Siege of Rage and Ruin

October 15, 2020
With the ghost ship under her control, Isoka is finally on her way back home in this follow-up to City of Stone and Silence (2020). Isoka, along with her female partner, Meroe, and mage-blood friends Jack and Zarun, is on her way back to her home city, Kahnzoka. By capturing the Soliton, she has fulfilled her end of Kuon Naga's deal and is ready to save her 14-year-old sister, Tori. Their plan to sneak in and out undetected goes awry when they arrive to discover Kahnzoka under siege and Tori, with her mind-control magic, at the head of a rebellion. But neither sister is the same person as when Isoka left on the Soliton, creating misunderstandings and complicated feelings between them. Their reunion is cut short when Kuon Naga's Immortals, a group of elite mage-bloods, kidnap Tori. Isoka and her crew get drawn into Tori and the rebels' fight to free their home city. Alternating between the two sisters' perspectives, this trilogy closer dives deeper into the responsibility for and inner workings of the rebellion and conflict with Kuon Naga. Even with many intense action scenes and a storyline that keeps the pages turning, there is a greater focus on the strategy and politics of the Empire that fleshes out the worldbuilding. As before, the characters are diverse in ethnicity and sexuality. A fast-paced, compelling conclusion to this fantasy saga. (map) (Fantasy. 14-adult)

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December 4, 2020
Grades 10-12 Isoka and her sister, Tori, practitioners of the Wells of Sorcery, come together after a solo book each, respectively Ship of Smoke and Steel, 2019, and City of Stone and Silence, 2020. Isoka and her girlfriend, the princess Meroe, are still aboard the ghostly ship Soliton, intent on delivering the ship to Kuon Naga and stealing Tori away from the emperor so the sisters can finally be free. Upon their return to the city, Isoka and her crew are surprised to find that the Sixteenth Ward, the poorest district and Isoka's long-ago home, has been destroyed by Tori and her Red Sash Rebellion, a group of magic-users and criminals. The sisters' eventual reunion promises to be explosive--if they both survive--to say nothing of what the emperor will do to the rebels and pirates once they're discovered. The final book in this action-packed trilogy gives readers more of what they've loved: magic, mayhem, and adventure, plus a neat ending. Familiarity with the characters and the Wells is a must; be sure to have the previous two books on hand.

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