The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates, 1)

A. K. Larkwood's The Unspoken Name is a stunning debut fantasy about an orc priestess turned wizard's assassin.

What if you knew how and when you will die?

Csorwe does--she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.

But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin--the wizard's loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.

But Csorwe will soon learn--gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.

"In the vein of Le Guin's magnificent Tombs of Atuan--if Arha the Eaten One got to grow up to be a swordswoman mercenary in thrall to her dubious wizard mentor. I love this book so much."--Arkady Martine, author of A Memory Called Empire

"Hooked me in from the first page and never let go. Fabulous, in every meaning of the word."--Jenn Lyons, author of Ruin of Kings