Legends from the Ashes: Book One

In an empire of animal shifters Zyanya is the lone human-an outsider bound by limits yet driven to break them. Desperate to make a name for herself while trying to save the very village that has shunned her, she becomes an unwilling pawn in the quest for the emperor's high priest to take over the throne. She will have to find a way to help Emperor Cuauhtemoc-who, after the sudden loss of his father, detests his position- find his will and heart to rule over his people all while battling mythological beasts and facing charges of kidnapping, treason, and using outlawed magic.

Despite years of tireless dedication to her people, Zyanya is still seen as an outsider after she is denied a hualli-an animal spirit which all citizens of Tamoanchan receive when they are thirteen. When the opportunity presents itself to save her starving village, she seizes the chance to plead with Emperor Cuauhtemoc, unaware that her request will ignite a decades-long conspiracy by the power-hungry high priest to take control of the throne.

When she stumbles (literally) upon the nearly dead emperor after the high priest's botched assassination attempt, she is thrust into a dangerous adventure and must navigate a treacherous forest of fierce beasts, escape captivity in a hidden village, and convince the emperor to care more about his people and less about himself. As the lone non-shifter, she will have to draw on every ounce of her strength and ingenuity to save the empire, save her village, and clear her name.

Inspired by the strange world of Aztec mythology, Legends from the Ashes plunges you into a world of animal spirits, shapeshifters, mythical beasts, ancient magic, friendship, love, and self-discovery.

Author: Cortney S. Lamar
Publisher: Chaos and Ink Books, LLC
Published: 07/14/2026
Pages: 360
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.06lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781964823041
Audience: Young Adult

About the Author
Lamar, Cortney S.: - Cortney S. Lamar grew up in humble and austere beginnings. Her earliest memories in the sprawling alfalfa and cotton fields of Central Valley, California, were of lying in bed at night, and daydreaming herself to sleep with stories she would create and play like movies in her head. As a child, she vehemently expressed to her twin sister and her mother that she wanted to be an author, a police officer, and a storm chaser. After serving as a law enforcement officer in her early twenties, she explored other careers and was recently given the opportunity to chase her writingaspirations (storm chasing is still TBD).Though California will always be home, she and her family (which includes her husband and two sons) have been fortunate to live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Okinawa, Japan, and most recently, Western Germany. When she isn't writing, Cortney loves spending her time traveling the world, attending CrossFit classes, reading, crocheting, and cooking.

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