Tom is an orphan who must stay at boarding school during the boring summer months. When his uncle Jack invites him to stay the summer in the country, Tom jumps at the chance. However, it soon becomes apparent that Tom's uncle is hiding a devastating secret. Jack is using magic for unimaginable ends, and he expects Tom to be his heir and take over the magical responsibilities of their ancient family. But Tom worries that Jack is not telling the whole truth about the magic. Could there be evil at the root of it?

I really enjoyed the imaginative magic system and setting. It's very mystical and mysterious!

The plot is a little bit slow, but there is a lot of tension in the atmosphere that keeps your attention. I really liked the way different threads in the story hint at particular mysteries and then we see those threads connect later on in the story. However, there were a few things that weren't quite explained. The plot could have been a bit more cohesive.

The writing style is a bit discontinuous at times. For instance, there is a scene where the characters are eating in the kitchen and Zita asks Tom, "Do you dance, darling?" and she starts to do a "little jig" in the kitchen. Tom thinks to himself that his experience of dancing is "with music that wasn't anything like this..." But nowhere in the scene does it say that there is any music. I actually went back and reread the scene three times to see where the music was coming from. There is no mention of music. No one is humming or singing. There is no radio on. So why is a character reacting to music that doesn't exist? There are lots of little missing details like this that are confusing.

I loved the characters and their complex relationships. Tom is a great main character. I like that he's curious and always exploring around to find the truth. His mind is constantly analyzing and puzzling things through until he finds the answers.

I found it interesting that two of the side characters are trying desperately to be cheerful and find a little happiness in a bad situation. They have decided that even though their entire existence is torturous, they are determined to grasp onto whatever little pleasures and comforts they can find each day. So they dance and eat good food and enjoy the sunshine while they can. It's pitiful and heartbreaking and beautiful.

Overall, a good book, but it has a few continuity problems in the plot.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.