Darkwater [Hardcover]

Catherine Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2012

What would you sell your soul for?

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her one hundred years and the means to accomplish her objective--in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, a fifteen-year-old boy who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but doesn't believe he has the talent. Until he meets a professor named Azrael, who offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake she did a century ago?

This is smart fantasy mixed with elements of horror from master storyteller Catherine Fisher. She says, "Darkwater Hall is an image of the power and knowledge we all desire. But what will we pay for them, and are they worth the price?"

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9-11-Impoverished after her grandfather waged a losing bet 15 years earlier, 16-year-old Sarah Trevelyan must scrub latrines to feed her sick father. The Trevelyans' ancestral portraits cover the grim hallways, but Darkwater Hall is now owned by Azrael, the mysteriously youthful man who won the fateful coin toss. He offers Sarah employment in its massive library, and the teen is overjoyed at the chance to learn. Sarah becomes immersed in the dark world until Azrael offers her a deal-the reinstatement of Darkwater Hall to the Trevelyans in exchange for her soul. Helpless, Sarah agrees to his terms. Flash forward 99 years and 11 months to modern-day Darkwater Academy where a hopeful student, 15-year-old Tom, is dogged by bullies and shadowed by the ghost of his dead twin. When Tom is seduced by the un-aged Azrael's offer of a job in the lab, who should reemerge but Sarah Trevelyan, also un-aged and determined to prevent the boy from making the same mistake she did. Fisher does a lot right in this Dickensian tale as she spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. Yet the characters fall short, and the break midway through this already short tale to switch perspectives and centuries doesn't help. Allusions to biblical stories may be above readers' heads. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Praise for Darkwater

"The plot and characters are skillfully developed and greatly enhanced by the aura of malevolence that permeates the mood of Fisher's Faustian novel." -Horn Book Reviews

"Fisher does a lot right in this Dickensian tale as she spins a spooky story and portrays a ghastly mansion that readers can just about touch, taste, and smell. A book for those who really love atmospheric tales with literary quality." -School Library Journal

"Darkly atmospheric, this Faustian update is both compelling and accessible with an ending that interrogates notions of good and evil without belaboring the point...Fisher's evocative prose easily creates a perfectly crafted gothic backdrop....an ideal companion for a gloomy afternoon." -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books review

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Dial (September 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803738188
• ISBN-13: 978-0803738188
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Trynia pillow November 14, 2012

By trynia

Format:Hardcover

This book was awesome. The story ended way different then I thought it would and the characters where very intersting espically Azrael. Even at the end you still don't know anything about him a mysterious end to a mysterious charcter.Maybe he's a god hidden in disguise seeking entertainment from the greed of humans or maybe he is the dark lord himself seeking the souls of humans who don't keep up with there bargins to him. I would recommend this book to those who like a good mysterious-fantasy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fisher Does a Great Job Creating a Creepy Setting November 2, 2012

By Teen Reads

Format:Hardcover

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Trevelyan is tired of being reminded of what her family lost. She is reminded of it every day when she works as a lowly teacher's assistant in Darkwater Hall. She's reminded of it when the townspeople whisper behind her back of the horrible way her family treated others. And Sarah's reminded of it when her sick father tells her how their family was swindled out of their fortune and Darkwater Hall by a mysterious figure. Sarah was too young to remember when any of this took place, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel the burden of her family's legacy weighing on her shoulders.

If Sarah only had the chance to make things right, everything could be different. Despite this desire to bring back her family's honor, she is very reluctant to return to Darkwater Hall even after its new owner, Lord Azrael, offers her a job. Lord Azrael is a scientist of sorts who conducts experiments to turn regular medal to gold. He needs an able-bodied assistant, and Sarah seems like the perfect fit. Azrael knows her family history and that she is very interested in striking a deal to help her right her family's wrongs. A deal with the devil, perhaps? Sarah isn't sure.

What would you want in exchange for your soul?

The temptation is too great, though, and Sarah agrees. In exchange for her soul, she'll reclaim possession of Darkwater Hall and get a hundred years to rewrite her family legacy. Lord Azrael disappears --- but promises to return.

A hundred years later, Tom looks longingly at Darkwater Hall much the same way that Sarah did a hundred years earlier. Darkwater Hall is now home a very ritzy private school that Tom would give almost anything to attend. Public school hasn't been exactly what Tom expected, and he's sick of being picked on by the local bullies. Tom is surprised when the new chemistry teacher, someone named Azrael, expresses interest in helping him. Azrael is looking for a new assistant to help him turn medal into gold, and Tom seems like the perfect fit. Sound familiar?

With the end of the hundred years approaching, Sarah returns to Darkwater Hall and is dismayed to find Azrael up to his old tricks. She knows her soul may be lost, but that doesn't mean someone else needs to fall prey to Azrael's schemes. Will she run out of time before she can help Tom, or will another deal be made with the devil?

I became a huge fan of Catherine Fisher after reading INCARCERON and SAPPHIQUE, and she doesn't disappoint with her latest effort. Making a deal with the devil isn't necessarily a new idea, but it's such an intriguing concept that it's worth being explored time and time again. Fisher does a great job creating a creepy setting by mixing in a gloomy and ominous mansion, strange characters who seem very shady, and of course that disconcerting moment when you wonder what you would want in exchange for your soul. Reading this just might make you pause when you someone walking around in a devil costume on Halloween.

Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars superb young adult Faustian thriller September 27, 2012

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

Trevelyan gambled away Darkwater Hall and lost all his money. He and his sixteen year old Sarah reside with their former servant Martha in her dilapidated cottage. Her dad remains domicile depressed even as the villagers scorn and humiliate Sarah; while her employer schoolmistress Mrs. Hubbard is even crueler. When Mrs. Hubbard canes Emmeline Rowney, Sarah intercedes; only losing her position. Observing her and seemingly impressed by her courage, Darkwater Hall owner Lord Azrael offers her a chance to regain her family home and atone for the hideous misdeeds of her ancestors. She accepts his demand of her soul, which he will collect in a century.

One-hundred years later, fifteen years old Tom and his mom live in Martha's Cottage. His mother works as a cleaner at Darkwater Hall School. Tom wants to attend the school where his great-grandmother was once a student, but knows he has no chance. Professor Azrael offers him a deal that has Sarah trying to prevent from happening as she does not want the teen to make the same mistake she made when she sold her soul to Azrael.

This is a superb young adult Faustian thriller told in two parts: Victorian England and the late twentieth century. The storyline is fast-paced yet the key cast members are fully developed. With several stunning twist especially a great climatic spin, fans will root for brave Sarah to keep Tom safe and find a loophole in her damning contract with mysterious Azrael.

Harriet Klausner