The Empire Burns at Dawn

The Arabian Nights meets romantasy in this debut about two sisters sent on separate missions to help their father seize power, but dark magic is brewing across the land, and they might be pawns in a much larger game...

The Adani sisters have never been free. Their father has been scheming for years to seize the corrupt Shah’s throne, and he’ll use his daughters to do it.

Dunya has carved her path as a warrior. On her father’s orders, she travels to a distant desert kingdom to secure a military alliance. When she learns she was sent not as a diplomat but as a bride for the formidable Bezouin King, she refuses to submit to the arrangement, vowing to never return home. The strangely gentle ruler offers her a place in his court, but their friendship quickly turns into an intense connection that Dunya isn’t prepared for.

Shayda is sent straight into the viper’s pit. Married off to the ailing Shah himself, her mission is to uncover the court’s secrets and then get rid of him. But Shayda knows her father can’t be trusted, and when he betrays her, she realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. To thwart her father’s plan, she seeks the help of the Daggers—a rebel group at war with the Shah—and their ruthless leader. Danger lurks around every corner, but Shayda is willing to risk everything for a chance at freedom.

As Dunya and Shayda battle their enemies, their circumstances, and their own hearts, they discover a resurgence of dark magic spreading throughout the land. A pantheon of ancient gods awakens once again, and the sisters must stop them, or see their worlds plunged into darkness.Fatima Al-Shemary is an Iraqi-American writer based in Chicago. Her family moved to the United States as refugees in the early nineties, and she grew up in Washington state. When not working, she enjoys traveling, sightseeing, running, cooking and baking, and playing video games. The Empire Burns at Dawn is her debut novel, inspired by her cultural background, language, and stories she grew up with.