The Binding, The Familiars, Once Upon a River & More 4 Books Collection Set - Fiction - Paperback

Titles in This Set:
Once Upon a River
The Familiars
The Glass Woman
The Binding

Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback

Overview:
Four immersive novels, four distinct voices, one unforgettable reading journey. This 4-book collection brings together Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, The Familiars by Stacey Halls, The Glass Woman, and The Binding by Bridget Collins. Each title is a standalone triumph, yet together they offer a deeper dive into history, folklore, and memory-driven mystery. From a Thames-side midwinter night when a drowned child returns to life, to a 1612 Lancashire household where fear and faith collide, to a stark Nordic village haunted by silence, and finally to a vault where books keep secrets as carefully as memories, these stories reward patient, attentive readers. If you crave atmospheric storytelling, crisp prose, and twisty plots with strong heroines, this paperback collection is a gift-worthy gateway to four unforgettable adventures.

What Makes This Collection Special:
This collection is a showcase of four bold, character-driven journeys that echo each other across time and place. Each novel centers a fearless woman facing peril, societal pressure, or a concealed truth, and each rewards readers with lush settings, meticulous historical detail, and atmospherically tense plotting. The mix of gothic suspense, folklore-inspired mystery, and memory-bound fantasy creates a cohesive reading experience while still offering fresh tonal shifts. Collectors and gift-buyers will also appreciate the collectable feel of a four-title set that works beautifully as a boxed-style display on a shelf, a satisfying binge-read for dedicated readers, and a thoughtful present for fans of literary suspense and historical fiction.

Books Included in This Collection:
Once Upon a River
On a dark midwinter’s night, an inn by the Thames becomes the stage for a startling event: a wounded man arrives with the body of a drowned child. Hours later, the girl stirs and breathes again, setting off a chain of stories, loyalties, and secrets. Diane Setterfield’s atmospheric storytelling blends folklore, myth, and a keen sense of place, inviting readers to trace how truth is told and who gets to tell it. This standalone novel stands confidently beside the others in the set as a superbly crafted historical mystery with a touch of magic.

The Familiars
Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17, married, and pregnant for the fourth time, yet she longs for a living child. Set against the backdrop of Jacobean Lancashire, this historical drama follows a society where women’s bodies are policed and power struggles simmer behind closed doors. Stacey Halls combines sharp social insight with a gripping mystery, making this a propulsive read about desire, fear, and the cost of claiming a future in a rigid world.

The Glass Woman
Rósa, betrothed to Jón Eiríksson, moves to a remote village where suspicion and silence accompany her new life. A husband whose behaviour unsettles the community—and a past that refuses to stay buried—drive this haunting, tightly wound narrative. The Glass Woman blends historical texture with psychological suspense, inviting readers into a stark, suspenseful tale about memory, trust, and the things we fear to say aloud.

The Binding
Emmett Farmer is a binder’s apprentice, trained to craft books that hold memories. In a vault beneath his mentor’s workshop, secrets are catalogued as neatly as the volumes themselves. If you want to forget—or hide—a painful truth, the memory you entrust to the book will become unremembered. Bridget Collins crafts a lyrical, propulsive fantasy with historical flourishes, where memory, memory-keeping, and identity collide in a way that lingers long after the last page.

Who This Set Is Perfect For:
Ideal for adult readers who relish lush, atmospheric historical fiction, gothic mystery, and memory-based fantasy. Fans of tightly plotted, character-driven narratives will enjoy the bold heroines, intricate settings, and twisty reveals. This collection also suits book clubs seeking diverse themes—motherhood and desire, power and oppression, memory and truth—paired with rich prose. It makes a thoughtful gift for collectors and gift-givers who prize completed, cohesive reading experiences and want a four-book journey that feels both indulgent and essential.

Key Benefits:

• Four standalone novels in one curated paperback collection
• Atmospheric historical fiction, gothic mystery, and memory-driven fantasy
• Strong, engaging female leads across different eras
• Ideal for binge-reading, gifting, or building a collectible library
• Consistent paperback format for comfortable, long-form reading
• Great for book clubs with discussion-worthy themes

About the Author:
This set features four works by acclaimed voices in contemporary historical fiction and fantasy. Diane Setterfield, the author of The Thirteenth Tale and Bellman & Black, brings expertly layered mystery and folklore to Once Upon a River. Stacey Halls, a rising star in historical fiction, introduces a forceful heroine and a vivid 1612 world in The Familiars. Bridget Collins, renowned for The Binding, blends memory with magic to create an immersive, genre-defying experience. The Glass Woman adds another acclaimed perspective to the collection with its own atmospheric, suspenseful voice. Together, these authors showcase a range of styles that reward careful reading and reward devoted fans of literary mystery and historical storytelling.

Why You’ll Love This Set:
If you adore immersive, page-turning reads that feel both timeless and current, this four-book collection delivers. You’ll enjoy a cohesive reading journey through four distinct worlds, each with its own mood, pace, and twist. The combination of atmospheric prose, strong female protagonists, and intelligent plotting makes this set a compelling centerpiece for any bookshelf and a perfect gifting option for readers who crave depth, drama, and a satisfying ending across multiple stories.

Please Note: The individual books included in this listing will be dispatched as per the original UK ISBN and UK edition cover image shown in the image.