Not A Boy: A Young Adult, Coming-of-Age Romantasy (The Shadowlands Book 1)

Zarina Bagaya dreams of exploring the treacherous Riverlands. She wants to journey beyond her kingdom's borders and experience a life filled with privileges reserved for men: freedom, admiration, and her father’s approval. Its an impossible dream because Zarina is a girl. She is trapped in a female body and, like all girls, hers is a future of confinement, servitude, and the quiet misery of womanhood. When her childhood friend Dara matures into a young man with secrets of his own, they are separated by gender, class, and a terrible betrayal that sets Zarina on the run. In an ancient empire whose glorious past is forever lost and whose future is uncertain, Zarina must navigate the complexities of womanhood and confront rejection and oppression. When she finally escapes her female past, fate reunites her with Dara on an expedition to the end of the world. If you enjoy stories about girls grappling with greatness, Not a Boy is the fantasy adventure for you. Tropes Friends-to-Lovers Forbidden Love Slow-burn View Less