The Books of Imirillia Series by Beth Brower

“THE RULES OF WAR HAD BEEN CHANGED. QUEEN ELEANOR WANTED TO KNOW WHY.” Eleanor, the young queen of Aemogen, is confronted with the greatest threat her country has ever faced: surrender Aemogen’s sovereignty to the treacherous Imirillion Empire or endure a devastating and impossible war. Now she must decide if she will forfeit her people’s liberty or fight... more“THE RULES OF WAR HAD BEEN CHANGED. QUEEN ELEANOR WANTED TO KNOW WHY.” Eleanor, the young queen of Aemogen, is confronted with the greatest threat her country has ever faced: surrender Aemogen’s sovereignty to the treacherous Imirillion Empire or endure a devastating and impossible war. Now she must decide if she will forfeit her people’s liberty or fight. When Wil Traveler, the disenchanted Imirillion soldier, wanders into her country, Eleanor takes the gamble of asking him to train her ill-prepared men for war, despite suspecting he may be a spy. Battling questions of war and conquest, Eleanor fights to protect her people as Wil challenges her way of life, all the while keeping the secrets of his violent past a mystery. less

THE CITY OF ZARBADAST WAS A DRAGON SLEEPING IN ITS OWN EMBERS.Queen Eleanor's gambit worked. Aemogen, for now, has been spared from the ruthless Imirillian army. But Eleanor is still a captive, and Prince Basal is taking her into the North. As Eleanor is swept through the deserts of Imirillia to the magnificent city of Zarbadast, she begins to understand the contradictions Basal must negotiate beneath the reign of the sadistic Emperor Shaamil... moreTHE CITY OF ZARBADAST WAS A DRAGON SLEEPING IN ITS OWN EMBERS.Queen Eleanor's gambit worked. Aemogen, for now, has been spared from the ruthless Imirillian army. But Eleanor is still a captive, and Prince Basal is taking her into the North. As Eleanor is swept through the deserts of Imirillia to the magnificent city of Zarbadast, she begins to understand the contradictions Basal must negotiate beneath the reign of the sadistic Emperor Shaamil.Having returned home, Prince Basal again finds himself at war with his own conscience. Under the scrutiny of his father, the pressure of his brothers, and a fierce loyalty to his own people, Basal doubts his ability to fulfill his impossible promise to Aedon: to help Eleanor escape. In a rich telling of culture, ritual, and choice, The Ruby Prince draws on the complexity of what honor means to both Eleanor and Basal, who find themselves together, yet set against one another, in the enigmatic court of Zarbadast. less

BASAAL SCREAMED, LIFTED HIS BLACK SWORD ABOVE HIS HEAD, AND RODE INTO THE TUMULT OF WAR. With a daunting desert spread out before her, Eleanor still believes she can return home and aid her people in defending Aemogen from the Imirillian invasion. But she finds there are impossibilities and bitter fates she cannot control. Now that Eleanor is beyond his reach, Basaal must confront the demons of his father’s conquest... moreBASAAL SCREAMED, LIFTED HIS BLACK SWORD ABOVE HIS HEAD, AND RODE INTO THE TUMULT OF WAR. With a daunting desert spread out before her, Eleanor still believes she can return home and aid her people in defending Aemogen from the Imirillian invasion. But she finds there are impossibilities and bitter fates she cannot control. Now that Eleanor is beyond his reach, Basaal must confront the demons of his father’s conquest. With the Emperor Shaamil’s decision to personally ensure victory, Basaal is swept into the war he’d tried so desperately to prevent. less