Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray

The City – mankind’s last refuge in a drowned world, where Whale Lords reign and the Inquisition keeps the peace.

The Enemy – a dark power, ever seeking to take possession of a human body and cause untold chaos.

The Inventor – a girl living in the heart of the City in a ramshackle workshop overflowing with curiosities.

When a whale washes up on the City roofs and a mysterious boy emerges from its belly, the superstitious citizens assume the Enemy has come again. Only Ellie – a fearless inventor striving to live up to her mother’s legacy – believes the boy is innocent.

Thrown together with the young fugitive, now on the run from the ruthless Inquisition, Ellie must discover who this boy really is – and what that means for her own terrible secret . . .