The Deadbringer (The Ellderet Series #1)

A diverse dark fantasy exploring how family bonds are tested in a violent world and filled with damaged heroes and imperfect villains. E.M. Markoff weaves together epic fantasy, surrealism, and elements of horror to spin an intricate web of darkness.

In the world of the Ellderet, no one is innocent and no one is safe.

The ashes of the Purging lie cold, and the next dance is about to begin in the Land of Moenda. Kira Vidal, a young Deadbringer, has escaped the fate of the rest of his kind, living peacefully with his uncle in the northern city of Opulancae. But then a strange man knocks on their door and a band of the Ascendancy’s fearsome Sanctifiers appears, hunting for Kira, and nothing will ever be the same.

The Deadbringer, the first book in The Ellderet Series, is a story of damaged heroes and imperfect villains, of a land scarred by ancient wounds that never truly healed. As Kira and the Sanctifiers approach their final confrontation, hunter and hunted alike must confront dark forces that threaten to overwhelm them all . . .

Gossip Is The Swiftest Bird Alive

⚔️ "The interpersonal conflicts are some of the best I've ever encountered." -Red Star Reviews

⚔️ "[A] dark and intriguing blend of fantasy and horror, with elegant prose, and blood and gore aplenty." -Whispers & Wonder

⚔️"[A] marvelously realized world with complex history and various races of people. . . . Along the way, Kira strives to discover who he is: the extent of his powers, the mystery of his parentage, and what actions he must take to survive. In this debut, Markoff serves up a fantastic action-adventure, tinged with Mexican folklore, that will appeal to fans of A GAME OF THRONES." -Booklist

⚔️ "The world Markoff created is nothing short of amazing and intricate." -The Bookish Crypt

⚔️ "[The] setting is engagingly ambiguous--the specific year and exact location are unknown, giving the narrative a timeless quality." -Kirkus Reviews