Archives par étiquette : KT Literary

EX ROMANA TRILOGY de Sophie Burnham

Perfect for readers of Saara El-Arifi and C. L. Clark and stories with strong, queer voices, this is a speculative imagining of a world on the brink of revolution. Here, Rome never fell, but the apocalypse is coming—if it hasn’t arrived already.

EX ROMANA TRILOGY
by Sophie Burnham
DAW, 2024 – 2027
(via KT Literary)

Book 1: SARGASSA (DAW, October 2024)

An unlikely group of rebels are ready to burn down the Roman empire like you’ve never imagined it before. From the halls of the Senate floor to the bloody sands of the gladiatorial pits, Sophie Burnham’s debut is full of riveting political danger, thoughtful worldbuilding, and a tightly-knit group of conspirators.

The role of Imperial Historian is Selah Kleios’s birthright, but she was supposed to have more time to learn the role from her father, the previous Historian. In the wake of her father’s sudden and shocking assassination, Selah finds herself custodian of more than just the Imperial Archives when an old flame returns intending to steal the Iveroa Stone—a seemingly harmless artifact containing secrets that could destroy the empire.

Theo Nix is a damn good spy, and they know it. By day, they work in Senator Naevia Kleios’s office; smart, unobtrusive, and grateful, they’re the model of a perfect plebeian. By night, their time belongs to Griff: master strategist, commander of the Revenants, the spider at the center of a very large and very dangerous web. When Griff gives Theo an assignment, they move, no questions asked, so it’s really no surprise Theo is flirting with Arran Alexander—Selah’s low-caste half brother is an obvious target. It is a surprise, however, that they’re enjoying it so much.

After a year away in the legions, Arran has recently returned home, only to find the cracks beneath his feet widening. Struggling with his own identity and purpose, drawn into an underground independence movement through his growing feelings for Theo, Arran must choose between the sister he loves and the chance to take control of his own life for the very first time.

SARGASSA is the first book in a new speculative trilogy that is equal parts political intrigue, queer romance, and revolution.

« Sargassa is a masterclass in world-building, with its realistic politics, complex and brutal caste system, and gorgeous settings. It takes time to get the lay of the land, but the payoff is worth the effort. The expansive scope multiplies the emotional and conceptual weight of the narrative. » —Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Book 2: BLOODTIDE (October 2025)

The fate of the empire hangs in the balance in the second installment of the genre-bending Ex Romana trilogy.

Cracks are forming in the empire’s facade.

In the wake of startling revelations and personal betrayals, Tair finds herself the Iveroa Stone’s new custodian as she embarks on a battle for Luxana’s streets. As the fallout of the fighting pit massacre leads to a rise in legionary crackdowns and vigilante justice, Tair is determined to find a better path forward for Sargassa’s future. Up in the Imperial Archives, meanwhile, Selah tries to make sense of her family’s tangled history within the Imperium’s shadowed beginnings.

Elsewhere, in the far-flung reaches of Roma Sargassa’s badlands, Arran and Theo undertake a covert mission for the Revenants, one that could tip the scales between victory and defeat in Griff’s upcoming war. But long-laid plans and careful maneuvering are nothing compared to the forces of nature, and Sargassa’s future might just be determined by the coming storm.

Book 3: DAWNLANDS (October 2027)

In the third and final installment of the Ex Romana trilogy, the battle for Sargassa’s future has arrived. As skirmishes break out across the eastern seaboard, Selah and Tair fight to hold Luxana’s tenuous alliance together against both the Imperium and the looming threat of reinforcements from Roma. But the return of long-missing friends and unexpected allies also brings news that will force them to contend with impossible questions: Just how much are they willing to sacrifice for a different tomorrow? And is it already too late to try?

Sophie Burnham is a queer, nonbinary novelist and screenwriter, backed by an Acting BFA and a concentration in playwriting from Syracuse University. Honored with a We Need Diverse Books writing grant and a placement in ScreenCraft’s 2020 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenplay competition, Burnham’s debut novel promises to enthrall and enlighten readers. Follow them on Twitter at @sophielburnham.

THE SECRETS WE CARRY de Tiffany Wang

A new YA duology inspired by Chinese folklore: featuring sibling relationships; fickle, feral, and fallible gods; enemies-to lovers-tropes; and good-hearted people doing terrible things in the name of the ones they love.

THE SECRETS WE CARRY
by Tiffany Wang
HarperCollins, Winter 2027
(via KT Literary)

Ailan, immortal goddess of weaving, has many older sisters, but Xifei is the one she loves most—and the one she’s secretly betrayed. When Xifei goes missing, Ailan is wracked with guilt, convinced her sister has disappeared into the mortal realm—and she’ll stop at nothing to get her back.

Kai despises immortals. Ever since his brother died at the hands of a god, Kai and his ba have only one all-consuming desire: vengeance. Kai will seek out a god, lure them to the capital, and deliver them to his ba to enact their revenge. It’s said that immortals cannot be killed, but Kai intends to test that theory for himself.

When Ailan descends from the heavens in search of her sister, Kai seizes his chance. He tells her of an oracle in the city who will be able to locate her sister anywhere in the mortal realm, and Ailan enlists him as her guide. The journey through the Middle Kingdom is a treacherous one, and before long Ailan and Kai are caught in the throes of a political plot that could scorch the mortal realm and topple the heavens. And as they begin to fall for one another, they are forced to grapple with the pain they have caused their loved ones, and whether or not they can live with the consequences if blood truly is thicker than water.

Tiffany Wang hails from a town in North Texas, although she’s currently wandering her way through New York City. She studied communication and international relations at the University of Pennsylvania.

MISCHIEF GIRLS d’Aashna Avachat

Every school has its secrets—but at the exclusive Ellison College, the past might prove deadly—in this twisty puzzlebox mystery perfect for fans of Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series.

MISCHIEF GIRLS
by Aashna Avachat
Delacorte Press, September 2026
(via KT Literary)

THIRTY YEARS AGO: three students walked into the woods surrounding Ellison College, and only one came out. They became known as the Mischief Girls, and their case was never solved.

HALLOWEEN WEEK, MODERN DAY: Ellison freshman Raina isn’t interested in digging into the past. To combat her personal demons, she volunteers at Night Walk, a campus program dedicated to helping students get home safely. Until one night, Raina escorts a fellow freshman to her dorm…only to learn that the girl disappeared before she ever made it through the door.

NOW: With the help of the missing girl’s stepbrother, Raina begins to investigate. But when the pair of them discover that she’d been looking into the Mischief Girls murders prior to her vanishing, the case suddenly becomes much more complicated.

From professors’ offices to state penitentiaries, Raina relentlessly hunts down the truth. But if she wants to find it, she’ll have to accept that maybe what happened to the missing girl didn’t begin the night she disappeared.

Maybe it all started thirty years ago, in the woods.

Aashna Avachat is a writer, reader, and lawyer from California. She studied English and Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and law at Harvard Law School. She is also the author of Love Craves Cardamom. When she’s not working, she’s probably reading on a sunny patch of grass, going on long walks to grocery stores, or being cozy with one of her many foster cats. Visit her online at aashnaavachat.com. 

THE INFERNO’S HEIR DUOLOGY de Tiffany Wang

Fearing for her life, an outcast princess joins the rebellion against her own kingdom and family . . . but when playing with fire, someone always gets burned.

THE INFERNO’S HEIR DUOLOGY
by Tiffany Wang
Bindery Books
(via KT Literary)

BOOK 1: INFERNO’S HEIR (October 2024)

Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half-brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone.

When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own.

Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed.

But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead?

“A mesmerizing debut fantasy.” –Rebecca Yarros, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

“A fantastical romp filled with intrigue and suspense.” —Kirkus Reviews

BOOK 2: TEMPEST’S QUEEN (October 2025)

The queen has won her crown. Now, she must prove she’s worthy to wear it.

Six months ago, Teia Carthan seized the throne against all odds. She sacrificed everything—her morals, her friends, even the spark of love—to hear the whisper of her new title: Highness.

Now, Teia sets sail across the Dark Sea to warn her cousin, the Shaylani emperor, of a threat that could doom the Five Kingdoms: Cornelius Lehm lives, and he’s planning to raise the Serkawr. But as she begins a furious journey across Shaylan, Teia knows she needs help to defeat Lehm—even if it means working with the very rebels she betrayed to claim her crown.

Trust is a fragile thing, and Teia crushed it beneath her heel. Can she earn the Dawnbreakers’ friendship once again? Or will the consequences of her treachery win out, dragging all she’s fought for like a wave to the depths?

Tiffany Wang hails from a town in North Texas and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, although she’s currently wandering her way through New York City. In her spare time, she enjoys browsing through bookstores, hunting for a quiet place to write, and snacking on a questionable amount of Cheetos.

BLOOD & BREATH de Qurratulayn

There are three types of devils: the ones you summon for love charms and good luck, the ones you summon for ambitions and impossible dreams… And then there are the true devils, the ones that almost broke the world three hundred years ago. The ones you don’t summon at all.

BLOOD & BREATH
by Qurratulayn
Page Street YA, October 2025
(via KT Literary)

Evan Wilde is a poor working-class girl. She writes contracts on behalf of wealthier folks who want to exchange a bit of their life for minor deals with devils. It’s not until she is bleeding out, the unwilling victim of an outlawed contract sacrifice, that Evan draws a contract for herself: A devil can take the last of her life―all she wants is revenge.

With the help of a devil named Jack, Evan infiltrates the upper class by posing as one of their own to bring them down from the inside.

For the first time, Evan finds friends and maybe even love. And with time she realizes that for all their corruption, the upper class’s magic is what keeps the devils at bay. Can she condemn the world to ruin to satisfy her need for vengeance?

But a contract cannot be broken, except at a devil’s mercy. And Jack has none.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Qurratulayn Muhammad moved down South when she was 11, where she was bitten by the writing bug as well as other, less friendly insects. Qurratulayn lives in Milledgeville, Georgia, and when not writing she enjoys reading, listening to K-pop, and photography. She previously self-published a YA dystopian series under a pen name.