The Wounds of Wisdom by Alexandra Roma

For Celin, a life at Aslemor — the illustrious Court of the kingdom of Artrus — has always been the life that “could have been.” If her blacksmith mother had been accepted by her duke father's peers. If the truth about how her grandmother came to Artrus wasn't a dangerous secret. If Celin could pursue her dream of becoming a knight. Knight or not, when a group of assailants attempt to drag the prince across the kingdom’s barrier, Celin leaps into the fray to protect him. In doing so, she manifests a strange new power: the ability to take the pain of others onto herself. From there, she’s whisked off to Aslemor to learn how to harness one of Artrus's rare and coveted Wisdoms. Alongside her are Wise Ones from within the kingdom and without, including the Double Wise Prince Alasdair and his guard, Nico, a mysterious boy from an enemy nation who stirs up feelings Celin didn’t know she was capable of feeling. But Aslemor is full of sharp teeth, and just because Celin has a Wisdom doesn’t mean they won’t devour her whole. Especially not when someone starts killing Wise Ones. For fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce, The Wounds of Wisdom is a story full of court intrigue and powers that take as much as you give, about finding your place, claiming it, and learning how much to protect yourself when all you want is to protect others.

Young Adult • Fantasy • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery • Fantasy/Court Intrigue • Fantasy/Epic and High

Content Warning: violence and mild gore, xenophobia, minor character death/murder, swearing, mild aro/ace spectrum related anxiety as a character comes to terms with their identity, and consensual sex between teenagers (non-explicit).