In all Kherishdar there is one man with no choices... and one woman with them all.
When alien taint destroyed her former House, Haraa nai'Qevellen-osulkedi was raised out of casteless despair to translate human languages for the god of Civilization, the Ai-Naidari Emperor. At first her curiosity and intelligence serve her well, but the longer she spends among aliens, the more questions she has about her world. How did Kherishdar come about? Why is the Emperor singular, and the priest who serves Shame? Why does Kherishdar need an Exception, and why is it always a woman, and why does she annoy Haraa so badly?
Kherishdar's Exception is a coming-of-age story set in a world where everyone has a place. But among the Ai-Naidar, you don't get to choose that place.
Unless....
The fourth installment in the Books of Kherishdar returns us to the mannered world of the Ai-Naidar, and builds on everything we've learned in the first three. The author recommends reading in order for full immersion:
1. The Aphorisms of Kherishdar
2. The Admonishments of Kherishdar
3. Black Blossom
4. Kherishdar's Exception