The Tethered Mage

Swords and Fire, Book 1

By: Melissa Caruso

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

'I couldn't put it down' Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled - taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army.

Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that could threaten the entire empire.

Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations. But fate has bound the heir and the mage. And as war looms on the horizon, a single spark could turn their city into a pyre.

SET IN A RICH WORLD OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE AND DANGEROUS MAGIC, THE TETHERED MAGE IS A SPELLBINDING DEBUT FROM A MAJOR NEW TALENT.

'An enchanting voice and an original world you won't want to leave' RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships

'I raced through this exquisite debut in three days and adored it' Fantasy Book Review

'A breathtaking book. Equal parts fantasy and political intrigue, The Tethered Mage pulls readers relentlessly through labyrinthine turns of conspiracy, adventure and romance' BookPage

Books by Melissa Caruso:

Swords and Fire
The Tethered Mage
The Defiant Heir
The Unbound Empire

Rooks and Ruin
The Obsidian Tower
The Quicksilver Court
The Ivory Tomb

2018, Gemmell Morningstar Award for Fantasy Debut, Short-listed

©2017 Melissa Caruso (P)2017 Little, Brown Book Group

Half-decent intrigue with a cardboard heroine.

Struggled to finish this. Very long stretches without action. Very idiosyncratic performance. Shallow and superficial.