Press Reviews

• John Connolly, author of The Book of Lost Things and The Lovers

  'Of Bees and Mist is a beautifully crafted adult fairytale of love, loss, and loyalty that is at once witty, magical, and moving. This is a stunningly accomplished first novel.'

• SHE Magazine

  It's rare to read a work of fiction that is so uniquely intoxicating, it becomes necessary to put life on hold while you let it work its magic. What makes Setiawan's achievement even more wonderful is that this is his debut novel...This is a bewitching, achingly romantic fairy tale and a truly epic undertaking - one that addresses some of lifes most universal themes of love, loyalty and betrayal

• Glamour Magazine

  This debut demands you enter a place full of spirits, ghosts, demons and clairvoyants, where spells and witchcraft prevail.

• SHE magazine

  'It's rare to read a work of fiction that is so uniquely intoxicating, it becomes necessary to put life on hold while you let it work its magic. What makes Setiawan's achievement even more wonderful is that this is his debut novel...This is a bewitching, achingly romantic fairy tale and a truly epic undertaking - one that addresses some of lifes most universal themes of love, loyalty and betrayal'

• Glamour magazine

  'This debut demands you enter a place full of spirits, ghosts, demons and clairvoyants, where spells and witchcraft prevail.'

• Metro

  A wildly imaginative beauty also marks Setiawan out as one to watch.

• The Bookseller

  A beautiful and sweeping modern fable of two families enmeshed in jealousy, desire and bitterness, the depth of passon and the pain of loss. Delightfully written and compelling, it's terrific - one to be hand sold.

• Metro

  'A wildly imaginative beauty also marks Setiawan out as one to watch.'

• City AM

  '[Setiawan's] writing [is] so expressive and squeaky clean . . . A really impressive first novel.'

• The Bookseller

  'A beautiful and sweeping modern fable of two families enmeshed in jealousy, desire and bitterness, the depth of passon and the pain of loss. Delightfully written and compelling, it's terrific - one to be hand sold.'

• The Bookbag

  'If you're looking for something to read, that's a bit different, hugely innovative, with a cracking plot - look no further......The author deserves to enjoy huge success with this debut novel, and I will be awaiting his next work with eager anticipation.'

• Publishers Weekly

  [H]eartfelt . . . [F]ans of fantasy and fiction lovers alike are sure to enjoy this magical tale.

• Booklist

  'Writing with a fairy-tale sensibility, Setiawan cloaks every aspect of the novel in magic, spells, and ghosts both actual and imaginary. For readers who like their novels steeped in the fantastic, this is a marvel.'

• San Francisco Chronicle

  '[A]mbitious . . . [A]n undeniably intriguing landscape . . . [A] story that pulses with life . . .'

• Denver Post

  '[O]riginal and compelling, and it's hard to set down . . . [T]he closing pages of Of Bees and Mist are perhaps inevitable, but not predictably so. And they are very right . . . This is a debut that is a looping joy to read, a journey in a world that is jointly anchored in the fantastic and earthy humanity.'

• Washington Post

  '[A] fascinating domestic drama.'

• Miami Herald

  '[A] richly drawn fantasy world . . . [M]emorable, identifiable characters and an enjoyable story rooted in human emotion. Love, longing, and the pain of compromise are indeed recognizable to all, no matter our culture or geography.'