Stars and Soil

BOOK 1 IN THE SCIONS AND SHADOWS SERIES.

“Don’t trust anyone, Lady Caitlin. Not even me. Especially not me. You can have allies here, but this court does not allow you the luxury of friends.”

The land is dying, commoners are protesting, and workers are revolting. The king is ailing, but the crown prince is not stepping in to quell the unrest.

But Caitlin does not care—she hasn't cared about anything since that day—the day her world shattered and she lost everything. Then she befriends a rebellion leader and catches the eye of the spoiled prince. These chance encounters could make her the most powerful woman in the realm—the power to rule it, or the power to tear it all down from the inside. It would be easier to do the former, but all she has to do for the latter is keep the prince's interest and sow as much chaos as possible... and ignore the tug in her heart whenever she sees a certain noble lady.

But there is much more going on at court than even the revolutionaries and their spies know about. She soon discovers that darker forces lurk just behind the throne, and if Caitlin is to survive with her head still on her shoulders, she will need to learn the ever-changing rules of power--or make new ones herself.

Caught in a web of deception and conspiracies—militant revolutionaries, cryptic priestesses, dangerous dukes, and a secretive and seductive lady-in-waiting with a ruthless family—Caitlin must unravel the truth of a long-hidden secret or she will become yet another unknowing pawn of an enemy far more dangerous than a tyrannical king. An enemy that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries to make its next move.

And it has its sights set on making Caitlin into its weapon.

Stars and Soil is the first novel in the Scions and Shadows series and is perfect for lovers of fantasy full of court gossip, political intrigue, shifting alliances, and sapphic and disability representation. Fans of David Hair's Moontide Quartet, Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, and Tessa Gratton's Queens of Innis Lear will feel right at home in the queer-normative world of Ahnlisen and all of its betrayal and backstabbing.

2023 Queer Ink Awards nominee for:

Best Overall Fantasy
Best Overall Epic Fantasy
Best Overall Dark Fantasy
Best Supporting Character

Content Note:

This novel contains mild violence and deals with darker themes that some might find triggering, but it is ultimately a story of hope and perseverance. It takes place a queer-normative world where homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia do not exist.