Some change the world. Some break it.

If you loved the Kushiel series or The Priory of the Orange Tree, try this sweeping epic starring a bisexual warrior princess with a taste for dominance!

Valya has won permission to hunt down the slave traders defiling her land and stealing its children. Now begins the most difficult part of her mission: she and her companions must find the perpetrators of this crime, and rescue their victims. But as Valya will discover, the roots of the evil go deep.

And saving Zemnian children from death or a life of degrading servitude is not Valya's only concern. She still must win the heart and hand of the son of her worst enemy, and unite the steppe with the rest of the country at a time when the succession and the very life of the Tsarina hangs in the balance.

And then there is the question of her daughter's magical gifts—and, it may be, her own. Like her foremothers, Valya is about to discover that gifts of power are as much a curse as a blessing, and can be a danger not just to the wielder, but to everyone around her. Valya wants to save her homeland, but if she's not careful, she might end up tearing it apart.

With discussion questions at the end.

Reading order of the Zemnian Series:

The Zemnian Series: Slava's Story

The Midnight Land I: The Flight

The Midnight Land II: The Gift

The Zemnian Series: Dasha's Story

The Breathing Sea I: Burning

The Breathing Sea II: Drowning

The Zemnian Series: Valya's Story

The Dreaming Land I: The Challenge

The Dreaming Land II: The Journey

The Dreaming Land III: The Sacrifice