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.

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

There are 352 pages in this book. This book was published 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton General Division .

Patricia Elliott has written nine novels for children and young adults. Her first novel with Hodder, The Ice Boy , won the Fidler Award for a First Novel and was shortlisted for the Branford-Boase among other awards. Her second, Murkmere , was long-listed for the Guardian Fiction Award and she has since been short-listed for many others, including the Calderdale and the Wirral Paperback of the Year.