The Bitterbynde Series by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

This first title in a new trilogy, set in a world of legendary creatures, introduces the least of the lowly--a mute, scarred foundling, unaware of who she is or why she is wandering the dangerous landscape. Fortunately, an old female servant takes her in and protects her. As she grows, she finds friends in this strange land, and together, they set out to find her name, her past, and her future.

Returning to the magical Bitterbynde world, the maiden Rohain is no longer deformed or mute. Yet her dreams of happiness are short-lived when the Unseelie hordes declare war on humankind--and Rohain is the real target of the Wild Hunt. Original.

THE LADY OF THE SORROWS The Bitterbynde Trilogy #2 This special, revised edition includes the author's new introduction - in which she discusses the writing of the Bitterbynde trilogy - images of part of the original, handwritten manuscript and copies of some original notes and calculations created while the work was in progress."Though Imhrien's memory is clouded by sorcery, she must take vital news to the King-Emperor of Caermelor... moreTHE LADY OF THE SORROWS The Bitterbynde Trilogy #2 This special, revised edition includes the author's new introduction - in which she discusses the writing of the Bitterbynde trilogy - images of part of the original, handwritten manuscript and copies of some original notes and calculations created while the work was in progress."Though Imhrien's memory is clouded by sorcery, she must take vital news to the King-Emperor of Caermelor. She hopes that there she may also find Thorn, the King's Ranger, a beautiful warrior who has won her heart. Since no commoner may approach the royal court, Imrhien assumes a new identity as Rohain, a noble visitor from the distant Sorrow Isles. She soon discovers that the King and his rangers have departed to battle the unseelie hordes which have declared war against mortalkind. Attacks by nightmare monsters of the Wild Hunt, led by wicked Lord Huon, grow ever more frequent and brutal. And when evil forces lay siege to the royal sanctuary on a hidden mystic island, Rohain is confronted with a horrifying discovery. To protect those she loves, the Lady of the Sorrows must undertake a desperate quest to discover who she is and why an unhuman evil would wreak such destruction. But the truth of Rohain's past will prove more incredible - and far more tragic - than any she could possibly have imagined."Author Cecilia Dart-Thornton was discovered on the Internet. She had written the three books of the Bitterbynde Trilogy before she uploaded the first chapter to a Writers' Workshop, where her work was spotted by an editor. Shortly afterwards Time-Warner's publishing department (New York) offered her a contract. They published her books in hardcover, the first time they had ever done so with a new author. The Bitterbynde Trilogy hit the best-seller lists world-wide and has been translated into five languages. less

The Barnes Noble Review The Battle of Evernight, the final installment in Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Bitterbynde trilogy, takes place in Erith, a richly detailed realm filled with a plethora of magical seelie (benevolent) and unseelie (malevolent) creatures. Seamlessly mixing British and Irish myths, fairy tales and folklore, Dart-Thornton (called Australia's answer to J.R.R... moreThe Barnes Noble Review The Battle of Evernight, the final installment in Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Bitterbynde trilogy, takes place in Erith, a richly detailed realm filled with a plethora of magical seelie (benevolent) and unseelie (malevolent) creatures. Seamlessly mixing British and Irish myths, fairy tales and folklore, Dart-Thornton (called Australia's answer to J.R.R. Tolkien) creates an extraordinarily wild world, comparable to Middle-earth, that can be both breathtakingly beautiful and, in the blink of an eye, the stuff of nightmares. With her memory slowly returning, the protagonist, Tahquil, along with her friends Caitri and Viviana, vows to find the Bitterbynde Gate, the only remaining passage into the world of Faeran. By finding the elusive gate, Tahquil can stop the impending war between feuding immortal Faeran brothers trapped in Erith: Angavar, the High King of the Fair Realm, and his younger twin brother, Morragan, the Raven Prince. The battle between Angavar and his followers and Morragan and his unseelie legions will likely take hundreds of thousands of lives, but if Tahquil can find the gate in time, all the immortals stranded in Erith will surely end their conflict and return posthaste to the Fair Realm. Fans of folklore and fairy tales should make it a point to read Dart-Thornton's entire Bitterbynde trilogy ( The Ill-Made Mute, and The Lady of the Sorrows are the first two books). Her fluid, almost hypnotic writing style is reminiscent of Elizabethan poetry or Celtic music. In short, this is beautifully written, timeless fantasy. Paul Goat Allen less

An ancient secret is about to be revealed... The Bitterbynde #3 THE BATTLE OF EVERNIGHT - Special edition, revised and extended, including an extra chapter. The fugitive who calls herself Tahquil has at last discovered the truth. She is being hunted down because of the secret she alone knows. However her mind is still clouded by a potent spell called the Bitterbynde, and she is also dying from a strange wasting disease, whose cure is elusive.. moreAn ancient secret is about to be revealed... The Bitterbynde #3 THE BATTLE OF EVERNIGHT - Special edition, revised and extended, including an extra chapter. The fugitive who calls herself Tahquil has at last discovered the truth. She is being hunted down because of the secret she alone knows. However her mind is still clouded by a potent spell called the Bitterbynde, and she is also dying from a strange wasting disease, whose cure is elusive... Disaster strikes and she finds herself in Evernight - at the fortress of the Raven Prince himself. Faerie creatures of every kind - virtuous and wicked, solitary and trooping, monstrous and marvellously beautiful, become locked in a battle that could engulf all of Erith. Tahquil's quest for the truth finally hinges on a desperate choice. If she reveals that which is hidden, will she thereby save two worlds - or instead destroy everything she holds dear? less