We Are the Fire — Sam Taylor

In a cruel empire, two teens fight to survive and resist their oppressors amid magic, alchemy, and an impossible mission.

In the treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a ruthless emperor and forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure to serve as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana, both taken from their homeland at a young age, only have each other in this heartless place.

Pran dreams of rebelling and destroying the empire, while Oksana longs to return home and create a peaceful life together. When they discover the emperor's terrible new mission for their kind, they vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their differing methods and ideals drive a wedge between them. Worse, they find the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.

We Are the Fire is an electrifying and heartbreaking fantasy debut perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes. This brutal yet tender tale will make you ponder the meaning of monstrosity and the cost of humanity.