While You're Waiting: Murkmere by Patricia Elliott: First in a Series For Young Adults

A recent cultural and literary phenomenon has left literally millions of children and adults the world over all hungry for a good story. As never before in history, readers are wildly waiting for an announcement regarding the publication of certain new books for young adults. This series of book reviews, “While You’re Waiting”, will deal exclusively with literature for children and young adults, both old and new, which will hopefully tide us all over for the next year or two.

Patricia Elliott writes that "All I had in my head at the start of Murkmere was the compelling vision of a girl painstakingly and secretly sewing together a swanskin night after night.” As she explored who that girl might be and why she was carefully sewing every night until her hands were bloody and raw, Patricia Elliott discovered the brilliantly gloomy fantasy world she shares with us in her beautiful book, Murkmere.


Intended for grades nine to twelve, Murkmere is set in a bleak, rural corner of a country ruled by a corrupt theocracy that holds the wild birds as their gods. Everyone from powerful men to school children look to the birds for signs and portents, dreading some breeds as horrible omens and others as protectors and guides. 

In this strange and fearful land, Aggie thought she would spend her entire life quietly in her small village. When she is sent to Murkmere Hall to provide companionship to the Master’s strange and contrary daughter, Leah, Aggie is apprehensive. Yet she makes the short journey to Murkmere Hall with the sly and sometimes violent steward of Murkmere Hall, Silas Seed.

Murkmere by Patricia Elliott is a compelling and beautiful read for both children and adults.

Credit: Patricia Elliott

Copyright: Little, Brown Young Readers