The Unwilling: A Novel

"Drips with atmosphere and intrigue . . ." this fantasy coming of age novel "is a study in suffering and cruelty but also in determination." (Publishers Weekly)

Judah is an orphaned girl with a secret gift, born at the gates of Highfall castle. Raised alongside Gavin, heir to Lord Elban's empire, the two share an extrasensory bond-one that is key to Judah's survival and her possible undoing.

Elban-as mighty as he is cruel-plans to use Judah as a pawn to amass greater control. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

But beyond the castle walls, a magus, a healer with his own powerful force, has arrived from the provinces. He, too, has designs on the realm, and at the heart of his plans lies Judah . . . The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon discover her own strength. Intriguingly, she does not have to be given power: she can just take it.

"Fantasy at its most sublime!" -Erin Morgenstern, New York Times-bestselling author of The Night Circus

"Brilliantly executed." -Vanity Fair

"Suspenseful, magical, wonderfully written . . . An essential addition to all epic-fantasy collections." -Booklist (starred review)

"A juggernaut of an epic fantasy novel with ingenious, thrilling twists and turns. Put this on the shelf beside Naomi Novik and George R. R. Martin." -Kelly Link, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Get in Trouble

"A viscerally powerful book." -Kat Howard, author of Roses and Rot

"Gorgeously told . . . At once a sweeping epic and an intimate portrait of being trapped in an oppressive regime." -Gwenda Bond, New York Times-bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds