The truth is neither plain, nor simple. Sable, a reluctant thief from the slums, can feel truth when people speak. For years she’s been using that skill to try to break free from the vicious gang boss she's indebted to. Escape comes in the form of an odd set of companions: -a dwarf running from the past, -an actor with a magical, glowing tree -a too-helpful kobold, -a playwright with a knack for getting stories out of people, and -a man and woman with suspicious, magical powers. But Sable’s freedom is short lived. On the edges of civilization, they discover hidden, terrifying lies in the offers of peace from the brutal Kalesh Empire. Now, she must return to the city she fled, and along with her companions, attempt an impossible task—convince everyone, including the powerful Dragon Prioress, of the truth. Except the Kalesh web of lies has ensnared everyone. With her land, her people, and everything she loves hanging in the balance, Sable is the only one standing between freedom, and certain death. Pick up the first book of the Keeper Origins Trilogy today, and begin the tale of how an orphaned thief escaped the slums, united a nation, and brought a mighty Empire to its knees. The Keeper Origins Trilogy, and the Keeper Chronicles Trilogy can be read in any order. They take place in the same world, but are standalone series.

The growing power in Sable’s words nearly changed the world. Until she was betrayed and silenced. A year ago on the land’s biggest stage, Sable’s voice nearly burned down the carefully constructed lies of the Kalesh Empire. Now, Sable’s skills are merely tools in High Prioress Vivaine’s desperate negotiations with the new Kalesh Ambassador, who’s denounced Sable as a zabat. A rebel. A firestarter. Sable would love nothing more than to burn down the Empire. But with threats against her sisters looming, the acting troupe driven away, and no news of Reese for a year, she’s too chained and alone to even light a spark. Meanwhile, the Empire grows on the south like a disease and stretches its poisoned fingers even into the northern lands. Desperate to fight, Sable sends details about the Kalesh to the one ember of hope kindling in the north - a small, mysterious band of rebels. Vivaine hates the rebellion, though, and her spies have discovered their location—and that Sable is more deeply connected to them than she knows. Unless Sable turns her back on the rebellion and pledges loyalty to Vivaine, the prioress will reveal the rebel camp to the Kalesh. But Vivaine should not be so rash, because the power of Sable’s voice is stirring again, the old coals being stoked into flames. And she’s ready to embrace the title of zabat.

I wish more of the nudges that shaped history were the gentle kind—the signing of a treaty, the commitment to protect the weak, the spreading of a story that would enlighten minds. Alas, humans are more prone to stagnate than to change willingly, and so most nudges are given with force and terror and blood. Most nudges come at the slicing of a blade or the searing of a flame. The final chapters of Sable’s beginning certainly did. More blades than I hope to see again, and the fire… Who could ever forget the fire? Phoenix Rising is the final book in the Keeper Origins.

Flibbet the Peddler has always trusted his strange cart. Until the day it leads him back to the one place he's sworn never return, and offers a deadly dagger to his worst enemy. The Deal is Struck is a short story about the enigmatic peddler Flibbet, who appears in many of JA Andrews books. It can be read at any time.

Sable just wants an escape from the corner of the world she's trapped in, but what lies outside is far more dangerous… Sable would do anything to break free from the ruthless gang boss she's indebted to before he corrupts her younger sister or discovers Sable's magical ability to sense the truth in people's words. In a last desperate attempt at freedom, Sable stumbles into unexpected help—Atticus, the famous playwright, and his traveling theater troupe. Far more than a means of escape, the mismatched band of actors is destined to become the family Sable never knew she wanted. They help awaken her magic until she becomes the burning symbol of truth that the entire land needs. As war looms and corruption eats away at the halls of power, Sable's ability to sense—and share—the truth may be the only thing that can save them all. The Keeper Origins is a complete epic fantasy trilogy with rich characters and a delightfully optimistic flavor that stays just on the right side of epic with all the cozy feels. It includes all three books: Dragon's Reach — Sable's rise from a trapped, indebted thief to an actress with words strong enough to change a city. Raven's Ruin — Embroiled in the politics and scheming of the priories, Sable finds herself drawn to the rebels who fight against them. Phoenix Rising — With war on the doorstep, Sable and the troupe struggle to keep the foreign Empire from conquering and the corruption in the priories from destroying them from within.