I highly recommend the Sunbolt Chronicles series. Intisar Khanani writes complex and engaging stories with resourceful girls at the center.
At the start of the series, a fortune teller tells Hitomi to run, and so she has been ever since. In Debts of Fire, Hitomi is still running, but is starting to think about how to live her life beyond that, if she survives. Hitomi does dangerous things because they need to be done. Things are more fraught after Memories of Ash – her magic has been bound in preparation for turning her into a source slave – a magical battery for another mage to drain and discard. Hitomi is driven by her promises and her moral compass. I have enjoyed her growth from street rat, to student, to a girl with a mission. Her sense of justice has put her in conflict with a wannabe authoritarian and she must keep herself and her friends safe from his minions. Despite the betrayals and trauma that have piled up, Hitomi maintains a compassionate heart. There are people around her who may not have her willingness to leap into the storm, but they help her because she cares for the lives of others.
This is a great series to read right now, both for resisting authoritarianism and in valuing a life of connection. Hitomi was abandoned by her mother as a small child and in her struggle for survival, she has learned to value community and the lives of others. In Debts of Fire the elders who have become her mentors are asking her to find reasons to live her life beyond being a tool or a sacrifice. Whether this is a final book or not (Blackflame is still reaching for more power) it ends with Hitomi in a better place than she has been, with a found family and a willingness to practice making choices for herself.
While there is a lovely little side romance, there is none for Hitomi. She is too busy righting wrongs and figuring out what she wants for herself.
I read this as an advance reader copy from the author. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.