Blood Scion

Sloane is fifteen and can burn an enemy to ash whenever she chooses. She is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods, and she is the child of Shango, the fire god. Under the rule of the Lucis, a Scion who is found out is killed, so she hides what she is.

On her fifteenth birthday the Lucis army conscripts her by force. It is the same army that slaughtered her people. Sloane decides to use the posting: she will get through its brutal training, keep her magic secret, and work to bring the Lucis down from the inside.

This is Yoruba-inspired fantasy, drawing on Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, with Orisha gods and a magic called àse. It is also military fantasy set in a dystopian world, where most of the action takes place inside the army's training regime. Readers who know Children of Blood and Bone or An Ember in the Ashes will recognise the neighbourhood.

Sloane is a morally grey heroine. She wants revenge and wants to become the worst monster the Lucis ever made, and the book keeps asking how much of herself she will have to give up to get it. Expect a violent, tense read about injustice, power and rage.