Daughter of the Salt King
Gold medalist in Romance in the 2021 Foreword INDIES (Finalist in Fantasy)
Silver medalist for “Best First Book” (Fiction) in the 2021 Independent Publisher Awards
Silver medalist for Best New Voice in Fiction in the 2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
“[Emel is] a headstrong heroine whose struggle to come into her own will resonate with readers.” —Publishers Weekly
“This riveting debut novel will leave readers eagerly awaiting Thornton’s future works.” —Booklist
“…An unforgettable fantasy novel about love, freedom, and the discovery of self-worth.” —Foreword Reviews, starred review
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An epic, romantic fantasy where the desert meets the sea, about the magic of wishes—and their unintended consequences.
As a daughter of the Salt King, Emel ought to be among the most powerful women in the desert. Instead, she and her sisters have less freedom than even her father’s slaves … for the Salt King uses his own daughters to seduce visiting noblemen into becoming powerful allies by marriage.
Escape from her father’s court seems impossible, and Emel dreams of a life where she can choose her fate. When members of a secret rebellion attack, Emel stumbles upon an alluring escape route: her father’s best-kept secret—a wish-granting jinni, Saalim.
But in the land of the Salt King, wishes are never what they seem. Saalim’s magic is volatile. Emel could lose everything with a wish for her freedom as the rebellion intensifies around her. She soon finds herself playing a dangerous game that pits dreams against responsibility and love against the promise of freedom. As she finds herself drawn to the jinni for more than his magic, captivated by both him and the world he shows her outside her desert village, she has to decide if freedom is worth the loss of her family, her home and Saalim, the only man she’s ever loved.
Daughter of the Salt King is the first book in the Salt Chasers duology.
Son of the Salt Chaser
Tied for Gold for “Best Series – Fiction” in the 2023 Independent Book Publisher Awards
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The gift of magic may be a curse.
After her desert-transforming wish, Emel follows Saalim to Madinat Almulihi to reclaim all she has lost. But the seaside city is not what she expected. When she is tasked with assisting the palace healer, she is faced daily with the reminder that Saalim—focused only on seeking the revenge of those who killed his family—does not remember her at all.
Cursing the magic that destroyed her love and brought her to an unwelcoming city, Emel regrets her decision to leave her settlement. That is, until she meets Kas. Though inscrutable, he is the first person to help her forget her past, and the pull of finding happiness with him tempts her from the life she wished for with Saalim.
But darkness waits in the desert, and not all people in Madinat Almulihi are what they seem. When Emel understands she is entangled in the fate of the city—and Saalim’s—she is faced with the realization that magic may be the most powerful card in her hand. It might be the only way to save all that she loves, but if she plays her hand wrong, it could destroy everything.
Son of the Salt Chaser is the final book in the Salt Chasers duology.