Content levels
Trigger warnings
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
In the realm of Kravan, children of lower-class citizens are raised in a prison-like structure called "The Tower" from birth until adulthood. Known as the Tethered, they are held in thrall until their powers reveal themselves around the time of their nineteenth birthday. Every year, the Tethered who are tested and deemed harmless are chosen to leave the Tower and join the outside world as servants to live in the households of the ruling class. Those who are deemed threats are taken away—and no one knows what happens to them, though they suspect the worst. Shara has spent her entire life in the Tower, longing for the day she will be chosen to leave. She's always been certain her powers would be minimal just as her mother's allegedly were, and that she would be assigned to a life of simple servitude. When Shara receives her Placement in the home of a Noble family, she feels at first like she has finally found her place in the world. But over time, mysteries begin to reveal themselves about her Proprietor and those who live in the house...including the handsome fellow Tethered who shares a wing of the house with her.
Is Thrall appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
A class-stratified fantasy about imprisoned magic-users who are released into servitude; features themes of captivity, state control, mysterious disappearances of those deemed threats, and implied violence within an oppressive system. Some romantic tension and mystery elements.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include child harm, captivity, and class struggle (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be drawn to Shara's journey from captivity to freedom and the mysteries surrounding her powers and the handsome fellow servant in her new household.