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by Heather Fawcett (Author)
A fresh and exciting twist on magical boarding schools, the well-loved Chosen One trope, and the nature of true heroism--from the author of The Language of Ghosts and Ember and the Ice Dragons. Perfect for fans of middle grade fantasies including the Serafina series by Robert Beatty and Neil Gaiman's Coraline.
Twelve-year-old Autumn Malog is a servant at the enchanting Inglenook School, a castle full of secrets where young magicians study to become the king's future monster-hunters. Along with her Gran and three too many older brothers, she works as a beastkeeper, tending to Inglenook's menagerie of terrifying monsters.
But when she isn't mucking out the wyvern stalls or coaxing the resident boggart to behave, Autumn searches for clues about her twin brother's mysterious disappearance. Everyone else thinks he was devoured by the feared Hollow Dragon, but Autumn is convinced she's heard--and glimpsed--him calling to her from within the castle walls. But who will believe a lowly servant?
So when Cai Morrigan, the school's famous--and secretly reluctant--"Chosen One" prophesied to one day destroy the Hollow Dragon, comes to her for help, Autumn agrees on one condition: Together, they'll search for her brother and uncover the dark truth at the heart of enchanting Inglenook School once and for all.
Unraveling that truth will mean facing the school's most dangerous monsters--and its most powerful magicians.
- A Magical School Unlike Any Other: Forget lessons and spells. For servant beastkeeper Autumn Malog, life at Inglenook is about mucking out wyvern stalls and keeping terrifying magical creatures in line.
- An Unlikely Friendship: When the famous "Chosen One," Cai Morrigan, asks for her help, Autumn agrees for a price. He'll help her find her missing twin.
- A Missing Brother Mystery: Everyone says the Hollow Dragon killed her twin, Winter. But Autumn is sure he's trapped somewhere within the school's walls, and she'll risk everything to bring him back.
- A Brave Girl Heroine: With courage, cleverness, and a deep knowledge of monsters, a lowly servant girl sets out to challenge prophecies and uncover a dark conspiracy.
