About the series
Zosia Vaitkus, a scholar-princess, is married to Valter Ozols, the northern general her people fear, to end a border war. In his cold fortress the two of them work together against a power that is draining magic from the world, while keeping up a public show of hostility. The series follows the couple through three books.
At a glance
- Genre
- Romantasy
- Mood
- Tense
- Setting and era
- Invented world
- Pace
- Medium
- Point of view
- Third person
- Reading order
- Read in order
- Heat
- Sensual
The books in order
3 books
Book 1Start here
A scholar-princess is married off to end a war, to the enemy commander her people call the Butcher. In his frozen fortress she finds what he really writes at night, and the two of them begin a secret resistance behind a public show of hatred. A romantasy.
Book 2
The war is over and a new queen rules, but a sealed account of an old massacre breaks open and names the man beside her. A survivor of the burned village rides in to ask for a trial, and justice for the dead may cost the peace of the living. A romantasy.
Book 3
The new magic is spreading, and it takes its price from the bodies of the people who carry it, the queen first of all. A young teacher thinks the magic can learn to give instead of take, if she gets two quiet days. The final book of a romantasy trilogy.
Where are you in the series?
Each stop is its own page. Bookmark yours; we save nothing.
- Nothing yet: start with Book 1
Book 1
A Crown of Ink and Ash
A scholar-princess is married off to end a war, to the enemy commander her people call the Butcher. In his frozen fortress she finds what he really writes at night, and the two of them begin a secret resistance behind a public show of hatred. A romantasy.
Book 2
A Reckoning of Ink and Iron
The war is over and a new queen rules, but a sealed account of an old massacre breaks open and names the man beside her. A survivor of the burned village rides in to ask for a trial, and justice for the dead may cost the peace of the living. A romantasy.
Book 3
A Dawn of Ink and Ember
The new magic is spreading, and it takes its price from the bodies of the people who carry it, the queen first of all. A young teacher thinks the magic can learn to give instead of take, if she gets two quiet days. The final book of a romantasy trilogy.
Your companion
Names and roles that are safe before you start.
Get the series
Book 1A Crown of Ink and Ash
E-book
Coming soon
Paperback
Coming soon
Book 2A Reckoning of Ink and Iron
E-book
Coming soon
Paperback
Coming soon
Book 3A Dawn of Ink and Ember
E-book
Coming soon
Paperback
Coming soon
Questions
Do I have to read the books in order?
Yes. Each book gives away how the earlier ones end, so read them in the order they are listed.
Where do I start?
With Book 1, A Crown of Ink and Ash.
How many books are there?
The series has 3 books. It is complete.
About Ellis Kane
Ellis Kane writes historical fiction about work. The Waterless Mile is a drought-summer cattle drive: a thousand head of dying stock, six hundred kilometres of country with no water in it, a railhead at the end and a bank letter with a date on it. The tack, the tallies, the feed, the failing bores and the hired hands are all there, because that is where the story is.
