Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood

Today’s post is on Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce. It is a stand-alone novel and is 241 pages long. It is published by Viking. The intended reader is young adult but anyone who has read Pierce’s other works will enjoy this one and if you have never read her before this is a good starting place. The cover has a curtain that is the night sky pulled to the side with a young girl looking at the reader and flowers are growing out of her hair. There is no language, no sex and only talk of some violence in this book. It is told from third person close with the focus on Hannah. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- First, she is Brown Hannah- a healer who lives in the Tanglewood, a drab girl who, for reason unknown to her, unnerves the villagers who come to her to get salves and charms. But when she challenges the magician who has held her captive for longer than she can remember, she becomes Green Hannah. Then she is Golden Hannah, traveling through the land, her talking animals and birds (and one silent fox) by her side. And, finally Russet Hannah, when she finishes the long journey back to where she first grew, and learns the story of who she is, and why her long flaxen hair is interwoven with deep-rooted flowers, plants, berries and wheat. A world that utterly involves the reader, bone-deep imagery, a journey that strides through the heart- this eagerly anticipated novel, Meredith Ann Pierce’s first in five years, is well worth the wait.

Review- I love Pierce. She is one of my favorite authors and I have missed her because she has not published anything in a long time. The story is a beautiful journey of a young girl who does not know who or what she is. Hannah is brave, loving, and curious about herself and the world. The villain is very evil and she shines so well against his evil. The dialogue is not bad but it is not why you read this book. It is the descriptions of the world and of Hannah as she changes. Pierce knows how to world build. In her most wonderful trilogy The Darkangel Trilogy shows this well and she does not disappoint here either. I enjoy journey books and this is a good one. Hannah is a little slow about herself just to warn you and that is only problem that I have with the novel. Hannah is too innocent for my tastes but just roll with it and you will enjoy this story totally.

I give this one Four and half stars out of Five. I get nothing for my review and I bought my copy with my own money.