{"title":"Kathy MacMillan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"sword-and-verse","title":"Sword and Verse","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRaisa 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKeeping 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePalace Intrigue:\u003c\/b\u003e As Tutor-in-training to Prince Mati, Raisa walks a knife’s edge. One misstep could expose her secret literacy and lead to her execution.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLove Versus Duty:\u003c\/b\u003e Falling for the prince was never part of the plan. Now, Raisa must choose between her heart and her people as a rebel army forces her to decide where her loyalties truly lie.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA World of Secrets and Lies:\u003c\/b\u003e In a kingdom where reading is a death sentence for slaves, Raisa’s very existence is a crime. But she’s not the only one with something to hide—the entire kingdom is built on a secret that could shatter its foundations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eEpic Fantasy for Book Lovers:\u003c\/b\u003e Perfect for fans of Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner, this lush fantasy combines epic world-building with a story that celebrates the power of words.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Kathy MacMillan","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":53141799108899,"sku":"9780062324610","price":14.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/2258\/5123\/files\/9780062324610.jpg?v=1741121495"},{"product_id":"dagger-and-coin","title":"Dagger and Coin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Rich in politics, intrigue, and betrayal, Dagger and Coin is a complex feminist fantasy featuring a tough and prickly ex-princess that I couldn't help but adore.\"—Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl from Everywhere\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sequel to Sword and Verse follows a familiar face—Soraya—as she attempts to rebuild a nation after the downfall of the monarchy. Readers who love Rae Carson and Kristen Cashore won’t be able to put this fantasy down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoraya Gamo was meant to be queen of Qilara, until an Arnath slave rebellion upended the social order and destroyed the capital city. Now, improbably, she sits on the new ruling council beside Mati, Raisa, and Jonis from Book 1, and must work with her former enemies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe finally holds the political power she always wanted—but over a nation in ruins. As she helps to rebuild Qilara, she can, at last, use what everyone once told her to hide: her brain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut not everyone is ready to accept that the Arnathim are no longer enslaved to the Qilarites. So when a slave ship arrives in the city, full of Arnathim captured before Qilara fell, the civil unrest that has been bubbling since the rebellion erupts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eForced to confront her own prejudices, Soraya struggles to gain the trust of the Arnath people she once disregarded and establish peace in what has become chaos. With the threat of attacks high, Gelti, a former guard captain, trains Soraya in self-defense. As the two grow close, tension within the city ramps up, with danger, betrayal, and deception meeting Soraya everywhere she turns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFriends become foes, adversaries become companions, and the clashing of classes threatens to unravel all the good Soraya has been trying to do. Can Soraya, raised to be a submissive Qilarite lady, learn to be a true leader? Or will the sins of her past forever haunt the footsteps of her future?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Reluctant Leader:\u003c\/b\u003e Soraya was meant to be queen, but now this ex-princess must learn to rule a council of her former enemies to save a nation from itself.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA City in Turmoil:\u003c\/b\u003e Just as they begin to rebuild, the arrival of a slave ship ignites the city’s simmering tensions, pitting neighbor against neighbor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSecrets and Betrayal:\u003c\/b\u003e As Soraya confronts her own prejudices, she uncovers a web of deception where friends become foes and an assassin's dagger is always close.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eForbidden Romance:\u003c\/b\u003e To protect herself, Soraya must trust Gelti, the former guard captain, for self-defense lessons. But as they grow closer, their connection could be the most dangerous thing of all.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Kathy MacMillan","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":53143092953379,"sku":"9780062324658","price":8.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/2258\/5123\/files\/9780062324658.jpg?v=1741125499"}],"url":"https:\/\/epicreads.com\/collections\/kathy-macmillan.oembed","provider":"Epic Reads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}