Floodpath

The enthralling second epic fantasy in Martin’s Outlaw Road duology sees unlikely allies working together to end inequality in Moquoia. Following the events of Sunshield, Lark, the Sunshield Bandit, has had her world turned upside down; the former slave and current outlaw now knows that she’s actually the long-lost Moquoian princess. But after helping Prince Veran rescue Tamsin, an Ashoki court singer, from imprisonment, by staging her murder, Lark has been framed for the very crime she helped to fake, and she and Veran are forced to flee across the desert. Tamsin was jailed for spreading antislavery sentiment through the royal court and her tongue was split by her captors. Her singing days behind her, she must learn a new way to communicate if she hopes to spread her message and end slavery. The endearingly flawed characters, immersive details of Lark and Veran’s travels through treacherous terrain, and epic battles faced both on the run and in the royal court keep the pages flying. This is a pitch-perfect finale. Agent: Valerie Noble, Donaghy Literary. (Mar.)