The Castle and the Cloister

Product Description

The kingdom of Honoria is a difficult pawn to move. To change it for the better, one young woman will have to risk everything she holds dear.Brought up in poverty and abuse, Fia left her old existence for her infant daughter Miriel’s sake and hopes to be granted refuge at Raea’s cloister, the last stronghold of a matriarchal religion which forbids bloodshed of any kind. But Matria Dolenza, the cloister’s overseer, insists that to gain the cloister’s protection, Fia must leave Miriel behind and travel to their country’s capital, where Fia must take on the role of wet nurse to the conquerors’ heretic queen. Dolenza lays out a single, nebulous term for Fia’s service: before returning, she must prove herself capable of striving for something larger than her own wellbeing and that of her child. With no choice but to comply, Fia goes to the capital, where a dynasty of warriors have held the reins of power for two centuries, subjugating the great nation of Honoria and threatening the continued existence of Raea’s cloister. But the nature of her errand is further complicated by what she finds—a queen covertly bound to Honoria's old pacifist ways and struggling for peace, and a blind priest serving as the head of his court’s brutal new religion while harboring a bitter grudge against the king.It is a treacherous landscape of enemies, allies, and intrigue. Fulfilling Dolenza’s orders will require Fia to undermine established powers, confront the best and worst in herself, and alter the course of a nation.