Secondborn

By Lorie Ann Grover

After fighting for freedom, one can still fall-sometimes upward.

Oppressed since birth for her gender, Tia has finally claimed her identity and fled her homeland. With her great raptor, she arrives at a remote cliffside village seeking medicine to save her infant sister. But after surviving a violent storm on arrival, she's mistaken for the living symbol of the villagers' goddess. Desperate, Tia accepts their reverence in exchange for aid.

What begins as a bargain spirals into disaster. Confined to a sacred tower and exalted as the hull of the Swollen Goddess, she finds herself forced into rituals involving coerced consummations, the harvesting of unborn children, and human sacrifice-justified by the people's devotion.

As her influence grows beyond her control, Tia must confront the limits of her power and responsibility. What is her role? Her duty? Her right-as a woman standing freely for the first time in her life, yet elevated by a culture she does not understand?

Can an unwitting colonizer recognize her impact and pull herself from the center of their faith before irreparable harm is done?

Secondborn continues the story of Tia, following the Kirkus starred review, Firstborn.

Raves for Firstborn
"A welcome story with engrossing depths." Starred, Kirkus Reviews, Firstborn

"Grover's worldbuilding is flawless and enchanting." -School LIbrary Journal

"Cool, sassy, brave, heartbreakingly tender and loyal. Do yourself a favor. Get the book." Nikki Grimes, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GXRTGM3C
• ISBN13: 9798254306368
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"