Action & Adventure
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In a Garden Burning Gold: Book One of the Wind-up Garden series
"Fresh and original . . . full of lush writing and detailed worldbuilding . . . [with a] rich fantasy landscape and an almost Shakespearean feel."-Paste
Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family in power-even if it tears the family apart-in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022-BookPage
Rhea and Lexos were born into a family unlike any other. Together with their siblings, they control the seasons, the tides, and the stars, and help their father rule their kingdom. Thanks to their magic, the family has ruled for an eternity, and plan to rule for an eternity more.
But Rhea and Lexos are special: They are twins, bonded down to the bone, and for the past hundred years, that bond has protected them as their father becomes an unpredictable tyrant-and his worsening temper threatens the family's grip on power.
Now, with rival nations ready to attack, and a rebel movement within their own borders, Rhea and Lexos must fight to keep the kingdom-and the family-together, even as treachery, deceit, and drama threaten to strand the twins on opposite sides of the battlefield.
In a Garden Burning Gold is a vividly written, atmospheric saga that explores the limits of power and the bonds of family-and how far both can be bent before they break.
Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family in power-even if it tears the family apart-in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022-BookPage
Rhea and Lexos were born into a family unlike any other. Together with their siblings, they control the seasons, the tides, and the stars, and help their father rule their kingdom. Thanks to their magic, the family has ruled for an eternity, and plan to rule for an eternity more.
But Rhea and Lexos are special: They are twins, bonded down to the bone, and for the past hundred years, that bond has protected them as their father becomes an unpredictable tyrant-and his worsening temper threatens the family's grip on power.
Now, with rival nations ready to attack, and a rebel movement within their own borders, Rhea and Lexos must fight to keep the kingdom-and the family-together, even as treachery, deceit, and drama threaten to strand the twins on opposite sides of the battlefield.
In a Garden Burning Gold is a vividly written, atmospheric saga that explores the limits of power and the bonds of family-and how far both can be bent before they break.
Editorial Reviews
"Tremendously surprising . . . beautiful language and developing mysteries . . . a very smooth and enjoyable read."-The New York Times Book Review
"Distinguished by a stunningly crafted world, a fascinating magic system, and nail-biting political intrigues, In a Garden Burning Gold is a vividly woven tapestry of love, power, and betrayal."-Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn
"Unapologetically vicious, with gorgeous, searing prose and a world that left me reeling . . . Rory Power has crafted my favorite kind of story, in which love and betrayal are one and the same."-Heather Walter, author of Malice
"Full of lush writing and deeply detailed worldbuilding . . . [a] rich fantasy landscape and an almost Shakespearean feel."-Paste
"Set against a dazzling Mediterranean backdrop, In a Garden Burning Gold is a strikingly original and thoughtful fantasy."-BookPage
"Alternating points of view between Rhea and Lexos highlight the emotional arcs of children wanting to both secure their parent's love and remove themselves from his control. Immersive prose, Greek-inspired worldbuilding, and political machinations . . . Power constructs a world of magical families with layered secrets."-Library Journal
"Power creates a distinctive magic system and has a steady hand with the complex geopolitical intrigue, building a fascinating, lived-in world."-Publishers Weekly
"Distinguished by a stunningly crafted world, a fascinating magic system, and nail-biting political intrigues, In a Garden Burning Gold is a vividly woven tapestry of love, power, and betrayal."-Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn
"Unapologetically vicious, with gorgeous, searing prose and a world that left me reeling . . . Rory Power has crafted my favorite kind of story, in which love and betrayal are one and the same."-Heather Walter, author of Malice
"Full of lush writing and deeply detailed worldbuilding . . . [a] rich fantasy landscape and an almost Shakespearean feel."-Paste
"Set against a dazzling Mediterranean backdrop, In a Garden Burning Gold is a strikingly original and thoughtful fantasy."-BookPage
"Alternating points of view between Rhea and Lexos highlight the emotional arcs of children wanting to both secure their parent's love and remove themselves from his control. Immersive prose, Greek-inspired worldbuilding, and political machinations . . . Power constructs a world of magical families with layered secrets."-Library Journal
"Power creates a distinctive magic system and has a steady hand with the complex geopolitical intrigue, building a fascinating, lived-in world."-Publishers Weekly
Readers Top Reviews
V. O'Regan
‘In A Garden Burning Gold’ by Rory Power is the first in a fantasy duology that introduces the Argyrosi and the country of Thyzakos, which is ruled over by these powerful, near immortal beings. Vasilis Argyros is the Stratagiozi of Thyzakos and father to Alexandros, Rhea, Nitsos, and Chrysanthi. He is a tyrant who holds dominion over death and uses fear to control both his people and his children. His eldest daughter, Rhea, is able to control the seasons and is utilised by her father to show favour to certain stewards via marriages that bring prosperity to the chosen region; though at a dread price. Her twin, Lexos, is his father’s second in command and is able to control the tides in order to maintain the security of the country’s seaward borders. For a hundred years Rhea and Lexos have been each other’s only ally, defending themselves and their younger siblings against their father’s increasingly unpredictable anger. Yet now there is an independence movement gaining ground within Thyzakos and the leaders of other nations are starting to jockey for power. …. I was very pleased that Power opened with a Dramatis Personae as it certainly assisted me to keep track of who was who as the novel progressed. It did seem that the focus was mainly upon the twins, Rhea and Lexos, though their siblings might be more prominent in the second book. I was especially taken with Rhea’s story whose continual cycle of bride and widow, then bride again had a mythic feel to it. While there is a fair amount of exposition at the start, this approach to world building is something I welcome, though I am aware it’s not to all readers’ tastes. Certainly it isn’t long before things start heating up in terms of action, intrigue, and revelations. Overall, I felt that ‘In A Garden Burning Gold’ was a strong opening volume that not only held my interest throughout but left me wanting more. I shall be eagerly awaiting Argyrosi, Book 2. A final note of appreciation for the stunning blue and gold mosaic style cover design. Definitely recommended for lovers of fantasy who enjoy plenty of political intrigue and machinations alongside the mythical and magical.
VerkruissenV. O'R
In a Garden Burning Gold is a beautifully crafted tale set in a world where certain families hold the magical powers taken from the land that control the nature of the world around them. They are known as the Stratagiozi. Their father, Vasilis and his four children, twins Rhea and Alexandros, Nitsos and Chrysanti all hold different gifts that affect the world around them. Rhea takes a new consort each season to bring a new season, she must kill them to end the season. Alexandros weaves the stars into the sky each night and controls the tides of the ocean, Chrysanti paints the plants and flowers to change the colors of the world and Nitsos, the black sheep of the four, is confined to building mechanical flora and fauna that remains inside the home. The story is told from the viewpoints of Rhea and Alexandros in alternating chapters. Alexandros knows that there is unrest in a remote area of the country and wants Rhea to choose her next consort from that area so that she can infiltrate the resistance and be a spy for him. Rhea finds that she has chosen this man without having really made that decision. Nevertheless she goes with Michali, where she unexpectedly falls in love with this consort whom she is expected to kill at the end of the season. While Alexandros, who is also his fathers second, tries to shore up support for his family due to his fathers increasingly erratic behavior. Overall a fantastic read for fans of Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy or Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver book. Loved it. Highly recommend and definitely looking forward to the next book in this duology!
🎀 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔦𝔢
DNF @ pg 188 I can't plod through this anymore. The pacing is really slow and neither of the main characters have caught my interest at all. I did try. The writing isn't the worst its just...nothing has happened in almost 200 pages.
Val Lawrence🎀 𝔖
I am a new to the fantasy book arena. I see so many fantasy series that are raved about, and can easily understand why the genre is so loved. It takes my brain a little longer to process the world building and so maybe that is why I have hesitated with this genre? Nevertheless, I have really enjoyed being able to escape the stress of everyday life by retreating into a different world that demands all of my attention and focus. In this story, twins Rhea and Lexos have inherited "gifts" from their father, Vasilis Argyros, head of the Thyzakos Stratagoizi. Rhea controls the changing of the seasons while Lexos controls the night stars as well as the tides. Lexos is also the Second - which means he is second in command. Their other two siblings, Chrysanthi and Nitsos have also received gifts, but the reader is told that theirs are secondary to the twins'. The twins hold the power in the family after their father, and much more is expected of these two. Nitsos especially, feels the disdain and dismissal of his father. His gift is to create mechanical creatures and care for them. Vasilis has given this as a token gift, basically taking care of toys. There is obvious unrest in this family as Vasilis rules the family (as well as his territory), with an iron fist. The twins frequently bear the wrath of his anger and frustration. As the story opens, Rhea is returning home after killing her consort. In order to change the seasons, she chooses a consort per season. That consort literally exchanges his life for his villages' wealth and abundance during that season. Each village that wishes, sends a consort to the Stratagoizi Argyros each season. What once was hundreds of potential consorts, has turned into only 5. A sure sign that the Argyros power is in question. The story follows the process for choosing the winter consort, how that choice is made, by whom, and for what political gains. How strong are this family's bonds? They will be tested and stretched to its limits, Who can be trusted and who can't? There is much more to this story, but I think that is part of the fun in reading a fantasy novel - understanding how the imaginary world is built, how it functions and what sustains it. The story starts out very slowly, but I feel like that is normal for a fantasy read - the world building is a necessary step. Even with the list of characters at the beginning of this book, it was a challenge to keep track of the names/people in the story. This one definitely felt like a clash of Greek mythology and fantasy. Once the story got going, there was plenty of action, intrigue, lies and betrayals. The ending made it clear that this was the beginning of the series. I for one will now anxiously wait for the next installment. I am invested in this world, its characters and am looking forward to seeing where this story goes ne...
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
Rhea
A week was too long to be a widow. Even after all her marriages, Rhea had never got used to it. The black, the singing, the veils-it was enough to drive anybody mad. At least no one ever expected her to cry.
She leaned forward in her seat as her carriage rattled up the road toward her father's house, Stratathoma, where it was perched on the edge of a sheer black cliff. From here she could only see the thick perimeter wall and above it the peaks of the stone-shingled roof. Somewhere inside, past the courtyards and double doors, were her siblings. Of them all, Alexandros would be most glad to see her, and she him; it was always strange being separated from her twin, no matter how many times they parted. Nitsos, their younger brother, would have barely noticed her absence, tucked away as he was in his workshop from morning until night. And Chrysanthi would be excited to see her, if only for the stories Rhea brought back from her trips.
Little Chrysanthi-although, Rhea reminded herself, they were none of them so little anymore-gathered up the stories Rhea told about her consorts and kept them in a small tin box by the side of her bed. Sometimes, if Rhea listened closely during the night, she could hear Chrysanthi open the box and munch contentedly on a story or two, leaving crumbs strewn across her bedsheets. Well, she wouldn't be disappointed this time. Rhea had a few stored up with just the right flavor. A flavor: a sweet, spicy autumn sort of crispness. Those were Chrysanthi's favorites.
At last the carriage reached the double doors breaching Stratathoma's perimeter wall, their gnarled surface painted a deep blue, the color most closely associated with their family name, Argyros. Rhea's father was quite proud of their name and insisted that his children and his house bear his colors whenever possible. He was the country's Stratagiozi, her father, in charge of all of Thyzakos, and as his children she and her siblings each had their own responsibilities to contend with. Only hers took her away from home, to some bed in some house in some city that fell under her father's watch.
She had dawdled with this last consort. He'd made the inconvenient mistake of falling a bit in love with her, and Rhea had seen the flicker of it in his eyes and found herself somehow unable to slide her knife under his ribs, plagued by a thing she supposed she had to call guilt. It was only when the time was well past for a chill to dust across the high grasses and olive trees that she had managed, over their morning meal, to ask him to turn away from her and hold still. It had not been a clean death, and so not a clean season. It worked much better when she could get right to their hearts, as she would be sure to with her next consort-winter's, to be chosen in a fortnight.
The carriage continued along the cobblestone path through the grounds and toward the outer courtyard, its studded wooden doors swinging back on their own, operated by a network of chains and gears. Nitsos's design obviously. He was the middle child, slotted between the twins and Chrysanthi, and while Alexandros followed Baba like a shadow, Nitsos was left to while away the time in his workshop. Windup animals with steam-beating pulses, clockwork gardens full of fabric flowers. Tinkering with machines and mechanics to make sure everything operated smoothly, in every corner of the world.
Beyond the doors, the drive straightened out and the cobblestones turned to patchwork flagstone. Rhea pressed close to the carriage window to get a first glimpse of the doors into the private inner courtyard. They were too narrow for carriages, and the lintel hung too low to allow a single rider through. When you entered Baba's house, you entered on your own feet, with no weapons in your hands and no ill will in your heart.
A pair of women were waiting, and as Rhea's carriage came to a complete stop they darted forward, one to fetch the luggage strapped to the back of the carriage and the other to open Rhea's door. But Rhea was too eager to get a breath of fresh air after so many hours bouncing around inside a small box. She shouldered the door fully open, the first servant jumping back to avoid its swing, and hopped down, her boots landing lightly on stones still warm from the afternoon sun.
The grass was well tended here, trimmed short, and the roses that trailed across every wall were fully in bloom, as always. Chrysanthi spent a great deal of time out here tending to the landscape, painting everything in careful strokes, making sure every rose was evenly pink.
"Kiria Rhea? Are you ready to go in?"
It was always startling to hear her true name for the first time after a marriage. In the rest of...
Rhea
A week was too long to be a widow. Even after all her marriages, Rhea had never got used to it. The black, the singing, the veils-it was enough to drive anybody mad. At least no one ever expected her to cry.
She leaned forward in her seat as her carriage rattled up the road toward her father's house, Stratathoma, where it was perched on the edge of a sheer black cliff. From here she could only see the thick perimeter wall and above it the peaks of the stone-shingled roof. Somewhere inside, past the courtyards and double doors, were her siblings. Of them all, Alexandros would be most glad to see her, and she him; it was always strange being separated from her twin, no matter how many times they parted. Nitsos, their younger brother, would have barely noticed her absence, tucked away as he was in his workshop from morning until night. And Chrysanthi would be excited to see her, if only for the stories Rhea brought back from her trips.
Little Chrysanthi-although, Rhea reminded herself, they were none of them so little anymore-gathered up the stories Rhea told about her consorts and kept them in a small tin box by the side of her bed. Sometimes, if Rhea listened closely during the night, she could hear Chrysanthi open the box and munch contentedly on a story or two, leaving crumbs strewn across her bedsheets. Well, she wouldn't be disappointed this time. Rhea had a few stored up with just the right flavor. A flavor: a sweet, spicy autumn sort of crispness. Those were Chrysanthi's favorites.
At last the carriage reached the double doors breaching Stratathoma's perimeter wall, their gnarled surface painted a deep blue, the color most closely associated with their family name, Argyros. Rhea's father was quite proud of their name and insisted that his children and his house bear his colors whenever possible. He was the country's Stratagiozi, her father, in charge of all of Thyzakos, and as his children she and her siblings each had their own responsibilities to contend with. Only hers took her away from home, to some bed in some house in some city that fell under her father's watch.
She had dawdled with this last consort. He'd made the inconvenient mistake of falling a bit in love with her, and Rhea had seen the flicker of it in his eyes and found herself somehow unable to slide her knife under his ribs, plagued by a thing she supposed she had to call guilt. It was only when the time was well past for a chill to dust across the high grasses and olive trees that she had managed, over their morning meal, to ask him to turn away from her and hold still. It had not been a clean death, and so not a clean season. It worked much better when she could get right to their hearts, as she would be sure to with her next consort-winter's, to be chosen in a fortnight.
The carriage continued along the cobblestone path through the grounds and toward the outer courtyard, its studded wooden doors swinging back on their own, operated by a network of chains and gears. Nitsos's design obviously. He was the middle child, slotted between the twins and Chrysanthi, and while Alexandros followed Baba like a shadow, Nitsos was left to while away the time in his workshop. Windup animals with steam-beating pulses, clockwork gardens full of fabric flowers. Tinkering with machines and mechanics to make sure everything operated smoothly, in every corner of the world.
Beyond the doors, the drive straightened out and the cobblestones turned to patchwork flagstone. Rhea pressed close to the carriage window to get a first glimpse of the doors into the private inner courtyard. They were too narrow for carriages, and the lintel hung too low to allow a single rider through. When you entered Baba's house, you entered on your own feet, with no weapons in your hands and no ill will in your heart.
A pair of women were waiting, and as Rhea's carriage came to a complete stop they darted forward, one to fetch the luggage strapped to the back of the carriage and the other to open Rhea's door. But Rhea was too eager to get a breath of fresh air after so many hours bouncing around inside a small box. She shouldered the door fully open, the first servant jumping back to avoid its swing, and hopped down, her boots landing lightly on stones still warm from the afternoon sun.
The grass was well tended here, trimmed short, and the roses that trailed across every wall were fully in bloom, as always. Chrysanthi spent a great deal of time out here tending to the landscape, painting everything in careful strokes, making sure every rose was evenly pink.
"Kiria Rhea? Are you ready to go in?"
It was always startling to hear her true name for the first time after a marriage. In the rest of...
