Mercedes Lackey

This stand-alone novel in the Valdemar series continues the story of prickly weapons-master Alberich. Once a heroic Captain in the army of Karse, a kingdom at war with Valdemar, Alberich becomes one of Valdemar's Heralds. Despite prejudice against him, he becomes the personal protector of young Queen Selenay. But can he protect her from the dangers of her own heart?

From beloved fantasy author Mercedes Lackey comes a fresh and feminist reinterpretation of Sleeping Beauty. 

Miriam may be the daughter of Queen Alethia of Tirendell, but she's not a princess. She's the child of Alethia and her previous husband, the King's Champion, who died fighting for the king, and she has no desire to rule. When her new baby sister Aurora, heir to the throne, is born, she's ecstatic. She adores...

While fighting monsters that break through the barriers surrounding Apex City, Joy and her pack of magical hounds begin finding dead Psimons, and reporting the incidents only causes more trouble.

Spirit, Burke, Muirin, Loch, and Addie, desperate to stop the Shadow Knights from turning the students of Oakhurst Academy into soldiers wielding both weapons and magic, send Muirin to infiltrate the group but soon Spirit is questioning who can--and cannot--be trusted.

When a series of magical attacks disrupts Oakhurst Academy, a boarding school for orphaned future magicians, a suspicious alumnus is hired to secure the campus and start training the students for war.