**It is a life-changing deal—and it will end your life as you know it.**
Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He will give her everything she needs to restore the Trevelyan name, and one hundred years to do it—in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School. A professor named Azrael offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake? Catherine Fisher's version of Faust is utterly spellbinding!
**
### From School Library Journal
Gr 9-11-Impoverished after her grandfather waged a losing bet 15 years earlier, 16-year-old Sarah Trevelyan must scrub latrines to feed her sick father. The Trevelyans' ancestral portraits cover the grim hallways, but Darkwater Hall is now owned by Azrael, the mysteriously youthful man who won the fateful coin toss. He offers Sarah employment in its massive library, and the teen is overjoyed at the chance to learn. Sarah becomes immersed in the dark world until Azrael offers her a deal-the reinstatement of Darkwater Hall to the Trevelyans in exchange for her soul. Helpless, Sarah agrees to his terms. Flash forward 99 years and 11 months to modern-day Darkwater Academy where a hopeful student, 15-year-old Tom, is dogged by bullies and shadowed by the ghost of his dead twin. When Tom is seduced by the un-aged Azrael's offer of a job in the lab, who should reemerge but Sarah Trevelyan, also un-aged and determined to prevent the boy from making the same mistake she did. Fisher does a lot right in this Dickensian tale as she spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. Yet the characters fall short, and the break midway through this already short tale to switch perspectives and centuries doesn't help. Allusions to biblical stories may be above readers' heads. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### Review
“Atmospheric landscapes, fast-moving parallel plotlines, and thoughtful meditations on the nature of good, evil, mortality, loyalty, and sacrifice combine for a page-turner a cut above the usual ghost story.”—Booklist
“A dark but graceful parable of temptation, pride, revenge and hope.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Fisher . . . spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality.”—SLJ
“Fisher’s evocative prose easily creates a perfectly crafted gothic backdrop to this morality tale, and readers will find this slim but provocative novel an ideal companion for a gloomy afternoon.”—BCCB
"Fisher could give the show 24 a run for its money with her twists and messed up characters."—Junot Diaz, quoted in The Wall Street Journal
Description:
**It is a life-changing deal—and it will end your life as you know it.**
Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He will give her everything she needs to restore the Trevelyan name, and one hundred years to do it—in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School. A professor named Azrael offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake? Catherine Fisher's version of Faust is utterly spellbinding!
**
### From School Library Journal
Gr 9-11-Impoverished after her grandfather waged a losing bet 15 years earlier, 16-year-old Sarah Trevelyan must scrub latrines to feed her sick father. The Trevelyans' ancestral portraits cover the grim hallways, but Darkwater Hall is now owned by Azrael, the mysteriously youthful man who won the fateful coin toss. He offers Sarah employment in its massive library, and the teen is overjoyed at the chance to learn. Sarah becomes immersed in the dark world until Azrael offers her a deal-the reinstatement of Darkwater Hall to the Trevelyans in exchange for her soul. Helpless, Sarah agrees to his terms. Flash forward 99 years and 11 months to modern-day Darkwater Academy where a hopeful student, 15-year-old Tom, is dogged by bullies and shadowed by the ghost of his dead twin. When Tom is seduced by the un-aged Azrael's offer of a job in the lab, who should reemerge but Sarah Trevelyan, also un-aged and determined to prevent the boy from making the same mistake she did. Fisher does a lot right in this Dickensian tale as she spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. Yet the characters fall short, and the break midway through this already short tale to switch perspectives and centuries doesn't help. Allusions to biblical stories may be above readers' heads. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### Review
“Atmospheric landscapes, fast-moving parallel plotlines, and thoughtful meditations on the nature of good, evil, mortality, loyalty, and sacrifice combine for a page-turner a cut above the usual ghost story.”—Booklist
“A dark but graceful parable of temptation, pride, revenge and hope.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Fisher . . . spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality.”—SLJ
“Fisher’s evocative prose easily creates a perfectly crafted gothic backdrop to this morality tale, and readers will find this slim but provocative novel an ideal companion for a gloomy afternoon.”—BCCB
"Fisher could give the show 24 a run for its money with her twists and messed up characters."—Junot Diaz, quoted in The Wall Street Journal