School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-An intriguing, exciting blend of fantasy and mystery. Tanya, 13, is being tormented by bullying fairies no one else can see. Fed up with her odd behavior, her mother sends her to her unwelcoming grandmother at her dark manor house surrounded by a forest that Tanya is forbidden to enter. When children begin to disappear, she realizes that it is up to her, along with the caretaker's son, Fabian, to go into Hangman's Wood and find the truth. There she encounters a girl who disappeared 50 years earlier, and who Fabian's grandfather was accused of murdering. It will take more than courage for her to accomplish her mission, for Tanya must use the one gift she possesses that she wishes she didn't have-the ability to enter the fairies' realm-and she almost loses her life in the process. This truly absorbing page-turner is fresh and clever, and readers will be on the edge of their seats wondering if and how Tanya will outwit her nemeses.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this sprightly contemporary fantasy, 13-year-old Tanya has second sight and has been bedeviled her whole life by fairies only she can see. Blamed by her mother for the fairies' pranks, Tanya is shipped off to visit her cold and distant grandmother at isolated, fey-infested Elvesden Manor, an archetypally ancient, ivy-covered mansion abutting mystical wilderness. Aided by Fabian, the smart-aleck son of her grandmother's groundskeeper; Mad Morag, an ancient gypsy; and Red, a girl wanted by the police for kidnapping a changeling, Tanya becomes enmeshed in a decades-old mystery. For many years children have disappeared from the nearby town, supposedly lost in the woods or down in the dangerous catacombs, but only Tanya guesses that malicious fairies may be involved, a discovery that places Tanya in terrible danger. First-time novelist Harrison writes with great assuredness, creating a seductive setting and memorable, fully developed characters. Tanya is a believable and decidedly imperfect heroine, and Fabian is an enjoyably eccentric if occasionally obnoxious sidekick. It's an excellent choice for fans of the Spiderwick Chronicles and other modern-day fairy tales. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Evil fairies have been bullying Tanya her whole life, but only she can see them. Sent to live with her grandmother, Tanya uncovers secrets about her strange ability, a grandfather's madness, and more. Harrison's gothic, semi-modern setting has Tam Lin overtones, and despite Tanya's passive portrayal, her world is exciting and richly depicted. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Packed off to her unwelcoming grandmother's house, 13-year-old Tanya faces an unpleasant summer, tormented by fairies only she can see and urged by Fabian, the groundskeeper's son, to explore the forbidden woods to solve the mystery of a child's disappearance. It takes a while for all the facets of this mystery to be displayed, but by the time Tanya realizes that the "ghost" she and Fabian saw in the woods is the same young woman Fabian's grandfather was suspected of murdering, the reader will be hooked. Then the sounds Tanya hears in the walls behind her room turn out to be another teenager with second sight, one who has been stealing, or perhaps rescuing, babies. And what is the meaning of the 13 charms on the heirloom bracelet? In spite of some awkward writing and weak character development, there is much to enjoy here for the fan of English fantasies involving old manor houses, fairy kingdoms and changelings. This debut novel won the Waterstone Children's Book Prize, and a sequel appeared in the United Kingdom in January 2010. (Gothic fantasy. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
After Tanya's mother sends Tanya to stay with her stiff and strict grandmother in Elvesden Manor, the girl's annoyance turns to a combination of fascination and dread as she explores more deeply than she has in previous visits. Accompanied by the son of her mother's servant, Tanya broaches the woods, the underground tunnels, and secret rooms. Already aware that she is a seer, she is upset by a dead fairy (whom she carefully buries), a bruised half-breed gnome, and a girl she knows to be long dead. Harrison is an excellent storyteller whose command of language wonderfully matches the scenarios and characters she creates. Fairies, paranormal apparitions, and an old mystery involving Tanya's grandmother all play a role in Tanya's discoveries, fears, and eventual conquests. Fantasy readers who are looking for the next fat book that's both a quick and compelling read will love this one.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist