A young human woman faces magic, violence, and courtly intrigue as a servant in a sadistic, debauched faerie court in the thrilling, suspenseful dark fantasy Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley (A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire), the first volume in the Shards of Magic series.
Kenna would love to "leave Tumbledown and its small-minded judgments, find a new place to live where [she] wasn't known as the herbwoman's wild daughter." Crossing a monster-infested bog and entering Mistei, the land of the Fae, isn't in her plans, but when her best friend is chosen as a tithe to the fairies, Kenna follows. To her horror, she survives while her friend is lost. Mistei was supposed to be paradise, but instead Kenna finds a depraved court ruled by a cruel, bloodthirsty king. He gives Kenna to Earth, one of six Fae houses, a gesture intended as an insult since faeries see humans as inferior to them. Kenna must help her new mistress pass a series of confounding trials in order to gain immortality. Cheating is forbidden, but refusal could mean death. Kenna is also drawn into a rebellion against the king led by a beautiful, mercurial prince and pressed into spying for the king by his shadow-wielding executioner. If anyone uncovers her triple life, she'll be doomed.
This treacherous, romantically charged adventure features magical weapons, seemingly impossible tasks, and a scrappy, ambitious heroine who beats the odds with wits and courage. Fans of Sarah J. Maas may find their next favorite series here, but Hawley's world-building and magic system take Servant of Earth into original, exciting territory. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads