The Knots Sequence Books in Order

The Knots Sequence is a two-book young adult fantasy series built around a simple and frightening idea: every promise is tied into a physical knot. Break that vow, and the knot burns, leaving a scar and summoning a shadow that marks the oathbreaker for everyone to see.

The series begins with The Oathbreaker's Shadow and follows Raim, a fifteen-year-old nomad training to join the Yun, the elite guard of the Khanate. Raim is talented, fiercely loyal, and especially close to Khareh, the future Khan. On the day that should secure his place at Khareh's side, an oath goes wrong. Raim is branded an oathbreaker and suddenly has to choose between exile and death.

For Raim, the desert is both punishment and a path toward the truth.

The world draws on a harsh landscape of steppes, deserts, camps, and powerful tribes. Promises are not private matters. They affect status, family, safety, and survival, which means Raim's apparent betrayal has consequences far beyond his own future. As he flees, he begins to uncover questions about the knot he has worn since childhood and about the people who shaped his life.

The second book, The Shadow's Curse, widens the conflict. War is coming to Darhan, and Raim must learn to use the powers he shares with his spirit companion, Draikh. He also needs to understand the oath that caused his exile and find a way to help Wadi, the girl he loves. Wadi has her own difficult choices as the threat of invasion complicates what she believes about Khareh and the leadership of the Khanate.

No promise comes without a cost.

The series combines a coming-of-age story with travel, political tension, martial training, magic, and a close focus on the damage caused when people are forced into impossible choices. Raim's friendship with Khareh is as important as the larger conflict, because their shared history makes the break between them feel personal as well as political.

Readers should start with The Oathbreaker's Shadow. It establishes the knot magic, Raim's bond with Khareh, and the exile that drives the rest of the story. Read The Shadow's Curse next for the war, the deeper answers behind Raim's past, and the conclusion to the central conflict.