Thorn Season

Lady Alissa Paine is eighteen, the heir to a family of Wielder Hunters, and a Wielder herself. In the kingdom of Daradon, people with hidden magic are hunted and killed, so she keeps her power secret from the family that trains to destroy people like her.

When Alissa learns that a magic compass stolen from her family is being used to track and kill Wielders, she takes a place in the royal Rose Season at the palace. The courtship festival gives her a reason to be there and a chance to investigate.

At court she must manage politics and social duties while King Erik pursues her. She is also drawn to Keil, an ambassador from Ansora, a land where Wielders live openly. His presence shows her a life she has never been allowed to imagine.

This is young adult romantasy with a slow-burn romance, a love triangle and court intrigue. Questions of identity, friendship and loyalty run beneath the plot. It opens a trilogy and is followed by Thorn Season 2. Alissa has to find who holds the compass while her own secret stays hidden among people who may be watching her.