Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The town of St. Muckle’s is a “peasants’ paradise”: Anyone who stays for a year and a day gains freedom from serfdom. Six-year-old Charl’s father, an earl, torments his family and slaughters pagans. Escaping from his cruelty, Charl and his mother, Eileen, flee to St. Muckle’s with two companions, Sister Agnes and ex-knight Aris, who help raise Charl. Seven years later, Eileen, who’s working as an innkeeper, has earned the townspeople’s respect. But the family’s peace is shattered when an infiltrator spreads a deadly beetle-borne plague, and suspicion falls on Eileen. As illness grips the town, disaster strikes again—a dragon attacks St. Muckle’s, separating Charl from his mother. Forced to flee, he takes shelter in a ruined abbey with a suspicious nun, only to find it haunted by ghostly girls and the spirit of a murderous bishop. To reunite with his mother and escape his father’s grasp, Charl will need help from both the living and the dead. Charl is a thoughtful, kindhearted protagonist who struggles against the limitations placed on him for his own safety. The setting and backstory are richly developed, and though the novel is set in the world of Hartman’s Seraphina series, no knowledge of those works is needed. However, the narrative transition from St. Muckle’s to the abbey feels disjointed, and the rushed ending leaves some character arcs unresolved. Most major characters present white; Aris has brown skin. Despite pacing issues, rich worldbuilding and an appealing found-family theme make for a compelling read.(Fantasy. 12-18) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 6 Up—Revisit the renowned world of Seraphina in the town of St. Muckle's, where anyone can earn freedom from their circumstances by living inside the town's walls for a year and a day. The safe haven is considered too poor for greedy nobles and too damp for dragons, so Charl, 13, and his mother have lived for years hiding from his father. They've thrived more or less peacefully until a duel leads Charl to the Old Abbey where he stumbles upon a ghost and a fatal accident in traumatic succession. When the night watchman turns up dead and a plague breaks out, everything the people of St. Muckle's have worked for is thrown into jeopardy—and that's before the dragon enters the scene. Charl escapes back to the Old Abbey and its ghosts, tangling him in history and destiny as he decides who he wants to be. Exquisite prose carves a place in readers' hearts for the nuanced characters of St. Muckle's as they navigate themes of power, misinformation, and the duty people have to one another and to the greater community. This slow-moving character exploration asks readers to define the edges of their world and what's important in it, making for a deeply grounded plot despite its fantastical setting. Hartman's humorous parentheticals and authentic narrative voice lighten the expository load as new readers are welcomed into the well-established world of Goredd, a place where humans and shape-shifting dragons live side-by-side. VERDICT An engrossing, thoughtful fantasy on the human condition—with dragons. A first purchase for all collections.—Emmy Neal

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this novel set in the world of Hartman's Seraphina volumes (most recently In the Serpent's Wake, rev. 5/22), soggy St. Muckle's is a "peasants' paradise": after staying a year and a day, anyone may win independence from husband, master, or lord. Charl's mother brought him there to escape his abusive father, hoping Charl, now thirteen, could grow up in peace. But the local bully won't let that happen; nor will Charl's father, who bribes three vulnerable figures to retrieve him: a spy who unleashes a deadly plague; a dragon happy to burn St. Muckle's to the ground (if only it weren't so damp); and Mother Trude, a treacherous abbess with her own secret history to expiate. Life becomes even more difficult for Charl when he takes refuge in an old abbey haunted by the ghosts of a vicious bishop and several murdered girls. How could these ancient girls possibly help Charl -- and he them? Hartman's many plots, subplots, dramatic events, and images create a suitably overwhelming tangle of circumstance, identity, and motivation. Here, remorse, forgetfulness, and repression come to the foreground in the ghosts' ability both to share and to evoke painful memories, offering a complex consideration of the mistakes and compromises that are inevitable parts of growing and living. In addition, subtly, quietly, Hartman allows us to perceive Charl's transgender identity, a welcome, nourished aspect of his being. (c) Copyright 2025. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 6 Up—Set in a medieval-inspired town, Hartman's latest takes listeners back to the world introduced in her "Seraphina" novels. Here, 13-year-old Charl lives with his mother, who escaped an abusive husband and has worked hard in their new home, in the safe-haven village of St. Muckle's. When a bully's scheme, a plague of disease-carrying beetles, and dangerous pursuers disrupt their lives, Charl seeks refuge in a haunted monastery, where he finds both friendly and threatening ghosts. The story is thoughtful but intense, as it features graphic descriptions of insects, pandemic symptoms, child death, fire-related injuries, and domestic abuse. Despite the many well-crafted, dramatic events and detailed worldbuilding, the pacing can feel slow. However, Watt's narration is a highlight. His warm, empathetic delivery communicates the story's emotional depth, and his skill in shifting smoothly between a wide range of characters makes each voice distinct and memorable. Watt crafts a performance that has earned well-deserved critical praise and listener admiration. VERDICT An audiobook that blends unique storytelling with an exceptional vocal performance, this is recommended for where Hartman's books are popular.—Claire Covington