The Shadow Cats

Girl of Fire and Thorns Series

Author: Rae Carson

Pages: 54

Published: 2012

Age: 13+

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. And it was not Alodia.

Alodia is the crown princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule, and the one who is constantly reminded that she has not been marked for a grand destiny. But Alodia has plans, and she will be the greatest queen her people have ever known. So she travels—with her hopeless, naïve, chosen sister—to a distant part of their land, to begin to secure her supporters. This region needs its princesses, for it is plagued with a curse. The crops don't grow, the spring doesn't arrive, and a fierce jaguar stalks the shadows, leaving only empty homes splashed with blood behind. If Alodia can save them, no one will be able to deny her strength and her sovereignty.

But what she discovers could change the fate of her kingdom, if not her world. And it will most certainly change her opinion of her younger sister.

"The Shadow Cats" is a short prequel to the riveting 'Fire and Thorns' trilogy.

About the Girl of Fire and Thorns Series

Books in series order

  1. 1.The Girl of Fire and Thorns(2011)
  2. 2.The Crown of Embers(2012)
  3. 3.The Bitter Kingdom(2013)
  4. 4.The Empire of Dreams(2020)
  5. +The King's Guard(2013)
  6. +The Shadow Cats(2012)
  7. +The Shattered Mountain(2013)

Reading age: 13+ years

This series should be read in order.

Once every century, one person is chosen for greatness. But the prophecy is vague, and Elisa, always overshadowed by her accomplished older sister, has no idea why she was chosen or how she will fulfill the expectations. Her future is unknown and her potential is tremendous—even if she doesn’t realize it. A king asks her to save his troubled country. A savage enemy hunts her for its own—dead or alive. A revolutionary asks for her heart. And in the midst of ferocious battles and harsh quests, Elisa will find herself. She will find the strength she’s always possessed. She’ll find deep and abiding love. She’ll awaken the power that only she can control. And she’ll face those who want to rip all of it away.

Lush, adventurous, and wrenching, this trilogy will delight fans of Kristin Cashore’s 'Graceling' series and Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books.

"Palace intrigues, desert rebellions, kidnappings, forbidden romance, and bloody betrayals, along with not a little time at the banquet table, make The Girl of Fire and Thorns a delicious debut, even before Elisa begins to ask meaty questions about the nature of faith and her destiny in a country on the verge of war." — Paolo Bacigalupi, Printz Award-winning author of Ship Breaker.