The Last Days of Tian Di Series by Catherine Egan

Eliza knows for certain what she isn't: the powerful sorceress the learned Mancers think her to be. Or is she? Eliza is stunned to learn her father has been keeping important secrets. Her mother's death wasn't from pneumonia, but the death of all great Shang Sorceresses: killed in battle against evil forces. Even so, Eliza's lessons with the Mancers at their citadel show them what she has always known--she can't do any magic... moreEliza knows for certain what she isn't: the powerful sorceress the learned Mancers think her to be. Or is she? Eliza is stunned to learn her father has been keeping important secrets. Her mother's death wasn't from pneumonia, but the death of all great Shang Sorceresses: killed in battle against evil forces. Even so, Eliza's lessons with the Mancers at their citadel show them what she has always known--she can't do any magic. Imprisoned in the Arctic by Eliza's mother's final brave act, the evil Xia Sorceress uses her minions to capture Eliza's father. Escaping the citadel with her best friend Nell and new friend Charlie, Eliza sets off to rescue him. They seek help from the Triumvirate, an uneasy alliance of ultimate power--the Oracle, the King of the Faeries and Swarn, the witch who delivered Eliza as a baby. They try to stop her, but she is determined. She knows she's connected to the Xia Sorceress somehow. What awaits Eliza in the Arctic prison is more horrible than she could have imagined. Abandoned by the Mancers and the Triumvirate, she must rely on her friends and her own wits and common sense to succeed in her quest. less

Now a formidable Sorceress, Eliza Tok at sixteen is a world away from the unknowing child she once was. But unlike the previous Shang Sorceresses, Eliza will always act out of love, for those she loves, above all else. Above even the greater good of the worlds Tian Di and Tian Xia? The Mancers, and her enemy the Xia Sorceress, think so. And Eliza, when she unhesitatingly uses her tremendous abilities to save her best friend Charlie from a terrible attack, is inclined to agree... moreNow a formidable Sorceress, Eliza Tok at sixteen is a world away from the unknowing child she once was. But unlike the previous Shang Sorceresses, Eliza will always act out of love, for those she loves, above all else. Above even the greater good of the worlds Tian Di and Tian Xia? The Mancers, and her enemy the Xia Sorceress, think so. And Eliza, when she unhesitatingly uses her tremendous abilities to save her best friend Charlie from a terrible attack, is inclined to agree.As Eliza, Charlie, Nell and the ever-loyal Mancer teacher Foss embark on a quest to protect Charlie's life from an unrelenting enemy, Eliza is brought to the very edge of what she can withstand, both as a Sorceress and as a human girl. Forced to trust her enemies, face up to devastating truths and gather the greatest and most ancient power her world has ever known, she must confront and question her most profoundly held beliefs. Is Eliza powerful enough to shape her destiny, or will she let it shape her? less