A page-turning, intoxicating epic fantasy, full of treachery, sex, magic and ruthless women.

Fans of Naomi Novak, Tamora Pierce and Rebecca Roanhorse rejoice, for your new favourite fantasy author has arrived. Macallister has crafted a rich and unforgettable world that ensembles a cast of powerful, iron-willed females, all with the determination to survive and prosper in an unforgiving society. Scorpica will beguile and enthral newcomers with its intricate narrative and unique set of characters, marking out Macallister as 2022’s most captivating new talent.

In an ancient matriarchal world of magic, gods and warriors, the last girl – unbeknownst to the five queendoms – has just been born. As time marches on, the scribes of Bastian find no answers in their history books. The farmers of Sestia sacrifice their crops to the gods. Paxim, the empire of trade and dealings, has nothing to barter but boys and more boys. Arcan magic has no spells to remedy the Drought of Girls. And finally, Scorpica, where every woman is a fighter, their commander, their queen, has no more warriors to train. The lines of these once-great empires soon to die.

After centuries of peace, the ensuing struggle for dominance – and heirs – will bring the five queendoms to the eve of all-out war.

But the mysterious curse is linked to one of the last-born children, an orphaned all-magic girl, who is unaware she has a claim to the Arcan throne…