"In the hinterlands of old Norway, Leidah Pietersdatter is born blue-skinned, with webbed hands and feet. Upon every turn of season, her mother, Maeva, worries as her daughter's peculiarities blossom--inside the root of the tiny child, a strange power is taking hold. Maeva tries to hide the girl from the suspicious townsfolk of the austere village of Ørken, just as she conceals her own magical ancestry from her daughter. And Maeva's adoring husband, Pieter, wants nothing more than for his new family to be accepted by all. But unlike Pieter, Maeva is aware that the villagers, who profess a rigid faith to the new God and claim to have abandoned the old ways, are watching for any sign of transgression--and are eager to pounce and punish. Following both mother and daughter from the shadows and through time, an inquisitive shapeshifter waits for Maeva to finally reclaim who she once was. And as Maeva's elusive past beckons, she realizes that she must help her daughter navigate and control her own singular birthright if the child is to survive the human world. But when the protective love Pieter has for his family threatens the secure life they have slowly built, Maeva comes to a drastic conclusion: she must make Leidah promise to keep a secret from Pieter--a perilous one that may eventually free them all."--Back cover.