Summer Escapist Fantasy: Sky in the Deep, Furyborn and Ash Princess

It's summer and time for some action-packed, fast-paced escapist reading.  The Viking-inspired fantasy Sky in the Deep by debut author Adrienne Young introduces a culture where two clans are pitted against each other in an age old conflict, until they must band together to fight a common enemy.  Furyborn, the first in a new trilogy by Claire LeGrand, alternates between two stories, set a thousand years apart, about two women, the savior Sun Queen and the destructive Blood Queen, who will impact the fate of the Aritas empire.  Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian imagines a world where  a captive princess attempts to retake her kingdom by entering into a relationship with the son of the man who enslaved her people.

Sky in the Deep focuses on the fjord-dwelling, Sigr-worshiping Aska clan and the mountain-dwelling, Thora-worshiping Riki clan, who battle every five years over a religious blood feud. It is once again time to fight, but Eelyn, an Aska warrior, is still mourning her brother Iri, who died in the previous war.  Imagine her dismay, when she sees him fighting for the Riki this time around.  When she is taken prisoner by Fiske, a Riki warrior, Iri manages to save her life, but she is enslaved.  At first she is furious with Iri, but the longer she is with the Riki people, the more she realizes that they are no different from her Aska clan and begins to understand his defection.  Then the vicious Herja clan attacks both the Aska and the Riki settlements and Eelyn, Iri and Fiske determine that the only way to survive is for the two clans to band together to defeat the Herja.  Fighting alongside Fiske, Eelyn slowly develops an affection for the Riki and envisions a future where they live together in peace.  Epic battles, fierce loyalties and gentle romance make this a must-read this summer!

Furyborn, the first book in the Empirium trilogy, is set in the fantasy world of Aritas and alternates between two stories set a thousand years apart. A prophecy suggests that two women will be born, the savior Sun Queen and the destructive Blood Queen, who will impact the ultimate fate of the Empire.  Rielle, who wields elemental magic, is forced to undergo seven trials to discover her true identity and ascend the throne.  A thousand years later Eliana, a bounty hunter, joins the rebels who are fighting the Empire.  The stories of magic, angels and saints in Rielle's era are thought to be myths in Eliana's.  However, when her mother disappears, Eliana attempts to rescue her and gets embroiled in a cosmic battle that has been ongoing since Rielle's reign.  There is a great deal of world building in this introduction to the trilogy, but the two stories are cleverly interwoven and fast-paced once each heroine begins her quest.

Ash Princess, a complex and thrilling series starter, introduces Theodosia, a royal prisoner, who lives with her captors, the Kalovaxians, who murdered her mother, the Fire Queen of Astrea and enslaved her people. The Queen's Guardians, who drew power from magical gems found in Astrean caves, are gone and her people are forced to work in the mines, harvesting the magical gems for the Kalovaxian Kaiser. Theodosia, who is now known as Thora, is forced to wear a crown of ashes and is punished every time the rebels, who swear allegiance to her, act out.  After being forced to kill the last Guardian, rumored to be her father, Thora vows to retake her kingdom.  She has the sympathy of the Kaiser's son, Prinz Soren, the friendship of Lady Cress, whose father heads the Kalavoxian army, and the loyalty of Blaze, who leads the rebels. The princess agrees to remain a prisoner to spy for the resistance, plotting to overthrow the Kaiser and take back her kingdom.  The plucky heroine, the love triangle,  and the twists and turns in the plot that set up the climatic ending make this a sure-fire winner that readers won't want to put down.