The Darkness of Peoh (The Peoh Trilogy, #1)

Dorothy Everglade does not want to leave her snug little farmhouse in the Gray District of Peoh. Even if she belongs to the land's poorest district, it is home – and the last thing she wants to leave for is to slave away mining precious metals in the infamously hazardous Tar-Pits of Emeraldia. Knowing full well she could become dangerously ill, seriously injured, or even dead while serving her time in the Pits, Dorothy's only comfort is that family friend Freddie Verbena, who takes a much more positive outlook on the situation than she does, has been summoned to the mines too. While in Emeraldia, on top of fending against the toxic tar, Dorothy has other problems to compound her acute homesickness – anything from her landlords' lovers' quarrels to the serious illness of a new friend. But an even bigger upset is yet to come – and when it does, Dorothy's life will change forever.