The mercy makers

In this sensual and suspenseful fantasy, Gratton (The Queens of Innis Lear) brings to life an empire governed by four mystical forces: rising, falling, flow, and ecstatic. Iriset mé Isidor is an architect, someone skilled in manipulating these forces. Operating under the name Silk, she builds illegal devices for her father, Little Cat, on behalf of his expansive crime ring and publishes scandalous papers on the forbidden topic of human architecture, or using the forces to manipulate life itself. Silk is widely branded a heretic, but Iriset is protected by her father--until Little Cat's base is raided by the army. Iriset is taken prisoner as Little Cat's daughter, though no one knows that she and Silk are one and the same. When Amaranth mé Esmail, the Moon Eater's Mistress and sister to the emperor himself, takes Iriset under her wing, she finds herself tangling with the highest powers in the empire--and learning some startling truths about her world. Gratton spins a web of intrigue, mistaken identity, and simmering sexual tension from which the reader will not want to escape. With a beautifully constructed world and enthralling characters, this is sure to appeal to fans of Hannah Whitten's The Foxglove King. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)

Iriset, the daughter of a powerful outlaw, is a secret prodigy of the magical architecture that her kingdom treasures. When her father is taken captive by the empire, Iriset desperately plans a rescue. Hiding her immense magical talents while she plots, she infiltrates the inner circle of the royal family. But as she gets further entwined in the corrupt system she's intent on destroying, her affections for the people loyal to that system start to grow. Can Iriset hold fast to her beliefs about the empire, or will she become complicit in its machinations, for the sake of love? Gratton's (Lady Hotspur) unique, complex magic system is noteworthy. Readers will need to exercise patience, as clarity is offered slowly, but high-speed scenes make it worth it. Gratton alternates between a third-person point of view and a seemingly omniscient narrator who takes lengthy detours and uses lots of dramatic irony. VERDICT The novel's intriguing plot twists will appeal to fans of Game of Thrones who crave that same epic, sprawling sense of story, betrayal, sex, and politics, but Gratton more closely examines the effects of imperialism. It's a smart idea that could use a more refined execution.--Gina Collett