Headstrong, impetuous Tansy Trilby can barely sit still, let alone read- but what she lacks in academic achievement, she makes up for in magical talent, and so she is accepted to be a boarder at Bluebell Hall, where her first term sees adventures of all kinds. Ruth, the solidly practical one of the group, whose cooking one can't help but love, faces financial ruin. Jessamy, sweet, demure, and a gifted charmworker, has been forced into servitude by her adopted family. Iola, fearlessly rebellious, is forced to confront a frightening figure from her difficult past. And then there is Cressida. Polished, cultured, and a bit prissy, she's everything that Tansy's not, only just and talented. Her curls gleam in the sun, and she raises her hand before speaking- and Tansy can't possibly decide if she despises or admires her. But when an unexpected act of kindness brings the two together, she discovers that under the veneer of Cressida's posh upbringing lurks a genuinely good heart- and a dark and dangerous secret. On the night of the Bloody Moon, a girl will be sacrificed to an ancient evil. Is love truly the greatest magic of all?