The Drowning City by Amanda Downum

This book caught my eye while browsing on Amazon, so a good cover goes a long way to attract attention.  Maybe it's because the woman on the cover isn't revealing the predictable tattoo, store bought breasts, or looking lusty and seductive.  Maybe it's the intrigue of the sword, black scarf and cape.  Or maybe it's the pirate feel of the entire image, and the weather is heating up--always a good time to read something piratey! Arg!  Whatever is, it slowed me down enough to read the synopsis, and I was sold.  I'm so excited about this book that I made a countdown for it.  I know zip! about the author, but that adds to the fun.   Seriously though, this woman on the cover means business and I can't wait to hear her story...

Symir -- the Drowning City. home to exiles and expatriates, pirates and smugglers. And violent revolutionaries who will stop at nothing to overthrow the corrupt Imperial government.

For Isyllt Iskaldur, necromancer and spy, the brewing revolution is a chance to prove herself to her crown. All she has to do is find and finance the revolutionaries, and help topple the palaces of Symir. But she is torn between her new friends and her duties, and the longer she stays in this monsoon-drenched city, the more intrigue she uncovers -- even the dead are plotting. 

As the waters rise and the dams crack, Isyllt must choose between her mission and the city she came to save. 

About the Author
Amanda Downum was born in Virginia, and has since spent time in Indonesia, Micronesia, Missouri, and Arizona. In 1990 she was sucked into the gravity well of Texas, and has not yet escaped. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in English Literature, and has spent the last ten years working in a succession of libraries and bookstores; she is very fond of alphabetizing. She currently lives near Austin in a house with a spooky attic, which she shares with her long-suffering husband and fluctuating numbers of animals and half-finished novels. She spends her spare time making jewelry and falling off perfectly good rocks. To learn more about the author, visit www.amandadownum.com.