Here's something that never happens: I'm reading a book, and realize there are only ten or so pages left. I wonder if there's any chance of unresolved conflict, because I'm desperate to read more. I need a sequel. I need more. Regrettably, this doesn't seem to be a series. 
 But. This world is addictive. Agnieszka is an average country girl, better known for her inability to keep tidy than her charm. So when the time comes for the Dragon (a bitter old wizard) to select a girl from the village to do whatever it is they do in his tower, there's no fear that she will be selected to serve him over the next ten years. But, of course, there wouldn't be much a story here if that were the case. 
 I didn't even know that much going into this, so I don't want to discuss the plot any more than I have to. This is one you have to experience. Magic is threaded through the land and their lives, but not everyone can cast it. And even wizards and witches have their limitations; magic is physically draining, and some of the more complex spells require more than one person to cast them. Those are the parts that wind their lives together, forcing human bonds for the sake of magic and to save the world. The way these spells are cast is beautiful. You almost feel the magic beneath your own fingers. 
 We're in a battle with the Wood, the evil forest that corrupts any who enter and kidnaps villagers for its own wicked use. At first it seems like a fairytale, tall stories to keep children within village walls. But little by little the Wood bares its fangs, and we learn just how eerie and corrupt it truly is. 
 The Dragon isn't a likable man; Agnieszka is stubborn and irritating; her best friend, Kasia, is a little too perfect for her own good. But they all grow, a gradual development that's not perfect, and they have their disagreements. But the relationships between all characters is so genuine that you find yourself liking even the most hardened and bad-tempered wizard of them all.