Vengeance (The Tainted Realm Series, 1)

In an unjust land, the only law is vengeance. In Cython’s slave camps, it’s the timid and obedient who survive – and Tali is neither, for she has sworn to bring her mother’s killers to justice. Her dramatic escape precipitates Cython’s war on Hightspall and, when Tali is rescued by Rix, heir to Hightspall’s greatest fortune, they flee through a land in turmoil. But Rix’s subconscious is scarred by a sickening secret that links him to the killing, and before they can solve the crime and defend the realm, Tali and Rix must learn to trust each other. All the while, Tali is hunted by a faceless sorcerer who can only be beaten by magic, yet the one person who can teach her to use her unruly magic is the sorcerer himself. As she unravels the conspiracy behind her mother’s murder, Tali’s quest turns to a lust for vengeance. But how can she avenge herself on a killer who died two thousand years ago? 'The final payoff is fantastic... Irvine is the most unflaggingly inventive storyteller we’ve seen in years.’ ― Sydney Morning Herald