The Songstress by Joshua Killingsworth

Spreading her wings wide enough may break the songstress free… unless her captors manage to clip away her very spirit first. Seventeen-year-old Kari, now exiled from her people, spends her days singing in the teahouse and her nights huddled with Suying, a younger girl she has taken under her wing. But when Kari’s songs draw the attention of the empire, both girls are abducted and forced to become royal concubines to the Imperial Brothers of Xiang. Their compliance means a life of subjugation, but any form of disobedience is meet with brutality and death. After an abated escape attempt where Kari once again sacrifices herself to keep Suying safe, the songstress helplessly watches as the sister of her heart begins to embrace the harem, zealously cleaving to her new life. Determined to find a way to save the brainwashed girl from despair while fending off the desires of the emperors, Kari must dig deep inside herself for the will to keep hope alive while doing whatever it takes to break them free from the gilded cage in which they’ve found themselves. Every song Kari sings stirs emotions, and, with the right magic, she knows she’s capable of intensifying those feelings into a weapon without form. With only her wits and the mystic techniques she learned as a child, the songstress will fight to her last breath against the soul-destroying submission her sister willingly surrendered to—even if Kari’s resistance ultimately means her own death.

Adult • Fantasy/Epic and High • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery • Fantasy • Fantasy/Dark

Content Warning: Abuse, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Death, Drinking, Forced Captivity, Gore, Poisoning, Rape, Slavery, Swearing, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Warfare, Weapons