The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier

Varis is "gutterscum," a girl — as much animal as girl — who survives as a sneak-thief in the horrid slum of Amenkor known as "The Dredge." But even in the slum, rumors are spreading about The Mistress, who governs the city from the mystical Skewed Throne — rumors of insanity after a tidal wave of mysterious white fire sweeps through the land. After Varis stabs a criminal in self-defense, she comes to the attention of one of the Mistress's guardsmen-assassins and begins to help him in tracking his "marks." But in such a harsh, unstable environment, change comes quickly, and Varis soon finds herself outside of the Dredge. There, she finds that her skill with a dagger — as well as two strange magical talents — may draw her into a new life entirely.

The first novel by Joshua Palmatier, The Skewed Throne is an undemanding, gritty, viscer... Read More