The Skewed Throne (#1)
When the White Fire passed through the city of Amenkor a thousand years ago, it brought insanity and ruin…until the death of the Mistress, the ruler of Amenkor and the wielder of the Skewed Throne. Now, the ethereal Fire has come again, beginning the same spiral of destruction once more. And it has touched everyone.
Including Varis, a young girl barely surviving in the slums of the city. Able to see the world in a wash of reds and grays, she can sense danger and evil in others, the only thing keeping her alive. When the White Fire comes again, it changes her as it changes everyone in the city. The slums become even more dangerous as the city and its Mistress begin to sink into madness. In response, Varis is forced to become an assassin, trained and guided by Erick, one of the Seekers, the elite guard of the Mistress and protectors of the Skewed Throne. But what can gutterscum like Varis do to stop the destruction of everything she has ever known?
The only thing that worked the last time:
The Mistress of Amenkor must die. place left to flee to―into the heart of Amenkor itself.
Reviews
“Power without control breeds a madness just as deadly as an empty stomach. That’s the key message in Palmatier’s intense fantasy debut […] Palmatier succeeds admirably in passionate, if simplistic, prose to sketch a heartfelt portrait […] This solid, earnest effort will especially appeal to young adults.”
“Palmatier keeps the reader guessing by switching up the flow events in the novel […] that is what makes the novel so compelling, even having a pretty good idea of where Varis’s story would conclude at the end of THE SKEWED THRONE didn’t deter the narrative pull and overall engaging quality of Palmatier’s storytelling […] With THE SKEWED THRONE, Palmatier has set up a very promising trilogy.”
“I give THE SKEWED THRONE four and a half out of five really creepy-ass iconic chairs, and a strong suggestion that it not walk down any dark alleys alone. I highly recommend it.”Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of the Toby Daye series
“A gritty, edgy, unsettling book. This tough young woman makes her choices in a world where good and evil often look like twins. I was riveted by her story!”Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Song of the Lioness series
“Joshua Palmatier has written a vivid, passionate story about a tough-minded heroine fighting for survival. What makes her especially compelling is her own struggle to understand right and wrong, and to confront what necessity can force you to do. This promising first novel should lead to equally confident sequels.”Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of Spiritwalker series
“The strength of Palmatier's book lies in Varis. Varis is a bitter girl, hardened by years of living in the Dredge, but she retains a core of humanity. Her ability to slip into what she calls the river, where threats stand out as splashes of red in the currents of the world around her, makes her an intriguing point of view character…if you enjoy grittier fantasy, I would recommend picking up THE SKEWED THRONE.”Jim C. Hines, author of the Magic ex Libris series
"If you are familiar with Arya Stark in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, you'll love Varis, who has similar tenacity and toughness. I highly recommend THE SKEWED THRONE and fans of gritty fantasy will love this book.”Paul Genesse, author of the Iron Dragon series
"For those who like their fantasy gritty and real, without sugarcoating, Joshua Palmatier's THE SKEWED THRONE is a gift. With not a dragon or an unicorn in sight, it's the people and the places where they live that matter in here - Varis is a strong and sympathetic heroine, even the walk-on parts have their own story, and the city of Amenkor has earned a place of its own in the atlas of fantasy lands."Alma Alexander, author of Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage