The Binding

Genre: Alternate History, Adventure, Coming of Age

Reader Fit: Perfect for fans of slow burn, character based survival stories and fans of The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Summary

The Binding is a tale of transformation and resilience, where two women from opposing cultures, but bound by fate, navigate intrigue, loyalty, and the unbreakable bonds of family in a divided America that could have been.

“A gritty, hopeful narrative with emotionally rich characters” — Kirkus Reviews, Our Verdict: Get it

A 2025 Page Turner Book Award Finalist

In an America where the West was never colonized, the Appalachian Mountains mark the border between starkly different worlds: The Atlantic States of America is a corporate-run dystopia, while the United West stands defiant in its quest to preserve its egalitarian culture and autonomy.Ruby Roth is a legacy conscript fighting to survive while protecting a young boy in her care. Burdened with a gift for binding, she clings to the hope of one day fleeing West. But when she’s threatened with a forced marriage to a brutal officer, she must choose between submitting or risking her life, and the lives of those she loves, for freedom.

Kaileh Clearwater Lewis, a warrior of the West, wants nothing more than to safeguard her people and uncover the truth behind her brother Tareq’s death. When her quest brings her face-to-face with Ruby, she must confront a moral reckoning that could shatter everything she believes in.