In the opulent palace of Ohaddin, women have one purpose - to obey. Some were brought here as girls, captured and enslaved; some as servants; some as wives. All of them must do what the Master tells them, for he wields a deadly and secret power.
But the women have powers too. One is a healer. One can control dreams. One is a warrior. One can see everything that is coming. In their golden prison, the women wait. They plan. They write down their stories. They dream of a refuge, a safe place where girls can be free.And, finally, when the moon glows red, they will have their revenge.
A note from the author:“I think that it's rare for a book to focus solely on the female experience, and put it at its heart. That is why Maresi is such an important book for me. I want Maresi to enlighten every reader, normalising that women are powerful, strong, intelligent and most importantly, that they matter.”
Teens love to read and so in addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review the first title in the The Red Abbey Chronicles, Maresi. You can read their full reviews here.
Katie Humphreys, age 13 - 'Maresi is a thrilling book which makes you think about friendship in a different way. I found it SO gripping from cover to cover, and I loved the suspense at the end of every chapter!'
Rose Roberts - 'This book is excellent...WOW!!! I finished it in a day! I loved it.'
Jasmine Wright - 'An amazing, gripping book. Set on an Island inhabited only by women where a young girl, Maresi lives at an abbey. The Abbey is peaceful then Jai arrives and with her comes danger...'
Jenny Ilsley - 'Maresi is about a small island upon which lies a large abbey, full of women...Maresi is the main character in this book, she is a kind natured girl but afraid of the Crone (and what it might do to her).'
Emily Kirby - 'I highly recommend this book because it is thrilling, exciting and very enjoyable. When Jai arrives on the island Maresi has to teach her about the islands way of life.'
Bella Ettery - 'I really enjoyed Maresi and thought that it had a great plot. Every now and then, I still find myself thinking about Maresi, as if she is a real person.'
Charlie Upchurch, age 12 - 'I love the way the book slowly reveals Jai’s story, it makes it impossible to put down. I really enjoyed reading Maresi and I am excited about the next Red Abbey Chronicles book.'
Author
About Maria Turtschaninoff
Maria Turtschaninoff was born in 1977 and has been writing fairy tales since she was five. She is the author of many books about magical worlds, has been awarded the Swedish YLE Literature Prize and has twice won the Society of Swedish Literature Prize. She has also been nominated for the 2017 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal. Naondel is part of the Red Abbey Chronicles which began with Maresi. Follow Maria Turtschaninoff on Instagram.
