The Tethered Mage (Swords and Fire Book 1)
<b>A mage with coveted magic and the scion of a powerful family are magically bound together in service to the Empire in the first book of a spellbinding fantasy trilogy from David Gemmell Award-nominated author Melissa Caruso. </b><br /><br />Magic is scarce in the Raverran Empire, and those born with such powers are strictly controlled -- taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon army, to be used as weapons in times of war.<br /><br />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 threatens the entire Empire.<br /><br />Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><b>Praise for Swords and Fire:</b><br /><br />"Charming, intelligent, fast-moving, beautifully atmospheric, with a heroine and other characters whom I really liked as people. I couldn't put it down."―Genevieve Cogman, author of <i>The Invisible Library</i><br /><br />"Breathtaking... Worth every moment and every page, and should make anyone paying attention excited about what Caruso will write next."―<i>BookPage</i><br /><br />"A riveting read, with delicious intrigue, captivating characters, and a brilliant magic system. I loved it from start to finish!"―Sarah Beth Durst, author of <i>The Queen of Blood</i><br /><br /><b>Swords and Fire</b><br /><i>The Tethered Mage<br />The Defiant Heir<br />The Unbound Empire</i><br /><br />For more from Melissa Caruso, check out:<br /><br /><b>Rooks and Ruin</b><br /><i>The Obsidian Tower</i>