Burn the Sea

Description

A Goodreads Editor’s Pick, One of Book Riot’s “Best New Releases,” One of Samantha Shannon’s Debut Novels She’s “REALLY EXCITED ABOUT” in 2026

To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy–once and for all.

Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world–and fate–are upended.

The Porcugi–giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea–haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers?

A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.

Binding Type: Paperback
Author: Mona Tewari
Published: 04/21/2026
Publisher: Bindery Books
ISBN: 9781967967063
Pages: 450
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 1.10″ H x 8.20″ L x 5.50″ W

About the Author
Tewari, Mona: –

Mona Tewari has long been fascinated by the ways in which narratives of legends and histories shape views of the present. A graduate of Caltech and UCSF, Tewari practiced as a pediatric dentist for years before she turned to writing fiction. As the daughter of two immigrants from India, she didn’t see herself represented in popular media growing up and became determined to show her daughters they belong in every world. Tewari lives with her husband, daughters, and dogs in the Berkshires. Burn the Sea is her first novel.