Hidden Warrior - Lynn Flewelling

BLURB:

As the orphaned nephew of the king, trusted companion to his cousin, and second heir to the throne of Skala, Prince Tobin's future is clear. But not as clear as the spring in which a hill witch shows him his true face - and his secret destiny...

Now Tobin carries a burden he cannot share with even his closest friend, Ki, his squire. He is to rule - not as he is but as he was born: a woman. Given the shape of a boy by dark magic, Tobin is the last hope of the people of Illior - those who desperately seek a return to the old ways, when Skala was ruled by a line of warrior queens. They still believe that only a woman can lift the war, famine, and pestilence that have run rampant through the land since the king usurped his half sister's throne. It is these outlaw wizards and witches who protect Tobin - and it is for them that Tobin must accept his fate.

With the unsuspecting yet fiercely loyal Ki at his side, Tobin must turn traitor against the only blood ties he has left. He must lift the masks of Skala's rulers to show their true colors - before he can reveal the power of the woman within himself...

The Bone Doll's Twin - Lynn Flewelling

BLURB:

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a ursurper king, claimed his young half sister's throne. Now plague and drught stalk the country's lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has becme a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line - and from Illior's faithful, who spread the Oracle's words to a doubting populace.

As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king's nephew - his sister's only child - grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess's daughter, given me form by dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny. Only Tobin's noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobn from a king's wrath, a mother's madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother's demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder...

MY TAKE:

524 pages. Book One of the Tamir Triad.