Tanya is no ordinary girl. She can see fairies. But not the fairies we imagine. Evil fairies who cast spells on her, rousing her from her sleep and propelling her out of bed. At wit's end with her daughter's inexplicable behavior, Tanya's mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of a peculiar Essex town. There is plenty to explore, as long as Tanya stays away from Hangman's Wood — a vast stretch of forest, full of catacombs and notorious for people losing their lives. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods, a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. As Tanya learns more about this girl, she finds herself dangerously close to vanishing into the fairy realm forever. Debut author Michelle Harrison weaves an intricate mystery into a beautiful and haunting fantasy that captures a rich world of fairy lore where only the color red can offer protection.

Red has been trapped in the fairy realm ever since she swapped places with Tanya in a desperate attempt to find her brother James who was snatched by a fairy as a baby. Eventually Red finds herself in front of the fairy court and asks for her brother to be returned to her. The court agrees, but only if she completes a quest — a quest that involves finding the thirteen scattered charms of Tanya's bracelet. With the help of Tanya and Fabian, Red starts to hunt down the charms, but the three soon discover that the charms are powerful in their own right and that the longer they are left unfound, the more damage they can do...