There is a corruption layer to this story which I really enjoyed but it was strangely left unresolved. About half way though the story we discover the local land owner, Lord Stanley, has altered the flow of the river for his own greedy purposes. This means the marsh is expanding leaving the local fishermen with no income and so, in turn, the whole town is suffering. Added to this, on nights of the full moon, children disappear into the marsh and they are never seen again.
One day a strange child walks out of the marsh - her name - given to her by the village Wise Woman, is Rhodd. Rhodd is half wild. She cannot speak at first and her legs are covered in deep angry red welts. The townspeople are deeply suspicious of this child. Her adopted mother is often called a witch because she is a healer and was originally also an outsider. It is clear Rhodd will need to return to the marsh to discover what has happened to the river. She hears voices in her head encouraging her to do just this but she works hard to silence them. Following her destiny is, however, made all the more urgent when Lord Stanley arrives with a proclamation.
"None of you paid me a penny in rent last year. ... I am going to pull down these houses and sell off the land. This village is no longer necessary. ... For some reason beyond our understanding the river is gone. Nature moves in mysterious ways. .... I want you all out of your houses and the village empty by the end of the month. The houses will be pulled down the following day."
The end of the month is less than two weeks away.
Rhodd has an amazing gift but she keeps it a secret. She can communicate with animals via her thoughts and she can see through their eyes but she won't use her special companion - a falcon - in this way. The falcon seems to guard Rhodd and he keeps telling her to go back to the marsh.
Rhodd does have one special friend in the village - a young boy who is curious about the world. His name is Gar and he is also an outsider.
Publisher blurb: When the child emerges from the wilderness, no one in the village knows what to do with her. She is odd - half-wild, without speech and seems to have an unnatural bond with animals - especially the falcon, who is always circling above her. The Wise-Woman takes her in, and names her Rhodd, but the rest of the villagers remain suspicious. Over the years, as Rhodd grows, the village realises that the river, which is their connection to the wider world, is beginning to die, and eventually a dark sickness begins to spread. Soon, too soon, the villagers turn their suspicion on Rhodd and her falcon. And so, Rhodd sets out to discover what - or who - is causing the river to dry up . . . to protect her mother, her falcon and herself...
I almost gave this book five stars but in the final chapters the fantasy elements were just too crammed in and the despicable behaviour of Lord Stanley felt unresolved and unpunished. This reviewer agrees with me.
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