Merrie Haskell, '02

Whoever breaks the curse on the twelve princesses of Sylvania will win a handsome reward.

Sharp-witted Reveka, an herbalist’s apprentice, has little use for princesses. She does, however, have use for the reward money that could buy her a position as a master herbalist.

But curses don’t like to be broken, and Reveka’s efforts lead her to deeper mysteries. As she struggles to understand the curse, she meets a shadowy stranger (as charming as he is unsettling) and discovers a blighted land in desperate need of healing. Soon the irreverent apprentice is faced with a daunting choice—will she break the curse at the peril of her own soul?

Merrie Haskell was born on April 10, 1975. She has lived all over the state of Michigan, from Sault Ste. Marie to Ypsilanti. After a detour to North Carolina, she returned north to the Residential College of the University of Michigan for a degree in biological anthropology. Merrie now lives in Saline, Michigan, with her husband and stepdaughter.