I thought this was absolutely charming. It put me in mind of A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce, largely because of the really vivid imagery, though AGOG is darker in tone I think, as well as meant for older readers. Don't get me wrong, all is not sweetness and light here, but the consequences are not as severe as they could be if this weren't a book for children. The Persephone angle, for one - the myth is so powerful because the mother does lose her child; she does grieve for six months out of every twelve, and that is the cost of Persephone's journey to adulthood. Here September's mother never even knew she was missing so the metaphor is somewhat diluted... but it is a children's book and one must not steep them so dreadfully in misery so soon.

I figured out the Marquess' identity fairly early on, but it's not the plot that is the great strength of this book (though the plot is perfectly adequate). Rather it's the language which, as in Valente's short stories, is bright and rich and something to wallow happily in. Everyone has one element that they prefer above all others in a story, whether that's characterisation or action or what have you. For me it's language, so this hit all the right buttons. Recommended!

Fun fact: my parents planned to call me September. I am very glad they did not - I like to think I hung on to be born until October, just to make sure the name would be completely inappropriate. But I like September here, and the near miss between us makes me extra fond of her.