The Thirty-Fifth Page
Lya Badgley
Type: ARC
Genre: Historical fiction, fantasy, literary
Word count: 60,000
As war looms over Sarajevo, American conservator Miri Adler arrives to study the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah. Hidden patterns emerge within its pages—secrets of a curse bound to reawaken. Spanning 1992 and 2015, The Thirty-Fifth Page weaves magic, memory, and myth into a haunting tale of inherited wounds and the fragile hope of renewal.
What’s this?
The ink shimmered, shifted, stirring awake like blood beneath skin.
As Sarajevo teeters on the brink of war, American art conservator, Miri Adler, arrives to research the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval manuscript that has withstood centuries of upheaval. Immersed in her work, Miri discovers strange patterns hidden in its pages—clues pointing to a truth that could unravel everything she knows. When a mysterious thirty-fifth page appears, she is drawn into a shadowed realm where history and folklore entwine, stirring long-dormant Balkan legends and a curse on the verge of reawakening.
Spanning two timelines—from a city on the precipice of conflict in 1992 to its fragile peace in 2015—The Thirty-Fifth Page unfolds as a luminous tale of inherited wounds, ancient magic, and the enduring stories that shape our identities.
Award-winning author Lya Badgley writes internationally set literary suspense exploring the shadows of the heart and the stories we inherit. Born in Myanmar to Montana parents—a political scientist and an artist—her path has carried her from Seattle’s music scene to covert film work with Burmese insurgents and archival preservation in Cambodia. Her debut, The Foreigner’s Confession (2022), was a Nancy Pearl Award finalist, and her second, The Worth of a Ruby (2023), was a finalist for both the International Book Award and the National Indie Excellence Award. She lives outside Seattle and looks forward to the release of The Thirty-Fifth Page.
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