Bohemian gospel

This story of Mouse, a young girl with no family, being raised as a healer in a monastery in 13th century Hungary (?) is compulsively readable. She knows there are things that are odd about her situation, but we see her as she begins to learn more about herself and has to cope with major difficulties away from the people who have raised her. There are real historical characters woven into a tale of political intrigue and metaphysical danger, there's a love story that may or may not be star-crossed, and there are characters like Mouse who are easy to care about.

This is a dark story. There are some deeply creepy moments, some touches of horror, and then sheer bleakness. I don't usually read stories this dark, and at a couple of points I questioned whether I should continue, but I was in it, and it seemed to be going somewhere–until the last 10 pages or so, where it rushed to a conclusion that didn't feel like a conclusion. I hope that conclusion wasn't an attempt to leave room for a sequel, because it cheated a strong book of a satisfying ending.