THE ONES WE BURN

A political assassin sent to save her kind must discover who her true enemies are.

A so-called peace between humans and Witchik is maintained through a treaty—a one-sided treaty that’s slowly threatening the witches’ existence. When the treaty demands that Ranka serve as the Bloodwinn, or prince’s bride, she refuses—only to have close friend Yeva mistakenly abducted in her place. Ongrum, Ranka’s coven leader, sends her to the capital city of Seaswept to rescue Yeva and assassinate the prince, but he and his twin sister aren’t what she expects. Sheltered Prince Galen’s kindhearted; icy, calculating Princess Aramis matches her brilliance with her goodness. Aramis and her best friend, a mysterious ambassador, have been desperately trying to cure a new plague that’s claiming witches—turning them into warped versions of the special kind of witch Ranka is, a blood-witch or nigh-uncontrollable killing machine. Working with the twins, Ranka learns dark secrets about the disease and who the villains really are in the twisty plot (which becomes a marathon of action and betrayal in the final act). Ranka and Aramis’ slow-burn romance is rewarding. Some worldbuilding questions are left unanswered, as the story’s more concerned with narratives about betrayal of trust and untangling abuse and manipulation from love. Large, muscular Ranka is White; the twins are Black. There’s racial diversity that holds no in-world significance among humans of all classes and witches (who can be of any gender).

A relationship-driven fantasy with much to offer.