The City of Diamond and Steel Books in Order

The City of Diamond and Steel is a two-book young adult fantasy series set in Kosín, a crowded industrial city where old magic has been driven underground and power belongs to people with money, weapons, or both. The series begins with Diamond City and concludes with Shadow City.

Its central character is Aina Solís, an assassin who grew up without safety or security. After her parents are murdered, she finds a place within a criminal tradehouse led by Kohl, a ruthless figure who offers shelter and work but expects control in return. Aina wants something simpler and harder to reach, the freedom to build a life that is truly her own.

Kosín never makes that easy.

The city matters as much as any character. Its factories and steel mills churn out wealth while many residents live in smoke, hunger, and violence. Trains, narrow alleys, tunnels, mines, and crowded neighborhoods give the action a fast, close-to-the-ground feel. Beneath the city’s newer industrial order is the suppressed faith of the Inosen, whose blood and earth magic has been outlawed since a civil war.

In Diamond City, Aina takes a high-stakes assassination job that goes wrong and leaves her hunted. Her attempt to save herself pulls her toward a wider conspiracy involving political corruption, class divisions, and the history that powerful people would rather hide. The book blends assassin intrigue with magic and a constant sense that one wrong move can change everything.

Shadow City picks up after Aina has seized more power, but being in charge brings a different kind of danger. Kohl wants his old empire back, rival groups test Aina’s control, and General Alsane Bautix threatens to push the country toward another war. To protect her neighborhood and the people depending on her, Aina must make deals with enemies she would rather leave behind.

Expect a dark, fast-moving series built around survival, loyalty, betrayal, and the uneasy line between protection and control. The violence can be sharp, but the story keeps returning to Aina’s hope that people who have been treated as disposable can still make a home and a future on their own terms.