ORABELLE

A young queen fights for vengeance—and her realm’s people—as she confronts her ruthless father and uncovers shocking secrets from the past in Barrett’s fantasy novel.

This first installment in The Keepers of Imbria series introduces Orabelle, Queen of Lehar and one of the four rulers of the fantastical realm of Imbria. Able to bend water to her will as the Keeper of Water, she is still subject to the whims of her tyrannical father, Chronus, who betrothed her to Blaise, a loathsome Fire Keeper and the King of Veruca. (“The water whirled at my command and rose up in a column to touch the tip of my finger. All this power, and I still felt my own weakness like a shroud that I could not remove, the weakness of having been born a woman.”) Orabelle has been secretly carrying on an affair with her Guardian, Tal—a fact that’s soon revealed and results in an act of horrific violence. Orabelle sets out on a quest, soon learning hidden truths about Tal, her dead mother, and herself. Her departure unfortunately means leaving her beloved sister, Maialen, in the poisonous hands of their father. Meanwhile, the Fomori, a band of outsiders with “glowing eyes and sharp teeth,” threaten all four realms. But the more Orabelle learns about them, the more the Fomori seem to lead to the answers about her own past she’s been searching for. Barrett creates a strong, intelligent protagonist who is easy to root for, even as Orabelle makes some questionable decisions. With naturalistic dialogue, vivid worldbuilding, and smooth prose, the novel fully immerses its readers in a realm full of magic and treachery. The brisk pace urges the plot onward without the narrative ever feeling rushed or underdeveloped, and a truly shocking ending is certain to leave readers eagerly looking forward to the next book in this promising series.

A crackerjack yarn featuring a strong heroine, plenty of action, and genuinely surprising twists and turns.