The Kiesha'ra Series

The Kiesha'ra Series is a set of five fantasy novels written by the young adult author, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, which focus on several races of shapeshifters, including the avians (bird people), the serpiente (snake people), and the shm'Ahnmik (falcon people).

The series title, which is in a language from the series called ha'Shmla, translates as "Children of Kiesha." Kiesha is the first cobra serpiente, from whom the royal line of the Cobriana descends.

"Danica Shardae, an avian shapeshifter, will do anything in her power to stop the war that has raged between her people and the serpiente - even pretend to be in love with Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind's greatest enemy, and accept him as her pair bond. But will Zane strike as swiftly and lethally as the cobra that is his second form?"

There has been a war raging between the avian shapeshifters - humans that can turn into sparrows, hawks, crows and raves - and the serpiente - humans that can turn into vipers, cobras, mambas, boas and pythons. No one knows how the war really started. The avians claim that the first cobra, Kiesha, stabbed the first hawk, Alasdair, in the back. The serpents claim that Alasdair had her people slaughter all seven of the first serpents. The war started and has been going strong for thousands of years.

Danica Shardae is born into this war and wishes for peace. Heir to the avian throne, she wants to live in a world where she can raise children without fear of them dying, like her brother and sister had. Zane Cobriana, heir to the serpiente throne, wants the same. He sends a message to the avians, asking to meet and discuss peace in a neutral territory - that of the tiger shapeshifters, Mistari.

The Mistari leaders tell the two groups that the only way to peace is to combine the two royal houses. Danica and Zane must wed and hope that their union can bring the two people together. The idea is dismissed almost immediately, but later, in private, Danica and Zane agree to try.

Traveling between the two lands, the couple must learn to adapt to different ways of thinking and acting. The avians view the casual touching of the serpiente as scandalous, while the serpents view the emotionless reserve of the avians as cold and soulless. After pushing through the troubles of bringing the two groups together and surviving assassination attempts by their own trusted guards, Danica and Zane grow closer, until the one who they each used to despise was now the one they could never live without.

"A surprising union has brought peace to the avians and serpiente. Soon a child will be born to carry on their royal lines. But Syfka, an ancient falcon, is claiming that one of her people is hidden in the avian and serpiente land. Is Syfka's lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them?"

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Wikipedia