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The Sapling Cage
A Fantasy Novel by Margaret Killjoy
Book 1 of the Daughters of the Empty Throne Series
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Witchcraft,
- Transgender,
- Magic Academy,
- Reluctant Hero,
- Court Intrigue
This book is for you if you're into...
- Trans witch protagonists navigating identity and belonging
- Earth magic and coven life under threat from a magical blight
- Power struggles with ruthless royals and high personal stakes
From Little Stack
If you’re craving a coming-of-age fantasy that actually feels raw, human, and a little bit messy, The Sapling Cage should shoot straight to the top of your list. This is not a polished, chosen-one power fantasy. This is about a protagonist who makes questionable choices, wrestles with identity, and earns every inch of growth the hard way. They’re stubborn, vulnerable, and sometimes frustrating… in other words, completely real.
What makes it shine is how deeply you live inside that struggle. Every decision carries weight. Every mistake stings. And the magic? It’s tangled up in who they are and who they’re trying to become, which makes the whole journey feel intensely personal.
It’s the kind of story where you don’t just root for the character, you ache for them. If you like flawed heroes and emotional, character-driven fantasy, this one hits hard.
In the gripping first novel in the Daughters of the Empty Throne trilogy, author Margaret Killjoy spins a tale of earth magic, power struggle, and self-invention in an own-voices story of trans witchcraft.
Lorel has always dreamed of becoming a witch: learning magic, fighting monsters, and exploring the world beyond the small town where she and her mother run the stables.
Even though a strange plague is killing the trees in the Kingdom of Cekon and witches are being blamed for it, Lorel wants nothing more than to join them.
There's only one problem: all witches are women, and she was born a boy.
When the coven comes to claim her best friend, Lorel disguises herself in a dress and joins in her friend's place, leaving home and her old self behind.
She soon discovers the dark powers threatening the kingdom: a magical blight scars the land, and the power-mad Duchess Helte is crushing everything between her and the crown.
In spite of these dangers, Lorel makes friends and begins learning magic from the powerful witches in her coven.
However, she fears that her new friends and mentors will find out her secret and kick her out of the coven, or worse.
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