It is hard to put into words the power of Maria Turtschaninoff's writing as she crafts a spellbinding world in which secrets, magic and power wrestle.
From the blurb;
'A world where girls live in fear. A safe haven far away. But is it far enough?
'This is Maresi's story.
'Maresi came to the Red Abbey several years ago, in the Hunger Winter. Before then, she had only heard rumors of its existence in secret folk tales. In a world where girls aren't allowed to learn or do as they please, an island inhabited solely by women sounded like a fantasy. But now Maresi is here, and she knows it is real. She is safe.
'Then one day Jai - tangled fair hair, clothes stiff with dirt, scars on her back - arrives on a ship. She has fled to the island to escape terrible danger and unimaginable cruelty. And the men who hurt her will stop at nothing to find her. Now the women and girls of the Red Abbey must use all their powers and ancient knowledge to combat the forces that want to destroy them. And Maresi, haunted by her own nightmares, must confront her very deepest, darkest, fears.'
Filled with turmoil this novel strikes the bone of what it is to feel fear as a woman. Turtschaninoff does not shy away from the darker elements of her story, or the emotional weight of their implications. Her characters, a cast of strong females who have survived a world set against them, stand tall and scarred in the face of universal cruelty.
As we route for them, enjoy their peace, cry with their pain and strive for a better world at their sides we cannot help but recognize the real-world instances that Turtschaninoff is drawing from, both historical and present.
Not for the faint of hearted Maresi is a captivating novel which will suck you in, chew you up and stay living and breathing in your mind long after finishing.
We Give Maresi Five Stars
ISBN - 978-1-78269-091-7 Hardback Cover Price - £10.99 This translation first published by Pushkin Children's Books in 2016