Books by Marieke Nijkamp

Ink Girls

by Marieke Nijkamp

“In this vibrant story about the power of the printed word and the strength of found families, every page is bursting with life and detail.” —Ethan Aldridge, creator of the bestselling Estranged
“Fabulous!” —Dan Santat, award-winning author of A First Time for Everything
“Glorious! This empowering read is absolutely unforgettable.” —Ellen Oh, acclaimed author of Finding Junie Kim
Every secret is a story waiting to happen.
From New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and illustrator Sylvia Bi, this debut middle grade graphic novel celebrates the power that everyone—even those often overlooked—has to create change. In a vibrant city, two girls from very different walks of life join forces to fight censorship and protect the people they love.
Eleven-year-old Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice. She adores Mestra Aronne for taking her in—most guilds don’t have room for apprentices with a crippled leg—and she loves life in the raggedy workshop that smells of paper and printing, where secrets and stories are always circulating. So when Mestra Aronne is imprisoned for publishing accusations against the ruling family, Cinzia will do anything to prove that Mestra Aronne only told the truth.
Elena is the exact same age as Cinzia, but she’s forced to keep to her rooms and garden. To protect her, according to her mother. To protect the city, according to her uncle. Because Elena is not the charming, powerful noble her family wants her to be. According to them, she doesn’t communicate well. She’s too gullible and literal and struggles to understand other people.
After unexpectedly meeting face-to-face, the girls follow a trail of clues through their golden city, drawing supporters and learning more about their home and each other than they ever could have imagined. If one person—no matter how young—can change the course of history, just imagine what a whole flock of them could do.
Bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and debut illustrator Sylvia Bi have crafted an indelible, vibrant story about finding and using your voice, perfect for fans of Lightfall, Tidesong, and The Prince and the Dressmaker.

Splinter & Ash (Splinter & Ash, 1)

by Marieke Nijkamp

“An essential middle grade fantasy where all readers will find heroes to love and to cheer!” —Alex London, author of Battle Dragons and The Princess Protection Program
“Every kid deserves to see themselves as princesses or knights or whatever role they wish to play, and Nijkamp carves out the space for them to do so. Thoughtful, inclusive, and an outright joy, Splinter & Ash shines; a new classic that belongs on the shelves of every fantasy reader.” —Nicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season and coeditor of This Is Our Rainbow
“Splinter & Ash is a rare gem: a shining example of a fantasy novel that will engage readers of any age.” —A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the Edge
New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's middle grade prose debut is an immersive medieval fantasy starring queer and disabled young heroes. For two young misfits, a dangerous quest to save their kingdom will also mean saving each other. For fans of B. B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers, Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil, and Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books.
Ash—or Princess Adelisa—is the youngest child of the queen, recently returned to the city of Kestrel’s Haven after spending six years on the other side of the country. Ash was hoping for a joyous reunion, but the reality is far from it. Her mother is holding the kingdom together by a thread; her brother has only taunts and jibes for her; and court is full of nobles who openly mock and dismiss Ash, who uses a cane and needs braces to strengthen her joints.
Splinter is the youngest child of one of Haven’s most prominent families. She’s fierce, determined, and adventurous, and she has her sights set on becoming a knight just like her older brother. Even if everyone says she can’t because she’s not a boy. So what? She’s not a girl, either.
A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each other’s orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history. The princess and her new squire will face bullies, snobs, gossips, and their own disapproving families. But when they uncover a shadowy group of nobles plotting to overthrow the queen, they will show everyone how legends are born. Together.
The first in a trilogy, bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp’s medieval fantasy is an action-packed love letter to nonbinary, queer, and disabled kids. Splinter & Ash evokes the classic adventure and atmosphere of fantasies by Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce and the fresh, inclusive lens of writers such as Rick Riordan, Angie Thomas, and Soman Chainani. It invites everyone—no matter who they are or what they look like—to fight for what they believe in.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens

by Marieke Nijkamp

This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future.

The contributing authors are awardwinners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis―and their characters reflect this diversity.

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

Product Description 10:00 a.m.The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02 a.m.The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03The auditorium doors won't open. 10:05Someone starts shooting. Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival. From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—Opportunity High School takes pride in leading its students to greatness. After all, its motto is We Shape the Future. However, not all students agree. Outcast Tyler Browne has returned with a vengeance and with his own motto: "I will make sure you remember me." And so begin 54 minutes of hell on earth for students and staff as Tyler holds his audience captive inside a locked auditorium, killing whomever he pleases and offering heartless grace to others. Told from four student perspectives, each with their own frayed relationship to "the shooter," this compelling tale echoes current events. The full-cast narration includes top-of-their-game performances from Nick Podehl, Amy McFadden, Kate Rudd, Whitney Dykhouse, Lauren Ezzo, and Scott Merriman. VERDICT A gripping tale from start to finish. ["With a thrilling narrative, topical subject matter, and diverse characters, this is a first purchase for libraries serving teens": SLJ 11/15 review of the Sourcebooks Fire book.]—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH About the Author Marieke Nijkamp is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, geek. She holds degrees in philosophy, history, and medieval studies, and is an executive member of We Need Diverse Books, the founder of DiversifYA, and a founding contributor to YA Misfits. She lives in the Netherlands. Visit her at mariekenijkamp.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One 10:01–10:02 A.M. CLAIRE The starter gun shatters the silence, releasing the runners from their blocks. Track season starts in a couple weeks, but no one has told Coach Lindt about winter. He's convinced that the only way to get us into shape is to practice-even when my breath freezes right in front of me. This is Opportunity, Alabama. Sane people don't leave their homes when it's white and frosty outside. We stock up on canned food, drink hot chocolate until we succumb to sugar comas, and pray to be saved from the cold. Still, Coach Lindt's start-of-season training beats Principal Trenton's long and arduous start-of-semester speech-virtue, hard work, and the proper behavior of young ladies and gentlemen. After almost four years at Opportunity High, I can recite her words from memory, which is exactly what I did for Matt at breakfast this morning-responsibility, opportunity ("no pun intended"), and her favorite, our school motto: We Shape the Future. It sounds glorious, but with months left until graduation, I have no clue what the future looks like. If Opportunity shaped me, I didn't notice. Running, I know. This track, I know. One step after another after another. It doesn't matter what comes next as long as I keep moving forward. My foot slips, and I stumble. From his position on the field, Coach curses. "Claire, attention! One misstep's the difference between success and failure." Straightening, I refocus. A familiar laugh colors the still morning. "Did you freeze up over holiday break, Sarge? A snail could catch up with you floundering like that." On the straightaway of the track, Chris falls into step with me. I suck in a breath before I answer him. "Oh, shut up." My best friend only laughs louder. The even rhythm of his footsteps and his breathing challenge me to find my pace. His presence steadies me like it always does. At six-foot-five and with sun-touched hair and blue eyes, Chris is not just our best runner but also Opportunity's poster-boy athlete. On uniform days, the freshm

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

The reviews are in! This Is Where It Ends, the #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the Best Books of the Decade (Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, BookRiot), "could break you." "I am speechless." "The saddest book I have ever read." "Literally tore my heart out."
Go inside a heartbreaking fictional school shooting, minute-by-terrifying-minute. Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun...
10:00 a.m.: The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03 a.m.: The auditorium doors won't open.
10:05 a.m.: Someone starts shooting.
Over the course of 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes, and darkest fears, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun. In a world where violence in schools is at an all-time high and school shootings are a horrifyingly common reality for teenagers, This Is Where It Ends is a rallying cry to end the gun violence epidemic for good.
Praise for This Is Where It Ends: A Buzzfeed Best Young Adult Book of the Decade A Paste Magazine Best Teen Book of the Decade A Book Riot Biggest YA Book of the Decade A Professional Book Nerds Best Book of the Decade A Bustle.com Most-Anticipated YA Novel A Goodreads YA Best Books Pick A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Young Adult Fiction Kids Indie Next List Pick
"Marieke Nijkamp's brutal, powerful fictional account of a school shooting is important in its timeliness." ―Bustle.com
"A gritty, emotional, and suspenseful read and although fictionalized, it reflects on a problematic and harrowing issue across the nation." ―Buzzfeed
"A compelling, brutal story of an unfortunately all-too familiar situation: a school shooting. Nijkamp portrays the events thoughtfully, recounting fifty-four intense minutes of bravery, love, and loss." ―BookRiot

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

The reviews are in! This Is Where It Ends, the #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the Best Books of the Decade (Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, BookRiot), "could break you." "I am speechless." "The saddest book I have ever read." "Literally tore my heart out."
Go inside a heartbreaking fictional school shooting, minute-by-terrifying-minute. Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun...
10:00 a.m.: The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03 a.m.: The auditorium doors won't open.
10:05 a.m.: Someone starts shooting.
Over the course of 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes, and darkest fears, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun. In a world where violence in schools is at an all-time high and school shootings are a horrifyingly common reality for teenagers, This Is Where It Ends is a rallying cry to end the gun violence epidemic for good.
Praise for This Is Where It Ends:
A Buzzfeed Best Young Adult Book of the Decade
A Paste Magazine Best Teen Book of the Decade
A Book Riot Biggest YA Book of the Decade
A Professional Book Nerds Best Book of the Decade
A Bustle.com Most-Anticipated YA Novel
A Goodreads YA Best Books Pick
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Young Adult Fiction
Kids Indie Next List Pick
"Marieke Nijkamp's brutal, powerful fictional account of a school shooting is important in its timeliness." ―Bustle.com
"A gritty, emotional, and suspenseful read and although fictionalized, it reflects on a problematic and harrowing issue across the nation." ―Buzzfeed
"A compelling, brutal story of an unfortunately all-too familiar situation: a school shooting. Nijkamp portrays the events thoughtfully, recounting fifty-four intense minutes of bravery, love, and loss." ―BookRiot

Even If We Break

by Marieke Nijkamp

A shocking thriller about a group of friends who go to a cabin to play a murder mystery game…only to have the game turned against them, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends.
FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.
Five friends take a trip to a cabin. It's supposed to be one last getaway before going their separate ways―a chance to say goodbye to each other, and to the game they've been playing for the past three years. But they're all dealing with their own demons, and they're all hiding secrets.
And as they start to play the murder mystery game that brought them together in the first place, the lines between the game and reality blend, with deadly consequences. Someone knows their secrets. Someone wants to make them pay. Soon, it's a race against time before it's game over―forever.
Are you ready to play?
"Immersive and captivating. Thrilling in every sense of the word."―KAREN M. MCMANUS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next
Perfect for readers who love: teenage mystery books or YA horror LGBT stories about intersectional groups of friends Karen McManus, Gretchen McNeil, or Natasha Preston
Praise for Even If We Break:
"The darkly twisted ode to self-discovery briskly whisks an intersectionally inclusive group through a reasonably stormy, emotionally charged scenario that considers the sometimes-steep price of growing up and growing apart."―Publishers Weekly
"An engaging read, providing readers with some solid suspense, and twists to sink their teeth into."―Booklist
"A fast-paced thriller that will leave you both gushing over the geekiness and gasping over the game."―Rachel Strolle, Glenside Public Library District
More Teen Thrillers by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Before I Let Go
At the End of Everything (Coming January 2022)

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) comes Before I Let Go, an emotional thriller about a suspicious death, a friend desperate for answers, and their small town's sinister secrets.
Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their tiny snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. But as Kyra starts to struggle with her bipolar disorder, Corey's family moves away. Worried about what might happen in her absence, Corey makes Kyra promise that she'll stay strong during the long, dark winter.
Then, just days before Corey is to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused, because Kyra said she wouldn't hurt herself. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying Kyra's death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.
The further Corey investigates―and the more questions she asks―the greater her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. Can she piece together the truth about Kyra's death and survive her visit?
Perfect for readers looking for: Mystery books for teens Bipolar teen characters Asexual characters
Praise for Before I Let Go:
A New York Times Bestseller!
2019 ALA Rainbow List
2018 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee
"With exceptional handling of everything from mental illness to guilt and a riveting, magic realist narrative, this well wrought, haunting novel will stick with readers long after the final page."―Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*
"Compulsive readability… Intriguingly spooky"―Kirkus Reviews
"This sophomore novel from Nijkamp will haunt readers... The honest reflection of mental illness, suicide, friendship, and being an outsider provides ample topics for book discussion."―School Library Journal
"[A] reflective examination on love and returning home... Nijkamp has an uncommon talent for drawing readers deep into the psyches of her characters."―Publishers Weekly
Also by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Even If We Break

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) comes Before I Let Go, an emotional thriller about a suspicious death, a friend desperate for answers, and their small town's sinister secrets.

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their tiny snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. But as Kyra starts to struggle with her bipolar disorder, Corey's family moves away. Worried about what might happen in her absence, Corey makes Kyra promise that she'll stay strong during the long, dark winter.
Then, just days before Corey is to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused, because Kyra said she wouldn't hurt herself. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying Kyra's death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.
The further Corey investigates―and the more questions she asks―the greater her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. Can she piece together the truth about Kyra's death and survive her visit?
Perfect for readers looking for: Mystery books for teens Bipolar teen characters Asexual characters
Praise for Before I Let Go:
A New York Times Bestseller!
2019 ALA Rainbow List
2018 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee
"With exceptional handling of everything from mental illness to guilt and a riveting, magic realist narrative, this well wrought, haunting novel will stick with readers long after the final page."―Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*
"Compulsive readability… Intriguingly spooky"―Kirkus Reviews
"This sophomore novel from Nijkamp will haunt readers... The honest reflection of mental illness, suicide, friendship, and being an outsider provides ample topics for book discussion."―School Library Journal
"[A] reflective examination on love and returning home... Nijkamp has an uncommon talent for drawing readers deep into the psyches of her characters."―Publishers Weekly
Also by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Even If We Break

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

“Real, raw, magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick!
Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

Book of the Month Club selection
NPR Best Books of 2022
Entertainment Weekly Best Romances of 2022
Washington Post 10 Best Romances of the Year
Women's Health Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Romance Books of 2022

At the End of Everything

by Marieke Nijkamp

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends comes another heartbreaking, emotional and timely page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.
Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don't show up. But when the teens band together to make a break from the facility, they encounter soldiers outside the gates. There's a rapidly spreading infectious disease outside, and no one can leave their houses or travel without a permit. Which means that they're stuck at Hope. And this time, no one is watching out for them at all.
As supplies quickly dwindle and a deadly plague tears through their ranks, the group has to decide whom among them they can trust and figure out how they can survive in a world that has never wanted them in the first place.
Also by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Even If We Break
Before I Let Go
Praise for Marieke Nijkamp:
"Immersive and captivating. Thrilling in every sense of the word."―Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us is Lying on Even If We Break
"With exceptional handling of everything from mental illness to guilt and a riveting, magic realist narrative, this well wrought, haunting novel will stick with readers long after the final page."―Booklist on Before I Let Go *STARRED REVIEW*
"A compelling, brutal story of an unfortunately all-too familiar situation: a school shooting. Nijkamp portrays the events thoughtfully, recounting fifty-four intense minutes of bravery, love, and loss."―BookRiot on This Is Where It Ends

Critical Role: Vox Machina--Kith & Kin

by Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Explore the past of Critical Role’s daring half-elf twins, Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan, in this original prequel novel to their adventures with Vox Machina.

Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn’s elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria.

The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex’s quick wit and Vax’s quicker dagger, they’ve always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves’ guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex’s faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate.

As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years.

Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role: Vox Machina—Kith & Kin follows a brand-new adventure that delves into the twins’ unexplored history, and returns to some of the iconic moments that forged Vox Machina’s most unbreakable bond.

After We Burned

by Marieke Nijkamp

**This limited edition includes designed edges**

She deserved more. They all did. A gripping and emotional new suspense novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This is Where it Ends.

A terrible accident. A horrible loss. A regrettable tragedy. That's all anyone in Fenix can talk about when a fire consumes the local high school, taking the life of a student. The town mourns, except who really knew--let alone cared about--Eden when she was alive? And why was she in the building that night?

Five teens each hold a piece of the truth about what happened. They also have their own secrets, secrets they will fight to protect with the same fury as the blaze that killed Eden. But silence is meant to be broken, and this story can't be extinguished...

After We Burned

by Marieke Nijkamp

She deserved more. They all did. A gripping and emotional new suspense novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This is Where it Ends.

A terrible accident. A horrible loss. A regrettable tragedy. That's all anyone in Fenix can talk about when a fire consumes the local high school, taking the life of a student. The town mourns, except who really knew--let alone cared about--Eden when she was alive? And why was she in the building that night?

Five teens each hold a piece of the truth about what happened. They also have their own secrets, secrets they will fight to protect with the same fury as the blaze that killed Eden. But silence is meant to be broken, and this story can't be extinguished...

City of Secrets

by Marieke Nijkamp

The second book in New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's immersive medieval fantasy trilogy! A shadowy conspiracy threatens the city, and two determined misfits must uncover the secret plot--and reveal their own secrets--in order to save everyone. For fans of B. B. Alston, Soman Chainani, and Tamora Pierce.

It's only been a few months since Princess Adelisa, who goes by Ash, returned to the city of Kestrel's Haven after her abduction by the treasonous group of nobles called the Larks. Ash's best friend, Splinter, is slowly advancing in her squire training and feeling more protective of Ash than ever.

But Splinter and Ash's work is not nearly done. Anyone could be a Lark, and it seems that everyone is hiding a secret. When the queen's spies learn that the Larks plan to disrupt the city's Harvest Festival, Splinter and Ash are determined to do their part to stop it. They'll face traitors, assassins, and a ticking clock to prevent everything from going up in flames.

Splinter and Ash

by Marieke Nijkamp

"A winning addition to boundary-defying heroines like Alanna of Trebond and Sir Callie." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An exciting, twisty story packed with everything you want from a fantasy adventure." --Anne Ursu, author of Not Quite a Ghost

In New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's immersive middle grade fantasy, two young misfits embark on a dangerous quest to save their kingdom--and each other. For fans of B. B. Alston's Amari and the Night Brothers, Soman Chainani's School for Good and Evil, and Tamora Pierce's Tortall books.

On the eve of her twelfth birthday, all Princess Adelisa--Ash to her friends--wants to do is run away. The palace doesn't feel like home. Her mother is holding the war-torn kingdom together by a thread. Her brother bullies her. And the masked ball to celebrate her birthday turns into a nightmare when the nobles openly mock her.

Then Ash meets Splinter. Fierce, brave, and adventurous, Splinter dreams of becoming a knight like her older brother, though only noble sons get to be squires. Until now.

There's never been a princess's squire before, but Ash decides it's the perfect solution. Together, they can face the bullies, snobs, gossips, and disapproving families.

But as their friendship grows, Splinter and Ash discover a deadly conspiracy of nobles planning to overthrow the queen. When Ash is kidnapped, Splinter must navigate long-held secrets and dangerous plots. Ash needs to be a princess who saves herself. And they both have to find a way back to each other to save the kingdom, together.

The first in a trilogy, bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's Splinter & Ash evokes the classic adventure and atmosphere of fantasies by Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce and the fresh, inclusive lens of writers such as Rick Riordan, Angie Thomas, and Soman Chainani. It invites everyone--no matter who they are or what they look like--to fight for what they believe in.