Sestia - (Five Queendoms, the) by G R Macallister (Hardcover)

About the Book

"While a fragile peace has begun to settle across the Five Queendoms of the known world, trouble brews beneath the smooth faðcade. The first gate between the Underlands, where Eresh rules over the shades of the dead, has already been opened-and the scheming shade of a dead sorcerer has evil plans he hopes to unleash on the world. In the world Above, the Scorpicae struggle to find a path forward in defeat, the embattled regent of Paxim gets more than she bargained for, and a young woman who barely survived the Sun Rites finds herself the indispensable right hand of a priest-queen whose sanity appears to be slipping away. As living women across the Queendoms take desperate action to stay alive, and dead women plot to regain what they've lost, the time for the next Sun Rites nears. When five queens gather in the Holy City of Sestia for the most important ritual of their lives, who will be left standing?"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Return to The Five Queendoms series with the final book in this "ambitious and engaging" (Rebecca Roanhorse) epic fantasy trilogy, in which a centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born.

While a fragile peace has begun to settle across the Five Queendoms of the known world, trouble brews beneath the smooth façade. The first gate between the Underlands, where Eresh rules over the shades of the dead, has already been opened--and the scheming shade of a dead sorcerer has evil plans he hopes to unleash on the world. In the world Above, the Scorpicae struggle to find a path forward in defeat, the embattled regent of Paxim gets more than she bargained for, and a young woman who barely survived the Sun Rites finds herself the indispensable right hand of a priest-queen whose sanity appears to be slipping away.

As living women across the Queendoms take desperate action to stay alive, and dead women plot to regain what they've lost, the time for the next Sun Rites nears. When five queens gather in the Holy City of Sestia for the most important ritual of their lives, who will be left standing?

Review Quotes

Praise for Sestia:
"With this multifaceted epic, Macallister brings her Five Queendoms trilogy to a satisfying close... a worthy finale." --Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Five Queendoms:

"An intoxicating brew of court politics, deadly magic, family rivalry, and enough swashbuckling female swordplay to delight Wonder Woman's entire isle of Amazons. Macallister's turn from historical fiction to historical fantasy is a gem." --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

"Ambitious and engaging... A sprawling epic fantasy that spans the lives of warriors, queens and the fate of a continent." --Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author Black Sun

"If you enjoy well-written epic fantasy with strong female characters, then a journey into The Five Queendoms should be on your to-do list."--Grimdark Magazine

"Macallister keeps the tension high, brilliantly weaving together political intrigue and adventure. The refreshing worldbuilding and intricate character work remain highlights."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

G.R. Macallister, author of the Five Queendoms series, beginning with Scorpica, and also writes bestselling historical fiction under the name Greer Macallister. Her novels have been optioned for film and television. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Washington, DC.