From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up--This horror story is set in the same world that Calhoun created in Firegold (Winslow, 1999), but takes place 400 years earlier. Rose Chandler, 15, is a bondgirl on Greengarden Orchard. She is too ugly to attract a husband, or so she is often told, and too fearful and disabled by fits of asthma to do much more than lead an old ox around the orchard. Her timidity attracts the attention of the orchard's owner, Mr. Brae, who wants an heir and needs a compliant girl to help him get one. He makes an irresistible offer to Rose's parents--status, possessions, and freedom from bondage--in exchange for Rose's hand in marriage to the monstrous grandson he has kept locked in the attic since birth. Everyone at Greengarden fears "The Thing," who is rumored to feed on human flesh, but the teen finds the inner reserves to accept the offer, both for the sake of her family and even more for her secret desire to own and nurture the orchard. The book stands on its own as a complete story, but is even better as a companion to Firegold, clearing up some of the mysteries of the first novel and linking people, places, and cultures from past and future together. Either way, this is a satisfying read.--Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Fifteen-year-old Rose loves the Greengarden orchards and worries that the Dalriadas, barbarians from the Red Mountain, will destroy the Valley's agrarian civilization. Rose also fears the monstrous "Thing" locked in the attic of the Bighouse, home of Mr. Brae, master of Greengarden. Brae's only child, Amberly, died giving birth to the monster no one has seen. Nearly everyone, however, has heard his furious ranting. After her parents make a deal with Master Brae, Rose finds herself betrothed to the monster and expected to produce an heir. Visiting the attic only in the dark of night, Rose comes to know Raymont, who is not a monster, and becomes pregnant with his child. Threatened by Brae and haunted by Amberly, Rose discovers a family secret that has an impact on the fate of her baby and the future of the Valley. Brooding and atmospheric, sensual but not sexually graphic, this gripping fantasy questions the nature of such cultural components as family, race, and war, without sacrificing the story. Fans of Firegold (1999) will not be disappointed in this companion novel. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Calhoun's signature high quality is evident from beginning to end...this book is a must-have." --VOYA
"Brooding and atmospheric...this gripping fantasy questions the nature of such cultural components as family, race, and war...Fans of Firegold (1999) will not be disappointed." --Booklist
"A satisfying read." -- School Library Journal
"Brooding and atmospheric...this gripping fantasy questions the nature of such cultural components as family, race, and war...Fans of Firegold (1999) will not be disappointed." --Booklist
"A satisfying read." -- School Library Journal
Book Description
Companion to Firegold, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Rose Chandler, a fifteen-year-old bondgirl who lives on Greengarden Orchard, fears everything: the dark, the moon, other people, and the Dalriadas from the Red Mountains who are at war with the Valley folk. But Rose especially fears the Thing locked in the attic of the Bighouse, home of Mr. Brae, the Master of Greengarden. Rose loves Greengarden and dreams of saving it from Mr. Brae’s neglect. That love gives her the courage to confront her fears one by one, until at last she comes face-to-face with the Thing in the attic. There, when Rose lights a candle in the dark, a nightmare beyond her worst imagining comes true, and she learns Mr. Brae has betrayed her. Then the Thing – and the intensifying war – present Rose
with a terrible dilemma. Will she have to give up the land she loves in order to save it?
Dia Calhoun's mesmerizing new novel is the sometimes mystical story of Rose’s journey from girl to young woman.
Rose Chandler, a fifteen-year-old bondgirl who lives on Greengarden Orchard, fears everything: the dark, the moon, other people, and the Dalriadas from the Red Mountains who are at war with the Valley folk. But Rose especially fears the Thing locked in the attic of the Bighouse, home of Mr. Brae, the Master of Greengarden. Rose loves Greengarden and dreams of saving it from Mr. Brae’s neglect. That love gives her the courage to confront her fears one by one, until at last she comes face-to-face with the Thing in the attic. There, when Rose lights a candle in the dark, a nightmare beyond her worst imagining comes true, and she learns Mr. Brae has betrayed her. Then the Thing – and the intensifying war – present Rose
with a terrible dilemma. Will she have to give up the land she loves in order to save it?
Dia Calhoun's mesmerizing new novel is the sometimes mystical story of Rose’s journey from girl to young woman.
About the Author
Dia Calhoun spent years training to be a dancer before turning to graphic design and then to writing. Firegold was her first book, followed by Aria of the Sea, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She lives in Tacoma, Washington.
