The Diminished

"Two fierce young people battle a fiery landscape and vicious foes in a race for freedom. I was glued to my seat!"
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce
In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole...yet some face the world alone.
The singleborn
A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.
The diminished
When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone...