Description:

Aggie's life in the village with her aunt is as normal as can be. She has never questioned the rule of the Ministration, or the power of the divine beings - the birds. Then she is sent for by the Master of Murkmere, the great house nearby, who wishes her to be companion to his ward, Leah. Needing the money, Aggie reluctantly leaves her aunt and enters a new life. But all is not well up at the house. The Master is crippled and unhappy, trapped in a wheelchair, hemmed in with bars, for others' safety, as well as his own. Life is ruled by the steward, Silas, who fascinates and repels Aggie in equal measure. And Leah - the strangest of them all - challenges everything Aggie has ever been taught. ** ### From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up–A gothic novel set in a magical Britain. Aggie is a village teen who has gotten a position as a companion to Leah, a ward of the Master of Murkmere Hall. But, as she enters the estate, there are several bad portents from the Birds, which the people believe are divine beings. Once there, Aggie finds herself caught in an insular world of deceit, decay, and forbidden knowledge. Leah is a person whose mood varies from day to day. Their complicated and realistic relationship serves as an anchor for the novel, allowing readers to immerse themselves in this world. As Aggie continues to work in the manor, she realizes that everything she has been brought up to believe about books and religion may not be true. Her teacher aunt is involved in national politics, her suitor is not the slow village boy she thought him to be, and the suave man who hired her may be at the heart of the evil that surrounds her. This engaging, well-paced story is filled with believable characters who behave in a convincing manner. There is plenty of suspense, and readers will not be able to put the book down until they discover the fate of Leah and Aggie.*–Tasha Saecker, Menasha Public Library, WI* Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### From Booklist Gr. 9-12. An outpost of the Ministration, a corrupt government that enforces a harsh avian-based theology to control its people, Murkmere manor is located on its country's bleak Eastern Edge. The manor presides over a dank and misted realm populated by oppressed villagers. Aggie, a young woman from the nearby village, is made to serve the manor as companion to its crippled master's ward, an ethereal young woman named Leah. While serving Leah, Aggie must learn to navigate Murkmere's halls, power structures, and menacing denizens--most notably Silas Seed, its perversely pious and slyly violent steward. When Leah finds a filthy, reeking swan skin in the swamps and keeps it as a prized possession, Aggie is forced to examine her own deeply held religious beliefs to determine whether this is an act of blasphemy or something else entirely. This moody and detail-rich story effectively combines elements of fantasy, religion, and politics. Most characters are not quite given their due, remaining stock and hard to reach, but the threatening atmosphere, eerie gothic-like setting, and suspenseful story arc will appeal to sophisticated fantasy readers. *Holly Koelling* *Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved*