The Unbound Empire

by Melissa Caruso

Overview

A political scion and her magically bound fire warlock must face their greatest fears to save the Empire from a ruthless enemy in the explosive conclusion of a spellbinding fantasy trilogy from David Gemmell Award-nominated author Melissa Caruso. 

While winter snows keep the Witch Lord Ruven's invading armies at bay, Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira attempt to change the fate of mages in the Raverran Empire forever, earning the enmity of those in power who will do anything to keep all magic under tight imperial control. But in the season of the Serene City's great masquerade, Ruven executes a devastating surprise strike at the heart of the Empire — and at everything Amalia holds most dear.

To stand a chance of defeating Ruven, Amalia and Zaira must face their worst nightmares, expose their deepest secrets, and unleash Zaira's most devastating fire.

Praise for Swords and Fire:

"Charming, intelligent, fast-moving, beautifully atmospheric, with a heroine and other characters whom I really liked as people. I couldn't put it down."―Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

"Breathtaking... Worth every moment and every page, and should make anyone paying attention excited about what Caruso will write next."―BookPage

"A riveting read, with delicious intrigue, captivating characters, and a brilliant magic system. I loved it from start to finish!"―Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood

Swords and Fire
The Tethered Mage
The Defiant Heir
The Unbound Empire

For more from Melissa Caruso, check out:

Rooks and Ruin
The Obsidian Tower
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316466936
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Series:	Swords and Fire Series , #3
Pages:	560
Sales rank:	141,115
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Melissa Caruso was born on the summer solstice and went to school in an old mansion with a secret door, but despite this auspicious beginning has yet to develop any known superpowers. Melissa has spent her whole life creating imaginary worlds, and in addition to writing is also an avid LARPer and tabletop gamer.

She graduated with honors in Creative Writing from Brown University and has an MFA in Fiction from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Melissa's first novel, The Tethered Mage, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Morningstar award for best fantasy debut.

Editorial Reviews

01/28/2019

Lady Amalia Cornaro, accidentally bound to a fire warlock in 2017’s The Tethered Mage, frees mages from their captive service and her faux-Venetian Serene City of Raverra from its greatest threat in this rattling mix of politics and magecraft. Countering the infiltrations of the Vaskandar Witch-Lord Ruven, Amalia takes the war back to his domain, trading deep secrets with his rival, the Lady of Spiders, to learn how to lay a trap that can kill the immortal sorcerer. Caruso astutely plays off the political and the personal, making Amalia regularly aware of the implications of her friendships and romantic interests, while at the same time placing the real demands of love next to (and above) the thrills of infatuation. The suspenseful elements mingle with the horrors of unleashing magical fire on enemy conscripts. Amalia’s readiness to accept the responsibility for her decisions brings a welcome sense of growing into authority rather than merely inheriting it, and fans of the first two books will find this a fitting capstone to the trilogy. Agent: Naomi Davis, BookEnds Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Caruso admirably refuses to pull her punches.... Thrilling."—Kirkus (starred review)

"Caruso's worldbuilding is brilliant and complex."—Library Journal

"Caruso astutely plays off the political and the personal.... A fitting capstone to the trilogy."—Publishers Weekly

"Takes the series to the next level in every way.... I absolutely loved The Defiant Heir. It's extraordinarily fun with wonderful characters and intriguing mysteries.... I can hardly contain my excitement for the third installment."—Fantasy Book Cafe on The Defiant Heir


"An entirely new level of awesome.... Absolutely addictive."—Powder & Page on The Defiant Heir


"An inspiration for geeks everywhere.... Satisfyingly action-packed and bittersweet."—Kirkus on The Defiant Heir


"I love this book and series. It is a refreshing and lively fantasy that has characters that I just can't get enough of.... Highly recommend!"—The Speculative Herald on The Defiant Heir


"A joy to read.... Melissa Caruso is well on her way to making a very big splash in the fantasy genre, and I can't wait for the third book to get here."—Bibliosanctum on The Defiant Heir


"Everything I hoped for and much more.... Beautifully crafted.... Pick up this fantastic series now."—Girls in Capes on The Defiant Heir


"A fast moving and frequently fun story that gives readers a lot to chew on."—RT Book Reviews on The Defiant Heir (4 stars)

"The Tethered Mage is the best kind of fantasy: intricate world-building, the most intriguing of court intrigues, and a twisty plot. But while readers might pick it up for those elements, they'll stay for the engaging characters and the unlikely friendships at the story's heart."—Rosalyn Eves, author of Blood Rose Rebellion on The Tethered Mage

"The Tethered Mage is a riveting read, with delicious intrigue, captivating characters, and a brilliant magic system. I loved it from start to finish!"—Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood, on The Tethered Mage


"Charming, intelligent, fast-moving, beautifully atmospheric, with a heroine and other characters whom I really liked as people. (I overstayed my lunch break in order to finish it.) I would love to read more set in this world."—Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library, on The Tethered Mage


"Intricate and enticing as silk brocade. Caruso's heroine is a strong, intelligent young woman in a beguiling, beautifully evoked Renaissance world of high politics, courtly intrigue, love and loyalty - and fire warlocks."—Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives, on The Tethered Mage

"Engaging and entertaining with intrigue, a good pace, and strong characters. Zaira and Amalia are bright, bold heroes in a smartly constructed world."—James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost, on The Tethered Mage

"One of the best first novels in a brand new high fantasy series that I've read in ages.... If you're hungry for a new fantasy series with awesome, nuanced characters, powerful worldbuilding, and solid writing - look no further. The Tethered Mage is the book you need right now. Absolutely recommended."—Book Smugglers on The Tethered Mage


"Breathtaking... Worth every moment and every page, and should make anyone paying attention excited about what Caruso will write next."—BookPage on The Tethered Mage

"An enchanting voice and an original world you won't want to leave."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}RJ Barker, author of Age of Assassins, on The Tethered Mage

"A rich world, political intrigue, and action that keeps you turning pages—The Tethered Mage is classic fantasy with a fresh voice."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Jeff Wheeler, author of The Queen's Poisoner, on The Tethered Mage

"The Tethered Mage is the best kind of fantasy: intricate world-building, the most intriguing of court intrigues, and a twisty plot. But while readers might pick it up for those elements, they'll stay for the engaging characters and the unlikely friendships at the story's heart."—Rosalyn Eves, author of Blood Rose Rebellion, on The Tethered Mage


"It's a pleasure to journey with shy and slightly awkward Amalia as she puts her scholarship in magic and puzzle-solving skills to good use.... Charming."—Kirkus on The Tethered Mage


"Caruso skillfully maintains her plot."—Publishers Weekly on The Tethered Mage


"The plotting is good, the characters interesting.... Something really special."—RT Book Reviews on The Tethered Mage


"A gorgeous, fresh fantasy debut filled with political intrigue and ethical quandary.... Highly recommend."—Girls in Capes on The Tethered Mage

From the Publisher

★ 2019-03-19
Caruso completes her epic Swords and Fire trilogy (The Tethered Mage, 2017; The Defiant Heir, 2018), based in a Venice-like city at the heart of an empire where magic can be wielded like a weapon.

Sadistic (and, unfortunately, immortal and nearly invulnerable) Witch Lord Ruven of Vaskandar prepares to launch the large-scale invasion he's been threatening for two previous books, infiltrating Raverra via the dangerous magical hybrids known as chimeras and an alchemical potion that puts the drinker, however reluctant, under his control. Meanwhile, Lady Amalia Cornaro, a young Raverran noblewoman with an unorthodox link to the fire mage Zaira, works to convince the Serene Imperial Assembly to pass a law freeing mages from government control, a tricky proposition given that mages are the Serene Empire's best defense against the Witch Lords' magic. She's also still torn emotionally between Marcello, the Falconer Captain she loves, who is politically unsuitable as a husband, and a somewhat better match, Kathe, the mercurial and not entirely trustworthy Witch Lord she's beginning to care for despite herself. The personal and the political converge explosively as Ruven's plans come to dreadful fruition: He transforms Marcello into a chimera forced to obey his will and strike at Amalia where she is most vulnerable. Amalia must depend on both Zaira and Kathe to protect and support her as she puzzles out how to defeat this seemingly indestructible foe while trying to guard both her heart and integrity from further injury. Once again, Caruso admirably refuses to pull her punches, for the most part. Bad things happen to good people and choices have real consequences. The book convincingly and compellingly completes Amalia's transformation from a shy, scholarly young woman reluctant to grasp the reins of power into a capable politician willing to do what is necessary and expedient even if it means a personal sacrifice. Caruso's writing has also grown in complexity and nuance as the author has charted Amalia's course.

Thrilling while remaining both emotionally and logically true; readers will regret bidding farewell to Amalia and her friends.

Kirkus Reviews

04/01/2019

The third book in the "Swords and Fire" trilogy finds Amalia and fire warlock Zaira fighting magician Ruthven, who is trying to destroy the empire. Amalia strives to get a law passed that will protect mages from being conscripted into the military and subservient jobs. But providing such freedom may weaken the Kingdom. Ruthven seeks to undermine the empire with strategically placed look-alikes who can enact his plans. The annual masquerade ball is intricately described and perfectly sets the rich political intrigue into motion. Will Amalia and Zaira be able to save the empire? VERDICT Caruso's worldbuilding is brilliant and complex enough that this work stands on its own, but readers will get more out of the series if they start from the beginning. [See Prepub Alert, 11/19/18.]—Cynde Suite, Bartow Cty. Lib. Syst., Adairsville, GA

Library Journal

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