It was fine, no great surprises. The writing was a little flat and a little forced. Oh well. ( )

n Brown Hannah’s hair grows flowers that she must pluck for the wizard’s as she watches young heroes ride into the Tanglewood in search of the treasure.

The secret of this story isn’t really the nature of the treasure. That’s fairly obvious. What’s important in this story is the wonderful stretch into seasons.

Hannah begins the story unnaturally frozen in the brown season. Gray and chill. Forgetful. Isolated even from herself. It’s about stretching out into the world in that first Maiden’s journey.

Meredith Pierce has a wonderful languorous control of the English language. Not mere yellows, but saffrons and russets. A luscious roll into the seasonal. ( )

Hannah has unusual powers of healing and an almost unnatural connection to nature. Flowers and herbs grow in her hair and she can speak with animals. When she finally breaks free of a wizard who she has served for her entire life, she sets out on a journey that reveals the truth about her real nature.

Other books to try: Dragonsinger, The Ropemaker, Secret Sacrament, Beast ( )

As other reviewers have noted, the ending of this book will come as no surprise to any moderately sophisticated reader. The main character (Hannah) spends the entire novel trying to figure out who and what she is, when it is fairly obvious that she's ... well, I'll just give you some hints.

1) She has seasonally appropriate herbage growing in her hair.
2) Her gown changes color with the season.
3) Any time she meets someone, they say things like "Forgive us, Spring Maiden, we didn't know this was your pond!"

So yes: the ending is obvious. But that's not a bug; that's a feature. "Treasure in the Heart of the Tanglewood" is clearly aimed at a young adult audience, probably in the eleven-to-thirteen age group, who are just beginning to create an adult identity. The ending of the book may not be so obvious to such young readers, and Hannah's confused determination to figure out who she is likely mirrors their own process of self-discovery.

Older readers may find that theme somewhat wearing; but that's because they've mostly discovered themselves already. Still, more experienced readers may appreciate this book for its exquisite use of language if nothing else. Every phrase flows smoothly from the others. Moments of danger and doubt never break the overall tone of the work; there are no awkward phrases or jarring dei ex machinae. "Lyrical" describes it best - here is a novel which reads like a poem, or like the elaborate fairy tales of Andrew Lang's many-colored fairy books. Maintaining such a tone for a whole book is an intensely difficult task, and Pierce achieves it admirably.

Even the plot has its high points, for those who can appreciate the dilemma Hannah's ignorance puts her in even while remaining amazed that it's a predicament at all. For example, at one point Hannah scares the living daylights out of three unsuspecting washerwomen simply by hailing them and saying "Wait a minute, you forgot this cloak!" Her confusion over their response to her was well worth a chuckle.

There are other books with stronger plots, and others with writing just as good; but comparatively few combine both those traits in a single book. For the young, and for lovers of elevated language, "Tanglewood" does indeed hold treasure. ( )

Brown Hannah, who has been forced to serve the evil sorcerer of the Tanglewood for as long as she can remember, finds the courage to stand up to him and discover her own mysterious identity.