Pandora

DEBUT After her parents’ death in a cave-in while searching for antiquities, Dora Blake becomes her uncle’s ward and employee at Blake’s Emporium, where they sell trinkets of all sorts (some true antiquities, and some blatant forgeries). When Dora discovers she has a talent for creating unique and lovely pieces of jewelry, she catches the eye of a socialite and is launched into the realm of the upper crust of 1799 London. But her uncle is a cruel man and determined to keep her under his thumb and reap the benefit of her talent. Curiously, the only real treasure in the emporium is a vase that her parents had unearthed before their untimely death—a vase that appears to have supernatural powers. Is it possible that her parents were correct, and this ancient hidden article was the original Pandora’s Box?

CORRECTION: The pet bird in the book is a magpie, not a raven. LJ regrets the error.