In 1687, deep in the shadowed cellar of a remote Dutch castle, young Thea watches in awe as her mother—a brilliant naturalist and artist—locks eyes with a colossal, half-dead serpent, a creature unlike anything Europe has ever seen. This eerie encounter cements Mama’s resolve: she must journey to the uncharted jungles of South America to study the wild, untamed wonders of the New World.

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But for Thea, the voyage is more than a frightening scientific pursuit. She has already seen her mother persecuted for daring to challenge authority, accused of heresy, and nearly stripped of everything she loves. Yet she refuses to be left behind, even if it means risking the exposure of the one dark secret she has buried since childhood.

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Inspired by true events, In the Wonder is a sweeping tale of defiance, discovery, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter who dare to defy the constraints of their gender and the times they lived in.