Part of Series
In Kingsbane, you met Obritsa Nevemskaya—the mysterious child-queen of Kirvaya. Now, in this thrilling novella, learn more about Obritsa’s story and how her fate became intertwined with those of Rielle, Audric, Ludivine, and Corien. Twelve-year-old Obritsa is a temple maidservant, loyal to a novice firebrand who hopes to be named Queen of the Blazing Throne. When Kirvaya’s magisters choose Obritsa as queen instead, the country erupts with fury. But Obritsa doesn’t care what they think. She has her own secrets, her own agenda—and outrage is the least of her problems. In the capital city, more children go missing every day. Whispers fly through the streets of a great danger brewing in the far north. And some Celdarian girl she’s never heard of has been named Sun Queen. As Obritsa unravels these mysteries, she soon realizes the war she thought she was fighting is part of something much bigger—a conflict centuries in the making—and that her power could decide who wins, and who loses.
Author
Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn’t stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now she is a New York Times bestselling author of darkly magical books. Her first novel is THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, one of the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. She is also the author of THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, a ghost story for middle grade readers; and WINTERSPELL, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker. SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS, her middle grade novel about mental illness, family secrets, and the power of storytelling, is a 2017 Edgar Award Nominee. Claire’s latest middle grade novel, FOXHEART, is a classic fantasy-adventure and a 2016 Junior Library Guild selection. The companion novel, THORNLIGHT, was a Kids' Indie Next Pick in 2021. She is one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade short fiction that was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Bank Street Best Book, and among the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2014. Her bestselling Empirium Trilogy consists of epic fantasy novels FURYBORN, KINGSBANE, and LIGHTBRINGER. Her young adult horror novel SAWKILL GIRLS received five starred reviews. It was also a 2018 Bram Stoker Award finalist and a 2019 Lambda Literary Award finalist. Her latest novel, EXTASIA, is a young adult horror novel described as "The Handmaid's Tale meets The Craft" and was a Kids' Indie Next Pick. Her adult debut, book 1 of THE MIDDLEMIST TRILOGY, releases in spring 2023.
