The Awakening of Essensia

Name: The Awakening of Essensia
Author: Saskia M. Johnson

133 pages

Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Daughter of No Worlds and The Bridge Kingdom, this first instalment of The Rhelisar Saga is a plot-forward fantasy romance filled with forbidden magic, found family, banter and betrayal. Three gruelling trials bring together a guard recruit with unawakened forbidden power and a Royal Guard determined to prove his worth.

She will wake what was lost.
His darkness will answer.

Drawn into a kingdom fracturing beneath a crumbling crown, Vaelira must master a power she never asked for, or watch the world she swore to protect, turn to ash…

More than a century after the Great Demon Fire reduced the continent to cinders, its scars have never truly faded. Sheltered by its mountains, Eastvale was spared the flames, but not the aftermath. Demons stalk the night beyond village walls, while ruthless Wasteland raiders prey on travellers by day.
Vaelira wants one thing: to join Anhaven’s Guard and protect those she loves from the dangers outside their walls. To earn her place, she must pass three gruelling trials meant to test her strength, skill, and resolve. But when a Royal Guard from the capital arrives to observe the trials, he is inexplicably drawn to Vaelira, and something within her awakens.
Burdened with a power she never asked for, Vaelira travels to Caerthalyn—a city where magic is outlawed, politics are lethal, and cultists lurk in every shadow. As secrets unravel and loyalties blur, Vaelira discovers that her power is tied to a much darker secret… one that could change the fate of their kingdom forever.

Dark magic. Unlikely allies. A royal city plagued by a corrupt court. In a world where people are rarely what they seem, will Vaelira uncover the answers she seeks… or ignite the very forces that could destroy it all?

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