Ondine: The Autumn Palace by Ebony McKenna

Egmont, 2011. ISBN: 9781405256384.
Recommended age: 12+. Ondine has found the perfect man in Hamish. But Hamish has a secret - he can turn into a ferret! And now, in his ferret form, he has a mission - to spy for the duke, who fears someone wants to kill him. Suddenly Hamish has no time for Ondine. Can she get back her dream of romance?
Follow Ondine and Hamish along with their witch of an aunt through carefully taste testing the duke's food, doing the dirty laundry, pondering about raining fish and drunken duchesses. All to find out who is out to kill the duke for his fortune.
Love it!!! I have read the first book in the series and found it a bit disappointing in the way that it was a bit hard to read, but she has surprised me with this book. It has held my interest so much more with gripping turns in the storyline and surprises on every page. I would recommend this book to people who love a good mystery, but you will need to read the first book first otherwise only parts will make sense. But then again Ebony is very clever in how she has marked certain words and sentences with little hints and explanations to help you along. Definitely a good read.
Taylor Oxenham (student)