Through the Yew Hedge: A Tale of Identity Magic
Book One of the Silverton Estate Duology by Islay Corwin
Hello all, Today, I’m introducing Through the Yew Hedge, a lyrical work of magical realism infused with gothic atmosphere, botanical lore, and the disquiet of hidden histories.
Synopsis
When thirteen-year-old Stella discovers that her adoption did more than change her name, that it legally erased her origins and sealed away part of her identity, she begins to understand the strange phenomena that have followed her since childhood. Morning glories bloom in winter. Black roses appear in her footsteps. Mirrors reveal glimpses of worlds beyond her own.
At Silverton Estate, a secluded world of cedar groves, hidden libraries, medieval gardens, and forgotten archives, her adoptive mother, Sarah, a botanist and curator, has spent years documenting these “anomalies” without explanation. At the same time, the deeper truth lies with Stella’s first mother, Ellen, whose strange inheritance is the gift of mirror-sight, the ability to walk the threshold between the human world and the realm of the fae.
Guided by three ancient guardians and drawn ever deeper into the Estate’s concealed histories, Stella must confront the fracture at the center of her life. To survive, she must reclaim the selves adoption divided—Ruth Ann and Stella, science and enchantment, loss and love.
Blending magical realism with the emerging shadows of gothic dark academia, Islay Corwin explores identity, legal erasure, inherited memory, and the hidden systems that shape belonging.
Readers drawn to the atmospheric worlds of The Thirteenth Tale and The Forgotten Garden may find a similar sense of mystery, hidden history, and emotional resonance in Book 1 of the Silverton Estate Duology.
Note: Episodes 1-12 are still here on Substack.
Book 2 of the Silverton Estate Duology is widely available as an ebook. Both books can be read as standalones. Thank you!
