Kiesha’ra Books In Order

Publication Order of The Kiesha'ra Books

Kiesha’ra is a series of fantasy novels written by American best selling Young Adult author and fantasy novels Amelia Alwater-Rhodes. The author was born in Silver Spring Maryland and spent most of her life she spent in Concord, Massachusetts. Rhodes first book titled, In the Forests of the Night, was published in 1999 when she was only 14 years of age.

Kiesha’ra series focuses on several races of shapeshifters including the bird people (avians), the Shm’Ahnmik (Falcon people), and the serpent (snake people). The series title translates as Children of Kiesha originates from a language from the series called ha’Shmla. Kiesha is the first cobra serpiente and from which the royal line of the Cobriana descends.

The Dasi is an ancient Egyptian cult that gives direct or indirect descendants of the three lines of shapeshifters in the series. The 13 Dasi worshipped eight gods mainly the dual powers of Anhamirak and Ahnmik. Eight of these Dasi worshiped Anhamirak and four other gods of equal powers to her while four worshiped Ahnmik and his two companions.

The Avian has highly efficient respiratory systems, and their body temperatures are higher than that of humans. Their heart beat per minutes ranges at hundred. The magic that enables the avians to shape shift also protects them from weakness and plagues that would kill a human. These creatures are also rumored to have a long life span of more than 500 years. Most of them have either dark eyes and hair and possess the second form of sparrows, ravens, and crows. They are descendants of tribal leaders and their ancestors being Merle, Sybil, and Kyne.

The serpiente are not much different from the avians and are more free thinking than the avians. Almost anything is allowed in the serpiente society as long as it does not harm anyone. However rape is considered as the highest crime and once found guilty, a death sentence is passed without trial. The serpientes value free choice above anything else and the ordinary serpiente who follow the Cobriana line consists of pythons (Brassal), emerald boas, red rats (Nalini), vipers (Isadora), mambas (Nikhil), and Taipans (Donte). Even though the white vipers are also considered as serpientes, they are the descendants of Maeve, a high priestess who initially stood above Kiesha but they refuse to acknowledge cobra as their leader.

The serpientes are cold blooded even when in human form and their Demi forms allow them to see heat. They are capable of creating hybrids with both the Falcons and avians. However, due to their differing Magic’s and the falcon’s hatred for mixed blood, the children of such unions are always at war with each other and are barely tolerated by their people. The union between the avians and the serpiente is more successful which results to a child with five forms. The serpientes have been at war with the avian for many generations.

The Falcons make their entry in the second novel in Kiesha’ra series but are discussed in details in the third book. Unlike the serpiente and the avians who seem to have forgotten all their origins and their magic, the Falcon culture and practices have changed so little since the days after the Daci split. The Falcons live on an island called Ahnmik and they their city which is magical as the Falcons themselves. The Falcon society has a strict hierarchy and even more rules than the avians. Cjarsa is the Falcon Empress, and in collaboration with her heir Araceli, she possesses total control of all the Falcons. Even though many of the Falcons have a free choice when it comes to choosing their mate, they are restricted to choosing Falcons of the same type. The Falcon children are precious and rare, and when a falcon is born, it causes a shift in their magic which all the Falcons can feel. Even though children of different Falcons are easily conceived, they end up born with magic which destroys them and everything around them. Other characters in the series include the Wolves, Mistari, Lions, and the Obsidian Guild.

Rhodes began the publication of Kiesha’ra series in 2003 when Hawksong, the first novel in the series was published. The series consists of five books with Wyvernhail concluding the series in 2007.

Hawksong

The first book in the series introduces the readers to two groups of humans/shape-shifters: the hawks and the serpents. The avians can fly and are even more dangerous given their advantage to fight from the air. On the other hand, the serpents are deadlier/poisonous on the ground, and once they hold your gaze, they can entrap your mind. The avians hide their emotions while the serpientes wear their anger and passions on their sleeves.

Danica is the new ruler of the Avians while Zane is the ruler of the Serpientes. The two opposing sides have always been in battle and experienced lots of bloodshed and the only way that the two parties can ever find peace is if they consider a marriage is aligning the two groups. However, neither of these two opposing sides are content with the wedding alliance.

Snakecharm

Snakecharm is the second novel in Kiesha’ra series. In this book, a surprising union brings peace between the serpientes and the avians and soon a child will be conceived to carry on their royal blood lines. However, Syfka, an ancient falcon claims that one of her people is held in the serpiente and avian land. Could Syfka’s lost Falcon be a plot to cause chaos among them?

There is no more war between the avians and the serpents and the brave venture via the woods to the other side, and the rift is also healing. The last the two sides need is trouble which is what apparently appears in the form of a falcon named Syfka searching for a criminal whose hiding among the two kinds and who views the peace that exists between the avians and the serpents as abnormal and something that won’t last. The two leaders Danica and Zane must root fish out the hidden Falcon amongst them if they need to have a long lasting peace and find a way to raise their child once it is born.