The Sapling Cage

In the gripping first novel in the Daughters of the Empty Throne trilogy, author Margaret Killjoy spins a tale of earth magic, power struggle, and self-invention in an own-voices story of trans witchcraft.

Lorel has always dreamed of becoming a witch: learning magic, fighting monsters, and exploring the world beyond the small town where she and her mother run the stables. Even though a strange plague is killing the trees in the Kingdom of Cekon and witches are being blamed for it, Lorel wants nothing more than to join them. There's only one problem: all witches are women, and she was born a boy.

When the coven comes to claim her best friend, Lorel disguises herself in a dress and joins in her friend's place, leaving home and her old self behind. She soon discovers the dark powers threatening the kingdom: a magical blight scars the land, and the power-mad Duchess Helte is crushing everything between her and the crown. In spite of these dangers, Lorel makes friends and begins learning magic from the powerful witches in her coven. However, she fears that her new friends and mentors will find out her secret and kick her out of the coven, or worse.

Praise for The Sapling Cage

“Honest and lovely. A beautiful and moving start to a promising series.” —New York Times Book Review

“A subtle narrative that handles gender and identity with unusual grace. . . . A cracking good read, with excellent fight scenes and well-drawn villains. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.” —Washington Post

“Whimsical and infused with queer representation… this is an exploration of relationships of all kinds and the belonging one can find in sisterhood.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Engaging… [Killjoy] builds an intriguing and multifaceted world.” —Booklist

“The book’s complex characterizations and in-depth worldbuilding are distinguishing… [Lorel] learns about the many types of power, including friendship, in her quest for discovery and acceptance.” —Foreword Reviews, starred review

“Killjoy gender-bends an old-fashioned fantasy of witches, knights, and brigands in first book of her Daughters of the Empty Throne trilogy.” —Publishers Weekly

“This book is a delight for anyone with a love of magical stories and high fantasy, from young adults onward.” —Independent Book Review, starred review

“A cracking, first-rate, epic coming-of-age fantasy novel. The crisis of gender identity only heightens the stakes (and suspense) of this propulsive, page-turning tale.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother

“To read The Sapling Cage is to witness the birth of a new classic. This is a book that will utterly transport you.” —Sarah Gailey, author of Magic for Liars

“The Sapling Cage is a compelling coming-of-age fantasy with impeccable vibes; witches, knights errant, and monsters populate a rich story about a trans girl finding power and community. It's also a reminder that fantasy can be a vehicle for so much: interrogations of power, knowledge, ethics, an exploration of how to live in the world.” —Nino Cipri, author of Finna

Praise for Margaret Killjoy

“This book puts the punk back into punk. Margaret Killjoy knows about resistance and solidarity, about spellcasting and hitchhiking. . . . Read it, tell your friends—your enemies will scramble to catch up.”—Bogi Takács, editor of Transcendent 2 and Transcendent 3, on We Won’t Be Here Tomorrow

“A remarkable book, one that demonstrates the power of speculative fiction and fantasy as a tool to imagine new ways of living outside of repressive regimes.”—The Fantasy Hive on A Country of Ghosts

“This utopian fantasy reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin is a thought-provoking read.”— Buzzfeed News on A Country of Ghosts

“Scary and energetic, this is ideal reading for a winter’s evening in a post-truth world. Highly recommended.”—Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, on The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion

“Packed with mystery, suspense, intriguing characters, a dash of humor, and big helpings of anarchist politics. . . . Does what the best fantasy is supposed to do, making ideas literal.”—World Fantasy Award–winning author Lewis Shiner on The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion

“Margaret Killjoy’s fiction is a peek at a world that lies right next to ours, always vivid, thought-provoking, and full of itinerant magic.”—Tobias Buckell on The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion

Margaret Killjoy (she/they) is a transfeminine author, musician, and podcaster. Some of her other books include The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, A Country of Ghosts, We Won't Be Here Tomorrow, and Escape from Incel Island. She is the host of the radical history podcast Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff and the individual and community preparedness podcast Live Like the World is Dying. She is the principal songwriter for the atmospheric black metal band Feminazgl. She lives in West Virginia.

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