This was a beautifully poetic sometimes dark yet fantastical story of a girl named September who goes on an adventure through fairyland. She meets many amazing beasts and goes on a quest. She also goes up against the ominous Marquess who has been ruling fairyland under an iron fist for years. She also faces death and many other perilous and sometimes gruesome obstacles. 
 September is a supposedly ill-tempered heartless girl but she moves through fairyland showing empathy and kindness to all of its inhabitants and creatures. She truly loves the friends she makes and she becomes an honorable, decent and respectable child. 
 The book was wonderful. I listens to it on cd while I was driving and the author read it beautifully.