Lady of Gems Series by A.E. Marling

Sometimes evil has to be the hero.Her brother throws the first stone. Her family tries to kill her, but Celaise chooses to live, even if it means dressing herself in forbidden magics and leaving humanity behind.Now is her last chance to regain what she has lost. Celaise rescues Jerani, a warrior adorned with a sunburst of scars from a tribal ritual. Jerani fights to defend his family and their sacred cows from crystal-eyed monsters roaming the savanna... moreSometimes evil has to be the hero.Her brother throws the first stone. Her family tries to kill her, but Celaise chooses to live, even if it means dressing herself in forbidden magics and leaving humanity behind.Now is her last chance to regain what she has lost. Celaise rescues Jerani, a warrior adorned with a sunburst of scars from a tribal ritual. Jerani fights to defend his family and their sacred cows from crystal-eyed monsters roaming the savanna. He learns to rely on Celaise's magic, she on his strength.Jerani thinks her divine, a volcano goddess. Celaise dares not confide in him. Engulfing the throngs of beasts in the inferno of her dress will loose her magic's hunger. Then the greatest threat to Jerani and everyone else she has come to care for will be herself.Available on Amazon.com. less

Cursed by constant sleepiness, Enchantress Hiresha has no time to marry and raise a family. From virgin to grandmother, all the women in her city are in their last trimester, power drained by a lurking sorcerer. Only the Lord of the Feast, a dangerous yet charming illusionist, is uncivilized enough to help.

Everyone in Oasis City worships the fennec fox as a sacred animal, except for the one woman forced to marry him. Enchantress Hiresha believes her fiancé is possessed by nothing more divine than fleas, and she also objects to the wedding venue: the afterlife. Priests will trap her in an airless sarcophagus with the fox. She has only four days of engagement left to live.Her escape attempt ends in disaster, leaving her at the mercy of the city's vizier as well as her own pathological sleepiness... moreEveryone in Oasis City worships the fennec fox as a sacred animal, except for the one woman forced to marry him. Enchantress Hiresha believes her fiancé is possessed by nothing more divine than fleas, and she also objects to the wedding venue: the afterlife. Priests will trap her in an airless sarcophagus with the fox. She has only four days of engagement left to live.Her escape attempt ends in disaster, leaving her at the mercy of the city's vizier as well as her own pathological sleepiness. She wishes she could trust help from the Lord of the Feast, a past acquaintance with forbidden magic. He warns her that a sorcerer with even fewer scruples than himself may have arranged her marriage, to murder her. To find the truth before it's too late for her and the fox, she must slip off her silk gloves and break into pyramid tombs. less

A magic school. A heist. And enchantresses falling from the sky.In the Mindvault Academy, magic imbued within the stone reroutes the flow of gravity. The school’s enchantments allow for architectural wonders that inspire the empire’s next generation of great minds.Now those minds are falling. The Academy’s spells are collapsing, its keystone jewels stolen. Saboteurs have invaded the magic school in a political heist a year in the planning... moreA magic school. A heist. And enchantresses falling from the sky.In the Mindvault Academy, magic imbued within the stone reroutes the flow of gravity. The school’s enchantments allow for architectural wonders that inspire the empire’s next generation of great minds.Now those minds are falling. The Academy’s spells are collapsing, its keystone jewels stolen. Saboteurs have invaded the magic school in a political heist a year in the planning. The attackers make but one mistake: Getting between Enchantress Hiresha and her research.Hiresha, Provost of Applied Enchantment, endures her own pathological sleepiness to study unorthodox magic. Now twelve warriors have invaded the Academy, the only home she has ever known. Hiresha plans to expel them with the help of a dangerously charming illusionist, her loyal bodyguard, and spells by no means in the approved curriculum. less

She saved their lives. They rewarded her with imprisonment. She vows to escape, even if she has to cross a sea flourishing with monsters and magical storms.

Dragon steaks, ambrosia, and chimera stew. In the Magic Banquet, one guest always dies of joy. Or so they say. The street waif, Aja, just wants a few mouthfuls of the first course, but this is a party not easily left.The dishes lavished upon Aja do more than entice. They enchant. They endanger. They change her. When she learns that a dragonfruit will make her mature, she eats it all... moreDragon steaks, ambrosia, and chimera stew. In the Magic Banquet, one guest always dies of joy. Or so they say. The street waif, Aja, just wants a few mouthfuls of the first course, but this is a party not easily left.The dishes lavished upon Aja do more than entice. They enchant. They endanger. They change her. When she learns that a dragonfruit will make her mature, she eats it all. She is tired of being seen as a child, of being excluded and overlooked by respectable families and that other girl at the banquet, who is the empress in disguise. But Aja ages too fast, too much, and too soon. She is dying. She must replenish her lifeforce by eating a phoenix before she can even think of escaping the mortal banquet.Guest List: Aja, a thirteen-year-old girl who stole into the banquet before anyone could tell her she's too young. Janny, an old woman hungry for eternal youth. The Empress Nephrynthian. But she'll insist on you calling her Ryn. Her guard, Fos Chandur. Solin, graceful on his crutches and deadly with his magic. And a dark lord. less

“Any half-rate tyrant can take over with an army. The truly talented do so with a party.” - Public Warning - Civilians are advised to avoid the wedding located in the crystal palace, on the night of the blood moon. The bride will be too radiant. The food will be too shameful to discuss and too delicious to resist. The party will enrapture and endanger, and only those who live past midnight will earn the right to witness the marriage ritual.