurealis Award and Davitt Award for best YA, Rebecca’s work has also been longlisted for the Gold Inky Award, the David Gemmell Legend Award and the CBCA Book of the Year Award for Older Readers. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Turkish, Portuguese and Polish.

‘The Astrologer’s Daughter is compulsively readable. Avicenna is a captivating hero—tough yet vulnerable. This gritty and mysterious love story will stay with me for a long time.’ Cath Crowley

‘Smart and original—a beautifully written mash-up of mystery, thriller and love story.’ Vikki Wakefield

‘A perfect balance of wit, humour, willpower and raw emotion.’ Dolly

‘Refreshingly different—complex and curious and a bit not-of-this-world.’ Steph Bowe, author of All this Could End

‘Lim (The Astrologer’s Daughter) delivers satisfying action and romance throughout, continually raising the stakes on the way toward a chilling, violent ending.’ Publishers Weekly

‘[Lim’s] taut, assured thriller weaves together astrology and mythology, poetry and poverty…Teen and adult readers who like their mysteries gritty and literary, with a touch of magic: seek this one out.’ STARRED Review, Kirkus

‘This is a taut, expertly crafted thriller, but it is also a devastating examination of grief, both the initial, acute pain of loss and the well-worn paths of years of sorrow.’ Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

‘Enjoyable YA mystery from the popular author. Verdict: written in the stars.’ Herald Sun

‘The best aspect of this novel was Avicenna herself…a captivating combination of brazen and terrified.’ Launceston Examiner

‘Lyrical writing and quirky characters, The Astrologer’s Daughter is one of the most moving a books I’ve read…A uniquely magical and evocative book, one I recommend to everyone.’ Speculating on Spec Fic