Desperate to maintain their superiority, Magicians are fighting to keep machinery and inventions out of the hands of their serving class, the commons. To this end, the Magicians have waged a war -- a terribly destructive, magical war -- against any and all who dare to allow the unmagical commons to improve their lives through mechanical means. In the midst of this terrible battle, a small group of commons struggles to survive. They make their living by serving the dead, charging five cents to dig a grave, sew a shroud, and ring a peal. And in a land decimated by war, plague, and famine, they have plenty of work. When the group meets a charismatic man by the name of William Rufflit and learns that he is working to build a militia of commons armed with his terrifying new invention -- the fyrestick -- they feel something they haven't experienced in a long time: hope. But what they don't realize is that Rufflit may not be their savior after all. He may, in fact, be an enemy even more fearsome than the one they are already facing.

Starla had always imagined that becoming a vampire would make her popular, glamorous and wealthy. But after she and her best friend, Jordan, become undead, Starla realizes one thing: a vampire’s life sucks.
Since there’s no turning back, she tries to make the best of her situation, but it isn’t easy. Especially not after her friend abandons her to serve the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Or when she gets on the bad side of a gang of vampires who’ve taken over the zoo. Or when she meets a really cute boy and ends up falling in love, only to find out that there’s a major problem…she’s a vampire, and he’s a vampire killer.

Since birth, Mira Meadowmarsh has been taught that Magicians are evil, and there’s plenty of evidence on her small island to prove this true. Magicians rule with an iron fist, refusing to allow the unmagical commons like Mira to invent or build machines that would better their lives.
Mira has grown up hating the Magicians. But then she discovers that her betrothed is one of them.
Jess, Mira’s best friend since childhood, has been raised by common parents who have kept his true identity a secret. But when the new governor of the island learns that Jess has a special gift for healing animals, he forces the young man to come live with him. Heartbroken, Mira runs away from home in order to join Jess.
Mira soon realizes, however, that Jess has been seduced by the glamorous lifestyle of the wealthy Magicians and is no longer interested in a low-bred common girl like herself. In fact, he has set his sights on the governor’s daughter.
Mira’s world shifts even more when she discovers that her own brother is plotting a revolt against the Magicians. While Mira struggles to keep the violence of her brother’s band of commons in check, she comes to realize that the world may not be as clear-cut as she had once thought

In Amberweise's polite society, a proper young woman of pure Magician ancestry would never involve herself with something as unpleasant as solving a murder. She would faint at the sight of wheels, pulleys, hinges or other demonic machines. She would never deign to notice the wretched lives of the non-magical commons who serve her day and night, nor would she ever dare to question the traditions of her upbringing. And, most certainly, she would never even think of falling in love with a man whose combination of common heritage and magical abilities have made him a pariah.

Good thing Romana of Amberweise isn't a proper young woman.

Now, as she works to solve the mystery of her granduncle's brutal murder, Romana uncovers a fearsome plot to overthrow a ruler whose tolerance for technology just might release the commons from their centuries of bondage. Besieged by dangerous enemies, Romana must use her courage and cunning to rebel against the powerful Magicians who will do anything to protect their lives of prestige and privilege.