The Unbound Empire
core novel 2019 Swords and Fire / Rooks and Ruin
Record
| First published | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.36 (2,929 ratings, collected 2026-08-26) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780316466936 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Bringing the Swords and Fire trilogy to its conclusion, this third volume finds Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira relying on the temporary protection of winter to hold back a full invasion by the Witch Lord Ruven, even as they work to reform the mage rights system within the Raverran Empire. Their efforts to change how mage-marked citizens like Zaira are treated earn them powerful new enemies among those unwilling to relinquish control over magic, complicating an already precarious political position. When Ruven launches a devastating attack during the empire's grand masquerade festival, striking directly at what Amalia holds most dear, she and Zaira are forced to confront their deepest fears, expose closely guarded secrets, and draw on the full extent of Zaira's dangerous power in an effort to protect the empire from Ruven's ambitions.
Where it sits
- Universe: Swords and Fire / Rooks and Ruin
- Series: Swords and Fire core; position 3 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Melissa Caruso
Notes
- From the series record (Swords and Fire): A trilogy set in the Serene Empire, following Amalia Cornaro and a bonded fire warlock.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Swords and Fire: position 3 of 3: previous The Defiant Heir (2018)
- Internal chronology, within Swords and Fire / Rooks and Ruin: position 3 of 6: previous The Defiant Heir (2018) · next The Obsidian Tower (2020)
Sources
- Hachette Book Group: Melissa Caruso titles
- https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/melissa-caruso/the-unbound-empire/9780316466936/
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