A Fistful of Fire: Chronicles of Marsdenfel (Book 1)

&lt;em>Tales of loathsome kings and prophesied saviors aren&#39;t so appealing when you are a royal bastard of prophecy…&lt;/em><br><br>Evonal&eacute; Yunan has never cared for tales of loathsome tyrants, seduced maids, and prophesied saviors. She herself is supposed to somehow free her grandmother&#39;s enslaved queendom. But she&#39;s merely a child, and her father is the powerful fire mage who subjugates the realm.<br><br>Evonal&eacute; has therefore fled home, her two half-siblings, and the father who really should&#39;ve been her uncle. (If she could, she would flee her lethal and not quite insane faery godmother, too, but that&#39;s a side issue.)<br><br>Unfortunately, it&#39;s the middle of winter. Fortunately, following her mother&#39;s directions has put her in another king&#39;s hunting grounds. To Evonal&eacute;&#39;s bewilderment, that king picks her up and gives her a place in his palace. The prince seeks her out to tease and befriend.<br><br>Then one of Cook&#39;s daughters starts teaching her magic, and a scullery maid proves herself immune to poison.<br><br>Evonal&eacute; isn&#39;t the only one with secrets.<br>&mdash;<br>(A novel of 78,000 words.)<br><br>ALERT: Contains some mature themes and responsible use of alcohol. The narrator&#39;s family is sadistic.