**In a sweeping fantasy that award-winning author Franny Billingsley
calls "fascinating and unique," debut author Kathy MacMillan weaves
palace intrigue and epic world-building to craft a tale for fans of Rae
Carson and Megan Whalen Turner.
**
Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of
Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she
learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital
offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely
protected, and only the King, Prince, Tutor, and Tutor-in-training are
allowed to learn its very highest form.
So when she is plucked from her menial labor and selected to replace the
last Tutor-in-training who was executed, Raisa knows that betraying any
hint of her past could mean death.
Keeping her secret guarded is hard enough, but the romance that's been
blossoming between her and Prince Mati isn't helping matters. Then Raisa
is approached by the Resistance--an underground rebel army--to help
liberate the city's slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would
mean aiding a war against Mati.
As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the
Qilarites have been hiding for centuries--one that, if uncovered, could
bring the kingdom to its knees.