The Unwilling
For fans of S.A. Chakraborty's City of Brass, Patrick Rothfuss' The Kingkiller Chronicles, and George RR Martin’s The Game of Thrones, this high concept medieval/high fantasy by Kelly Braffet is a deeply immersive and penetrating tale of magic, faith and pride.
The Unwilling is the story of a young woman, born an orphan with a secret gift, who grows up trapped, thinking of herself as an afterthought, but who discovers that she does not have to be given power: she can take it. An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, the novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down.
For reasons that nobody knows or seems willing to discuss, Judah the Foundling was raised as siblings along with Gavin, the heir of Highfall, in the great house beyond the wall, the seat of power at the center of Lord Elban’s great empire. There is a mysterious - one might say unnatural connection - between the two, and it is both the key to Judah’s survival until this point, and now her possible undoing.
As Gavin prepares for his long-arranged marriage to Eleanor of Tiernan, and his brilliant but sickly younger brother Theron tries to avoid becoming commander of the army, Judah is left to realize that she has no actual power or position within the castle, in fact, no hope at all of ever traveling beyond the wall. Lord Elban - a man as powerful as he is cruel- has other plans for her, for all of them. She is a pawn to him and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, outside the wall, in the starving, desperate city, a Magus, a healer with a secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah. The girl who started off with no name and no history will be forced to discover there’s more to her story than she ever imagined.
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Kelly Braffet
Kelly Braffet’s stories are not for the faint of heart, but they are for anyone willing to dig deep into the shadows of human experience. Known for her raw, unflinching portrayal of complicated, flawed characters, Braffet’s writing explores the messiness of life, from dark family secrets to the wild unpredictability of desire and grief. She doesn't shy away from difficult truths, inviting readers to confront their own vulnerabilities along the way.
Born in Pennsylvania and shaped by the quiet intensity of the Appalachian landscape, Braffet’s early experiences with literature and storytelling sparked a lifelong passion. Her writing reflects a keen eye for the delicate balance between hope and despair, capturing the subtle moments that define people’s lives. Whether exploring the strained bonds of family, the nuances of love, or the depths of personal trauma, her novels refuse to offer easy answers, instead pushing readers to question the very nature of happiness and connection.
The Barrier Lands
In The Barrier Lands, Kelly Braffet crafts a world where magic is both a fragile blessing and an insidious curse, and every choice weighs heavily on the future. The story begins in the oppressive halls of Highfall Castle, where Judah, an orphaned ward, and Gavin, the heir to a ruthless empire, share a deep, mysterious connection. This bond—both a source of strength and vulnerability—binds them in a world where survival is a game of power, betrayal, and sacrifice.
The Barrier Lands consists of two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
