Though Black Knife's identity proves unsurprising, along with the outcomes of Wil's interpersonal relationships, Meadows (the Incarnate trilogy) delivers a powerful coming-of-age story as Wil discovers that there are 'lines will not cross, not even to take the vermillion throne.' A cliffhanger sets up the concluding volume. It contains a cast of unforgettable characters with motives both nefarious and altruistic, led by a strong-willed and altogether appealing Hadassah. Wil increasingly finds herself disagreeing with her own leader, the ruthless Patrick, and coming to trust Black Knife. The Orphan Queen, a novelization of the Old Testament book of Esther, will engage both those familiar with the biblical account and those who are not.

The novel's protagonist is Wilhelmina, the lost princess of Aecor, which was conquered and absorbed into the Indigo empire. The Huffington Post ranked it as one of the top YA books of 2015. Wil's more mundane transgressions of the Indigo Kingdom's law are enough to attract the attention of a mysterious vigilante, Black Knife. The Orphan Queen is an epic fantasy and romance from Incarnate series author Jodi Meadows.

A hypercompetent fighter, forger, and spy, 17-year-old Wil keeps her magical abilities secret, since magic has been banned as the cause of the relentless wave of Wraith that has destroyed neighboring kingdoms, turning harmless animals into devouring monsters and perverting nature wherever it spreads. First in a fantasy duology, this tale of a young royal fighting to retake her country from invaders intertwines espionage, secret identities, a debate on the ethics of violence, and the threat of Wraith, a supernatural force that seeks to overwhelm conquered and conquerors alike.

The orphan queen book