The River of Souls Series

September 2010

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A short story set in the same world as Passion Play, during the reign of the last Emperor of Erythandra.

"Driven by his dreams, Asa will stop at nothing to find Tanja Duhr again: he will leave home, disappoint his parents, cross the wastelands, and, somewhere, find the courage to tell her who he is, and how she loved him, once."    —Publisher's Description

October 2010 (hardcover); April 2012 (paperback)

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Winner for Best Epic Fantasy, 2010 RT Reviewer's Choice Awards

Long-listed for the 2010 Tiptree Award

Long-listed for the 2011 British Fantasy Awards

"The flower of a wealthy mercantile family, 16-year-old Therez Zhalina hates living at home, suffering as her father and grandmother fight, her mother cringes before her father's rages, and her brother withdraws. When she discovers that her father has picked out a cruel and power-hungry man to be her husband, she panics and runs away. Her trials during her flight are perhaps the most realistic in this coming-of-age tale packed with magic and politics. Therez, now called Ilse, quickly outgrows her naiveté and finds her salvation when she meets Raul Kosenmark, an exiled prince trying to save the world that rejected him…"   —Publishers Weekly

"Bernobich's debut is a rich, compulsively readable fantasy."   —Booklist

"Bernobich’s debut is simply marvelous. Ilse is a memorably strong protagonist who has to make a lot of really difficult choices in order to survive and Raul Kosenmark is one of the most unique heroes this reviewer has ever encountered. The worldbuilding is top-notch. Readers should note that there is sexual violence in this book—not gratuitous, but it may be difficult to read."    —Natalie A. Luhrs, RT Book Reviews

"Passion Play immediately plunges you into a deep world of past lives and magic… the layers are crafted so masterfully that you can't put the book down to climb out of the story."   — LA Banks, The Vampire Huntress Legends Series

"Passion Play, indeed. Passionate, articulate, clever, this book sings right along. Desperate measures and hope bundled together in a daring adventure. Byzantine politics seldom combine so well with great characters. A marvelous debut novel."   —Patricia Briggs, New York Times bestselling author

July 2012 (hardcover)

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Ilse Zhalina has left to start a new life in a garrisoned fort, leagues from her estranged lover, Raul Kosenmark. The violent quarrel that ended Ilse and Raul's relationship was quite public. And also, quite fake. They hope to mislead Kosenmark's enemies so that he can continue to influence the politics of the kingdom in an attempt to stave off an ill-advised war, while keeping Ilse safe from royal assassins who would kill anyone Raul is close to. Ilse longs for Raul, but is set on her own quest to find one of the three fabled jewels of Lir. One of the jewels is held by King Dzavek, sworn enemy of Veraene, who has used the jewel's power to live for centuries. Ilse seeks one of the other stones to counterbalance Dzavek's efforts to destroy her country.

In her search, she encounters a shipwrecked prisoner from another land, a woman who has a secret of her own...and the second jewel in her keeping. The two women become allies in their quest for the third jewel, because finding and controlling these stones could mean salvation for both of their nations. And their failure the ruin of their peoples.   —Publisher's Description

Publication date October 2013, Tor Books

Publication date October 2014, Tor Books