Louhen lumoava syntytarina vie meidät myyttiseen menneisyyteen, taikavoimien ja muodonmuutosten maailmaan. Vallitsee sopusointu ja kunnioitus ihmisen, luonnon ja eläinten välillä. Kunnes idylli rikkoutuu, ja elämään astuvat vallanhimo, kostonhalu ja ahneus. Lauha elää lapsuuttaan Pohjolassa, jossa hallitsevat vahvat naiset, jokaisella heistä oma loitsuhahmonsa, eläinmuotonsa. Lauhan ollessa yhdeksänvuotias Pohjolaan hyökkää vieras heimo, joka surmaa suurimman osan hänen perheestään, ja Lauha pakenee äitinsä ja kahden pikkusisarensa kanssa. Kovien kokemusten jälkeen hän päätyy turvaan naisten yhteisöön, Metsänpeittoon, jossa elää hiljaiseloa vuosien ajan. Traagisen tapahtuman jälkeen hän päättää kostaa Pohjolan valloittajille, ottaa kotinsa takaisin. Pohjolan puolustaminen ja oman perheen pitäminen turvassa muovaavat Lauhasta Louhen, naisen, jota moni pelkää. Pakomatkan kivuliaat muistot ajavat Louhea kohti valintoja, joilla on kohtalokkaita seurauksia koko Pohjolan väelle ja Louhelle itselleen.

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.

Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind; plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instil fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls. As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.