Cloudbound

After the City's ruling Singers were thrown out of power at the end of Wilde's award-winning debut, Updraft, the Towers are still reeling from the sudden power vacuum. Kirit is one of the few Singers not captured or dead, thanks to her efforts to expose the secrets of the Spire. Her best friend Nat is now a junior councilor for the Densira Tower, owing to powerful councilor Doran Grigrit's mentorship. The two are flying around the broken Spire looking for remnants of the codex that the Singers had guarded when they uncover a dark conspiracy that threatens the entire City. Having the narrative weight carried by Nat rather than Kirit in this outing is a risk, as Nat's character is not as intrinsically exciting. Still, Wilde illustrates his struggles between doing what's right and the path to power that he seeks to travel.