A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

Plot

Princess Karina Alahari of Ziran, age seventeen, lost her father and sister to a strange fire. After assassins kill her mother, the Sultana, Karina refuses the throne and seeks to bring her mother back through dark magic that demands a human sacrifice. Malik, a poor refugee from the Eshra Mountains, travels to Ziran with his sisters for work.

When a spirit abducts his younger sister, Malik strikes a deal: kill the princess before Solstasia ends, or his sister dies. Solstasia is a fifty-year festival honoring a passing comet. Malik enters as a champion to get close to Karina.

They meet during the festival and fall in love, each hiding their true goal. Karina intends to use Malik in the sacrifice; Malik intends to kill her to save his sister. Meanwhile, Karina uncovers a traitor within the castle.

Reception

Critics and readers alike responded warmly to this debut. Kirkus, in a starred review, praised its revitalizing and exciting plot, noting how it breathes new life into ancient folklore. Publishers Weekly called it an action-packed blend of injustice, magic, and romance. The Daily Californian’s Lauren Sheehan-Clark observed that the novel uses familiar fantasy tropes while revitalizing a genre that had grown repetitive.