Deep is the Fen

Lili Wilkinson just gets better and better. Deep is the Fen is a novel set in the same universe as A Hunger of Thorns, with magical 'mettle' (like a life force or energy) controlled by a handful of corrupt corporations. Merry's father and her best friend have been co-opted into a male only organisation called the Toadmen, whose silly bonnets and secret rituals mask a more serious and sinister power.

Deep is the Fen is a perfect combination of fantasy, fast-paced action and romance (side note: I was briefly quite cross with Lili for naming one of her characters Caraway, because I've been working on a fantasy-adjacent novel also featuring a character called Caraway -- however, her Caraway is a boy and mine is a girl -- and mine may never be published, so I guess it doesn't matter!)

The Toad magic is deeply nasty, brown, marshy and pustulent, and I enjoyed the women's power uniting to challenge it (the boys also fight). I get the same 'safe hands' feeling with Lili's work that I do with other writers I trust and admire, and I'll be very pleased if Deep is the Fen wins the recognition it deserves.