The abbey and the nature surrounding it was vividly painted on each page and it definitely brought the story to life. I completely fell in love with the island setting and I loved the way the author brought it to life. It sucks you in deeper and deeper and leaves you desperate for more of this stunning world. When their world is threatened Maresi and the sisters must use all their knowledge and power to save everything that they know. This gorgeous island is home to a group of women and girls, who work for themselves and forbid men to come to the island. Maresi is an enchanting read which follows a young girl who lives at the Red Abbey. And Maresi, haunted by her own nightmares, must confront her very deepest, darkest fears.Ī story of friendship and survival, magic and wonder, beauty and terror, Maresi will grip you and hold you spellbound. Now the women and girls of the Red Abbey must use all their powers and ancient knowledge to combat the forces that wish to destroy them. And the men who hurt her will stop at nothing to find her. She has fled to the island to escape terrible danger and unimaginable cruelty. Then one day Jai tangled fair hair, clothes stiff with dirt, scars on her back arrives on a ship. But now Maresi is here, and she knows it is real. In a world where girls aren’t allowed to learn or do as they please, an island inhabited solely by women sounded like a fantasy. Before then, she had only heard rumours of its existence in secret folk tales. Maresi came to the Red Abbey when she was thirteen, in the Hunger Winter. Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review

Maresi by maria turtschaninoff