Gemma Doyle, 16, saw her mother die in India and then was packed off to school. She always wanted to go to school in England but not under these set of circumstances. Added to that, her horror of discovering something strange within her. We then follow Gemma as she tries to assimilate herself in the school, gaining friends, making enemies, and at the same time, discovering who she really is.

I have to admit that the beginning annoys me a bit, she's so adolescent. The characters are actually quite realistic (including the flaws of teen girls) and I guess that's what's really annoying me, I find them frustrating as I'm not a teen. But I really enjoyed the mystery and can't wait to continue onto the 2nd book.