Fleeing her home in Market Cross, Caitrin believes she has found sanctuary in the town of Whistling Tor. When villagers warn her of ghostly spectres that haunt the surrounding forest, Caitrin dismisses the stories as idle gossip. Haunted or not, she knows that she cannot return to her home, subject once again to greedy predators that turned up in her family tree after her father’s death. With dwindling money and no place to stay, Caitrin agrees to be the chieftain’s scribe, and has pledged to stay throughout the summer months. Before long, though, Caitrin realizes that there was something to the villagers talk and that not all is as it seems in the stronghold on the hill.

In Heart’s Blood, Juliet Marillier crafts a suspenseful, moody story filled with strong characters and great atmosphere. Very loosely based on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, this book twists and shapes a classic story into something more, something deep and moving on many levels. Be prepared to spend some time with this one, not because it’s slow paced, but because it deserves to not be rushed. Heart’s Blood shouldn’t be missed.