Orbit UK is delighted to announce that we’ve acquired The Daughters of Izdihar by debut author Hadeer Elsbai, a powerful feminist fantasy set in an Egyptian-inspired world with breathtaking elemental magic and Sapphic romance, perfect for fans of The Jasmine Throne and The Once and Future Witches.

The Daughters of Izdihar hits shelves in January 2023, with the second book in the Alamaxa duology coming the following year!

Orbit UK assistant editor Nadia Saward acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of DongWon Song at the Howard Morhaim Literary agency, Harper Voyager will be publishing in the US. Find out more about The Daughters of Izdihar below and make sure to follow Hadeer Elsbai on Twitter for updates: @HadeerElsbai!

Trapped in an arranged marriage to a man she does not love, Nehal dreams of attending the Weaving Academy. There, she can take control of her powers, bending any water to her will, and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment. Her husband, indifferent and secretive, is in love with another woman, a poor bookseller named Giorgina.

Giorgina has her own secret. She is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers. Her only solace comes from meetings with the Daughters of Izdihar, a women’s rights group fighting for freedom. They come from very different means, yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think.

Enticed by the group’s enigmatic leader Malak Mamdouh, the two women are drawn into a web of politics, violence and threats of war as they find themselves fighting to earn – and keep – a lasting freedom.