Showing results by author "Marie Rutkoski" in All Categories

They were never meant to be together. As a general's daughter, 17-year-old Kestrel enjoys an extravagant and privileged life. Arin has nothing but the clothes on his back. Then Kestrel makes an impulsive decision that binds Arin to her. Though they try to fight it, they can't help but fall in love. In order to be together, they must betray their people...but to be loyal to their country, they must betray each other.

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules and society's pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colours. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

A royal wedding is what most girls dream about. It means one celebration after another: balls, fireworks, and revelry until dawn. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement: that she agreed to marry the crown prince in exchange for Arin's freedom.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He's finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can't quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people - and certainly more than she cared for him. At least that's what he thinks.

Nirrim's heart is lost, traded to the god of thieves in order to restore her peoples' memories of their city's history. Sid, the person she once loved most, has returned to Herran to take up her duty to the crown. But frightening rumours are growing in the Herrani court: of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed upon the world and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies. Sid doesn't know that this queen is Nirrim, seeking revenge against a world that has wronged her.

It's 1999. and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She's not used to taking anyone under her wing - after all, between her disapproving boyfriend and his daughter, who may as well be her own child, she has enough to worry about. But when Samantha overrides her better judgment to drive a new dancer home, they are run off the road. The police arrive at the scene of the accident - but find only one body. Georgia, another dancer, is drawn into the investigation as she tries to assist Holly, a detective with a complicated story of her own.

Kestrel ist die Verlobte des Prinzen - für viele ein Traum. Aber für Kestrel fühlt es sich an wie ein Käfig, den sie selbst errichtet hat. Je näher die Hochzeit rückt, desto mehr sehnt sie sich danach, Arin die Wahrheit zu sagen: Sie hat eingewilligt, den Prinzen zu heiraten, um Arin zu schützen. Doch kann Kestrel Arin trauen? Kann sie sich selbst trauen? Andere zu täuschen fällt ihr erschreckend leicht. Als sie Spionin am kaiserlichen Hof wird, verrät sie das Reich Valoria, das sie so sehr liebt. Es gibt nur eins, das sie noch mehr liebt: Arin.

Als Tochter des ranghöchsten Generals von Valoria hat die siebzehnjährige Kestrel nur zwei Möglichkeiten: der Armee beizutreten oder jung zu heiraten. Aber Kestrel hat fürs Kämpfen wenig übrig; für sie ist die Musik das kostbarste Gut. Einem plötzlichen Impuls folgend ersteigert sie den Sklaven Arin, der sie auf unerklärliche Weise fasziniert. Schon bald muss sie sich eingestehen, dass sie mehr für ihn empfindet, als sie sollte. Doch er hat ein Geheimnis - und der Preis, den sie schließlich für ihn zahlt, wird ihr Herz sein.

Als Tochter des ranghöchsten Generals von Valoria hat die siebzehnjährige Kestrel nur zwei Möglichkeiten: der Armee beizutreten oder jung zu heiraten. Aber Kestrel hat fürs Kämpfen wenig übrig; für sie ist die Musik das kostbarste Gut. Einem plötzlichen Impuls folgend ersteigert sie den Sklaven Arin, der sie auf unerklärliche Weise fasziniert. Schon bald muss sie sich eingestehen, dass sie mehr für ihn empfindet, als sie sollte. Doch er hat ein Geheimnis - und der Preis, den sie schließlich für ihn zahlt, wird ihr Herz sein.

La guerra è cominciata. Arin ne è al centro a fianco a nuovi alleati dei quali non si può fidare per combattere contro l'impero. Anche se si è convinto di non amare più Kestrel, Arin non l'ha dimenticata, come non ha dimenticato chi è diventata: il tipo di persona che ha sempre disprezzato. Ha tenuto più all'impero che alla vita di persone innocenti, e certamente più che a lui. O almeno, questo è quello che crede. Nel gelido Nord, intanto, Kestrel è prigioniera in un brutale campo di lavoro.

Un matrimonio reale è il sogno di ogni ragazza: sfarzo, festeggiamenti e balli fino all'alba. Ma non per la bella Kestrel, per la quale invece le nozze ormai prossime con il principe Verex rappresentano una gabbia che non le lascia via di scampo. Con l'avvicinarsi del matrimonio, vorrebbe ardentemente raccontare all'amato Arin la verità sul suo fidanzamento, se solo potesse contare su di lui... Ma di chi può ancora fidarsi, se non può credere neanche più a sé stessa?

In quanto figlia di un potente generale di un vasto impero che riduce in schiavitù i popoli conquistati, la diciassettenne Kestrel ha sempre goduto di una vita privilegiata. Ma adesso si trova davanti a una scelta difficile: arruolarsi nell'esercito oppure sposarsi. La ragazza, però, ha ben altre intenzioni... Nel giovane Arin, uno schiavo in vendita all'asta, Kestrel ha trovato uno spirito gentile e a lei affine. Gli occhi di lui, che sembrano sfidare tutto e tutti, l'hanno spinta a seguire il proprio istinto e comprarlo senza pensare alle possibili conseguenze.