... court intrigue and a bridal candidate
The Emperor's Arrow by Lauren D.M. Smith For a moment I thought I wandered through familiar territory. I was wrong. This is an interesting departure from the warrior woman story, with shades of Terun Edun and Sarah Maas. The central character Evony of Aureline doesn't become a warrior woman despite the opinion of her society, she is one because she comes from a clan of warrior women, she is an Amazzi warrior. (Ok very close to Amazons but there you go--a small shrug of the shoulders!) The Amazzi, unlike the rest of the satellite rulers are allies to the Fuscienne family from before they became Emperors. Emperor Galen is the Adnuhom (the man the Amazzi bow to). They are his arrows, his personal army. Having won a competition amongst the Amazzi clans, Evony is sent to Emperor Galen's court. To her dismay Evony finds herself being presented as a candidate with other highborn women of the realm to be the Emperor's bride. ...