Evelyn Speckleplum

Twelve-year-old orphan Evelyn Speckleplum has been living a dull, miserable life. The orphanage caretakers, Ms. Paunchy and Ms. Spittoon, routinely treat Evelyn with disgust and disdain. So when an attractive, kind couple arrives at the orphanage wanting to adopt Evelyn, she is utterly mystified. But not nearly as mystified as when she arrives at her adopted parent's colonial home and discovers a curious greenhouse in the backyard. In the greenhouse, Evelyn encounters an unusual creature that knows her true identity: she is a fey, or as humans call it, a fairy.

They whisper her name . . . the Black-Veined Mistress. No one knows where she came from. No one has seen her face. Only that wherever she passes, the air turns cold with fog, and blood-red poppies bloom—just before someone vanishes. The signs are spreading. The owls have begun to circle. The monarch butterflies flutter away. And through the leaves, a rattling breath carries a name: Evelyn Speckleplum. It’s been over a year since Evelyn returned from the Fey Realm. Her new life in an old Victorian foster home ought to feel like a fresh start.