The Tiger at Midnight

Dharka and Jansa were once twin kingdoms, joined by the blood magic of demigods and by a celestial river. Then the Dharkan king's younger brother killed the Jansan queen and took her throne. The bond snapped, and a shaky cease-fire now holds across the Southern Lands, where drought has set in.

Esha, a Dharkan rebel, works as an assassin under the name the Viper, making the guilty pay for the deaths of her family. General Hotha, a ruthless Jansan commander, is her latest target.

Kunal is the general's nephew. He has followed his uncle into the army since childhood, though art appeals to him far more than killing does. After the general is struck down and the Viper takes the blame, Kunal is ordered to find her.

Each of them believes they hold the upper hand as their paths keep crossing. Neither is the only one moving pieces. The chase carries them across borders, past secret plots and old bonds, while their growing attraction pulls against all they were raised to believe.

This is the first book of a young adult fantasy trilogy drawn from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology. Esha and Kunal alternate as narrators, so the hunter and the hunted are both on the page.