The Kiesha'ra Series is a set of five fantasy novels written by American young adult author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, which focus on several races of shapeshifters, including the avians (bird people), the serpiente (snake people), and the shm'Ahnmik (falcon people). The series includes the following novels: Hawksong (2003), Snakecharm (2004), Falcondance (2005), Wolfcry (2006), and Wyvernhail (2007).
The series title, which is in a language from the series called ha'Shmla, translates as "Children of Kiesha." Kiesha is the first cobra serpiente, from whom the royal line of the Cobriana descends.
Novels
Hawksong (2003)
"Danica Shardae, an avian shapeshifter, will do anything in her power to stop the war that has raged between her people and the serpiente - even pretend to be in love with Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind's greatest enemy, and accept him as her pair bond. But will Zane strike as swiftly and lethally as the cobra that is his second form?"
There has been a war raging between the avian shapeshifters – humans that can turn into sparrows, hawks, crows and raves – and the serpiente – humans that can turn into vipers, cobras, mambas, boas and pythons. No one knows how the war really started. The avians claim that the first cobra, Kiesha, stabbed the first hawk, Alasdair, in the back. The serpents claim that Alasdair had her people slaughter all seven of the first serpents. The war started and has been going strong for thousands of years.
Danica Shardae is born into this war and wishes for peace. Heir to the avian throne, she wants to live in a world where she can raise children without fear of them dying, like her brother and sister had. Zane Cobriana, heir to the serpiente throne, wants the same. He sends a message to the avians, asking to meet and discuss peace in a neutral territory - that of the tiger shapeshifters, Mistari.
The Mistari leaders tell the two groups that the only way to peace is to combine the two royal houses. Danica and Zane must wed and hope that their union can bring the two people together. The idea is dismissed almost immediately, but later, in private, Danica and Zane agree to try.
Traveling between the two lands, the couple must learn to adapt to different ways of thinking and acting. The avians view the casual touching of the serpiente as scandalous, while the serpents view the emotionless reserve of the avians as cold and soulless. After pushing through the troubles of bringing the two groups together and surviving assassination attempts by their own trusted guards, Danica and Zane grow closer, until the one who they each used to despise was now the one they could never live without.
Snakecharm (2004)
Zane Cobriana, a cobra shapeshifter, his hawk pair bond, and the peace their union has brought to the avian and serpiente. Soon, Danica (Zane Cobriana's child) will have a child to carry on their royal line.
Syfka, an ancient falcon, has arrived from Ahnmik claiming that one of her people is hidden in their midst. The falcons are more powerful than the avians and serpiente combined, and Syfka shows nothing but contempt for Zane and Danica's alliance. To Zane's horror, his own people seem just as appalled as Syfka is by the thought of a mixed-blood child becoming heir to the throne.
Is Syfka's lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them? The truth lies somewhere in their tangled pasts and the search will redefine Zane and Danica's fragile future.
Falcondance (2005) "Nicias is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Ahnmik and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams. When his visions become more like reality, his parents send him back to his homeland - and a royal falcon - they've tried their best to forget."
Nicias Silvermead is a peregrine falcon born and raised in Wyvern's Court, the son of Kel and Sebastian, who had been hidden in the sparrow form of Erica Silvermead and the crow form of Andreios. When his falcon magic awakens, he travels to the white city of Ahnmik, nestled days out to sea on an island, to learn to control his power. Ahnmik is not like Wyvern's Court. There is magic embedded everywhere. The roads can take you somewhere you didn't expect to go, the towers sing an unearthly song, and the dancers can call rain or see the future. But this city is ruled with the iron fist of Empress Cjarsa and her heir, Araceli, who happens to be Nicias's grandmother. The slightest criticism of the government is treason, punishable with the Empress's Mercy, the best and cruelest falcon fighters. Plots and deceptions are everywhere. Nicias finds himself a pawn in these mind games and does not enjoy it.
While in Ahnmik, Nicias meets Darien, his mother's former partner in the Empress's Mercy, supposedly lost to Ecl, the realm of nothingness where any falcon can escape the pain of reality, sometimes of their own volition, but sometimes not. Darien teaches Nicias how to swim in Ecl and Nicias meets Hai, born of Darien and Anjay Cobriana, Zane Cobriana's older brother. Half falcon and half cobra, Hai's magic was uncontrollable, and in a bad episode, she fell and broke her wings. Now grounded and lost in Ecl, she wants to be left alone. But Nicias is determined to bring her back to the real world.
Darien manages to recover her position in the Mercy while spiriting away Nicias and Hai, back to Wyvern's Court. Nicias returns to Ahnmik to convince Aracelli to let him go for good and is caught in a plot by Syfka to kill Empress Cjarsa. Once Aracelli and Cjarsa stop Syfka, Aracelli grants Nicias the freedom to come and go as he pleases.
Returning to Wyvern's Court, Nicias finds that the once comatose Hai has awoken, thanks to the bond he formed with her while in Ecl.
Wolfcry (2006) "Oliza Shardae Cobriana is heir to Wyvern's Court, home of the avians and serpiente, whose war with each other ended just before Oliza was born. But hatred is slow to die, and Oliza's serpiente suitor is found beaten in avian land. How can she be expected to lead a unified society if her people still cannot live peacefully together?"
Oliza is half hawk, half cobra and can transform into a mix of both - a wyvern. She represents the blending of both societies, loving the avian music and simplicity and the serpiente dancers and freedom. She loves her home, Wyvern's Court, but it is clear that this world is still torn apart by prejudice. Oliza has to choose a mate, but either choice - avian or serpent - may result in civil war. After one of her suitors is found beaten almost to death, she realizes how far her people still have to go. However, before she can do anything, she is kidnapped by a group of lion mercenaries and carried far north, weeks away from her home.
The wyvern's journey back is fraught with hardship. Along the way, she meets Betia, a wolf shapeshifter who helps her on her way back. She also stumbles upon the Obsidian guild, a group of criminals and dancers that mostly consist of the white vipers that were, long ago, banned from the serpiente lands, though the ban was lifted years ago. When Oliza returns to Wyvern's Court, she discovers that, while speaking with Hai, she was granted a glimpse of possible futures. In the futures that she ruled, Wyvern's Court was destroyed, people murdered, and Oliza realizes she cannot rule, not if she wants her home to flourish.
Oliza puts her cousin, Salem Cobriana, on the serpiente throne and her aunt (though only two years younger than Oliza), Sive Shardae, on the avian throne. She then leaves with her new mate, Betia, for the Obsidian guild.
Wyvernhail (2007)
Narrated by em'Ecl'la'Hai, mongrel falcon, child of Anjay Cobriana and shm'Ahnmik'la'Darien. The book begins only moments after the end of Wolfcry.When Oliza abdicates the throne of Wyverns Court all Hai sees in her sakkri'a'she('vision of the future' in the ancient language) is fire and destruction of Wyvern's Court. In this final book, Hai has to fight to preserve peace and protect people of Wyvern's Court.
Omnibus
2010 The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows is an omnibus consisting of all five novels in "The Kiesha'ra Series". It was published on January 12, 2010.
The People
Dasi The three lines of shapeshifters that are the focus of the series are either direct or indirect descendants of the Dasi, an ancient Egyptian cult. The thirteen Dasi worshipped eight gods, primarily the dual powers of Ahnmik and Anhamirak. Eight of the Dasi worshipped Anhamirak and the four other gods who had similar power to her, while four served Ahnmik and his two divine companions. Ahnmik is the god of control, power, manipulation, cold, sleep, silence, and peace. His gifts to the world included bondage and mastery, and his high priestess was Cjarsa, who was aided by Araceli. The other gods on his side of the pantheon were the death goddess Brysh (whose priestess was Syfka) and the void goddess Ecl (whose priest was Servos). Anhamirak is the goddess of fire, love, life, beauty, passion, chaos, and destruction but above all, freedom. The only other named deity on the light side of the pantheon is Anhamirak's son Namid, god of life and patron of the priest Brassal. The head of the Dasi was Maeve, and it was her task to maintain balance between the two sides.
The lesser priests and priestesses of the Dasi were called the Nesera'rsh and the Ealla'rsh. They served Anhamirak and Ahnmik respectively and were known collectively as the Rsh. They spoke to the people whereas the thirteen Dasi leaders spoke to the gods. They made sure that all opinions were acknowledged, served as healers and judges, and taught the people about Ahnleh ("fate" in the Dasi language). It is unknown if Ahnleh was considered an actual deity or a universal force, despite being referred to as feminine. Each Rsh enclave was "a realm unto itself," and its members were dealt with by the Rsh and the Rsh alone. The Dasi themselves respected this fact, and those who remain still do, recognizing the Serpiente Dancer's Guild (namely the sha'Mehay nest within the serpiente palace city and the Obsidian Guild of white vipers) as having originated from the Nesera'rsh. Dancers wearing coins marked with the ha'Shmla symbol Ahnleh (now known colloquially among serpiente as the Snakecharm) are not to be attacked, even by members of the falcon royal family. The falcon Mercy is technically the modern equivalent of the Ealla'rsh, but they have pledged their service to the falcons of the royal family and relinquish their immunity to the will of the royals. However, they still deal with their members internally.
One day a creature named Leben approached Maeve and asked her to worship him. She knew that doing so would destroy the balance but she was afraid to refuse as Leben was very powerful. So she seduced him and he gave her the second form of a white viper. She also begged him grant her people of the Dasi second forms. Kiesha and her followers were given forms of snakes while falcon forms were given to Cjarsa and the other worshippers of Ahnmik. Eventually Anhamirak's followers drove the falcons out thus the balance was destroyed. Soon after, a rift between Maeve and the other serpents developed, and she was driven out for practicing black magic. The reasons for this are discussed more closely in Wolfcry.
Kiesha rose to power of the new serpiente people and Maeve was taken in by the Nesera'rsh. Kiesha's son, Diente, became the first of the royal Cobriana line and the serpent title for king comes from his name. Maeve live among the Nesera'rsh and had children who survived to become the majority of the Obsidian Guild. The four priest of Ahnmik are all still alive as the falcon royal family, though their situation is slightly changed in Falcondance. They inhabit an island city that shares its name with their god and which they rarely leave.