The Masquerade

Baru Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered people, vows to dismantle the Empire of Masks that brutally subjugated her island, erased her culture, and murdered one of her fathers. Swallowing her hate, Baru infiltrates the Empire’s civil service, determined to rise through its ranks and liberate her people. Her chance arrives when she's sent as an Imperial agent to Aurdwynn, another conquered territory teetering on the edge of rebellion. Drawn into a dangerous circle of seditious dukes by the intriguing Duchess Tain Hu, Baru sees an opportunity to use her position. She meticulously navigates a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy Imperial cabal, orchestrating a daring gambit for freedom. But Baru's calculated ascent and the long game of saving her people may demand a price far greater than even she, a traitor to her own soul, is prepared to pay.

In The Monster Baru Cormorant, the breathtaking geopolitical epic fantasy sequel to The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Baru Cormorant continues her fight against the Empire of Masks. After her world was shattered by the Empire, Baru betrayed everyone she loved to gain the power needed to destroy it. Now, as the cryptarch Agonist and a secret lord, she serves the very empire she has vowed to dismantle. Haunted by a mind-splitting wound and pursued by a mutinous admiral, Baru leads her enemies on a perilous expedition for the secret of immortality. This quest is her chance to ignite a devastating war that will consume the Masquerade. However, Baru's heart is broken, leaving her questioning whether her actions are driven by justice or revenge, or if her own will has been subsumed by the man who shaped her into a weapon.

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant continues the epic saga as Baru Cormorant, after fifteen years of deception and sacrifice, finally holds the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest. As a member of the secret Cancrioth, Baru possesses their terrifying weapon: the Kettling, an ancient hemorrhagic plague. Yet, unleashing it means not just Falcrest's downfall, but the deaths of hundreds of millions globally, ending history in a black bloodstain. Baru must confront a horrifying choice: unleash genocidal revenge, questioning if this aligns with justice or the hopes of her lost love, Tain Hu, or embark on a far more difficult path. With her mind on the brink, she must navigate a vast conspiracy of judges, kings, spies, and immortals, puppeteering global wars for the ultimate prize. Can Baru secure absolute power to dismantle Falcrest's empire and right its crimes, or will the world drown in blood?