by Rae Carson
First published 2013
Seventeen-year-old Mara plans to escape her controlling father and run away with Julio, the boy she loves. On the day they decide to leave their desert village together, enemy sorcerers attack and burn everything to the ground. Most of the villagers die in the assault. Mara finds herself the only adult survivor responsible for a small group of children who managed to escape the destruction. She must guide these frightened children through dangerous mountain terrain to reach a rumored rebel camp. The journey tests her leadership and forces her to make impossible choices about who she can save. Mara faces losing everyone and everything that matters to her, but her discoveries along the way will set her on a course that transforms the world. This digital novella tells Mara's story during the same events covered in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, offering her perspective on the beginning of Princess Elisa's journey.
Genres: fiction, adventure, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: Desert Village, Mountain
Period: Seventeen-Year-Old
Kindle Edition · Greenwillow Books
Content warnings: violence