Ashes of the sun

Two siblings, separated as children, join opposite sides of an impending civil war in this outstanding flintlock fantasy. After a catastrophic magical war destroyed the Elder races, humans were left in charge of their own destiny. The Dawn Republic rules, while the Twilight Order defends; both ruthlessly police unauthorized use of Elder arcana. Gyre, known in Deepfire city as the notorious rebel Halfmask, works to bring down the Order, both to make room for something new and as revenge for the Order stealing his sister Maya twelve years before. Maya has grown up in the Order, trained to use her inborn magic to uphold the Republic. She's sent to Deepfire to assist Republic rulers with capturing the rebels. Building toward their reunion is only one of the book's suspenseful story lines, as Gyre and Maya converge at multiple points while they pursue injustice from different angles. The siblings and the large secondary cast are engaging, well-developed characters with understandable motivations and believable growth. Wexler's (City of Stone and Silence, 2020) post-apocalyptic world is rich with history and fascinating in its inventive combination of magic, alchemy, and technology. This standout series opener is a winner: intricate, immersive, and irresistible.

Wexler (Sundered Bond) demonstrates a talent for worldbuilding in the impressive post-apocalyptic fantasy that launches his Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy. The Plague War left the world in shambles, leading to the rise of the Twilight Order, a group that claims to protect the people of the Dawn Republic from plaguespawn monsters but really works to gain control of the dhak, a powerful branch of magic. When the Order comes to take sickly five-year-old Maya from her family's farm, claiming they can cure her, her eight-year old-brother, Gyre, fights back and winds up with a scar across his face. As 12 years pass, Gyre, now known as Halfmask, makes it his mission to destroy the Order. Meanwhile, Maya is raised in the Order by her mentor Jaedia Suddenstorm and believes in their cause wholeheartedly. When the siblings' paths collide, they must decide if they will remain on opposite sides or face the future together. Though the goofy fantasy names will pull some readers out of the story (in addition to Suddenstorm there is an antagonist with the surname Thousandcuts), the fascinating lore of this plague-ridden land and the colorful cast will surely draw them in again. Familial tension, magic, and politics combine to kick this series off to a powerful start. Agent: Seth Fishman, the Gernert Co. (July)