The Guardians of Illyria Series - Middle Grade Fantasy with a Gay Main Character

The Iron-Jawed Boy (Guardians of Illyria, #1) by Nikolas Lee

Year 2300
Protea: Capitol of the Eldanarian Isle

Two hundred years have passed since the lands of the Outerworld humans were destroyed, save but a handful of rebellious cities. In their ruin, the last gods of Earth, the Illyrians, rose victorious. And ever since, it's with a cruel iron fist they've ruled over their subjects--desperate to keep their thrones.

Fast approaching his teens, Ionikus Reaves knows the gods' malevolence all too well, orphaned by them after their call for a military draft on Eldanar, his home island. But when a power once dormant in Ion boils to the surface, he's whisked off to a hidden world of the island, where he comes face-to-face with the mighty Illyrians.

For Ion is a Guardian--a reincarnated god bound to serve and protect the pantheon he's so quickly learned to hate. Now torn between his obligations as a Guardian and his hatred of the gods he's to guard, Ion finds himself in the middle of a war within himself. A war that could uncover a dark secret of the gods'...and split the pantheon in two.

The Iron-Jawed Boy and the Hand of the Moon (Guardians of Illyria, #2)

Year 2301

One month has passed since the death of Lady Vinya. Since the night sky went black in the sudden disappearance of the Moon.

In the aftermath of the vanishing, the scales of the Balance have been disrupted and angered, the dark repercussions felt from the ruined lands of the Outerworld to the floating island home of the gods. Only now do the gods of Illyria stir, their period of mourning coming to a close as they call for a grand tournament. One that will decide the next Hand--a god worthy and powerful enough to pull the Moon back onto this plane. Of the contenders for the Throne, one is a malevolent prince of the Sun, another a twenty-armed inventor, and the third a disgraced father.

But when thirteen-year-old Ionikus Reaves--Guardian of the gods and one-third child of the late Lady Vinya--is forced to volunteer as a competitor, Ion discovers this tournament and the gods who called for it aren't what they seem. For as he battles his way through the abandoned cities of the Outerworld, forced to fight for a Throne he doesn't want, Ion soon realizes he's not just a contender. But a pawn in a vicious game of the gods', where at the end, victory could mean death. And the destruction of the Moon itself.

The Iron-Jawed Boy and the Siege of Sol (Guardians of Illyria, #3)

Year 2302
On the Continent of Origin, deep in the deserts of the High Heat, rises one of the last remaining Citadels of the humans. Defiant and well-defended, it is known as Sol. And in this epic third installment of the Guardians of Illyria series, it will be the stage for one of the greatest conflicts yet waged between the oppressive forces of Illyria and the rebel human race.

Now 14 years old, Ionikus Reaves, Thunder Lord of the Endari, is plagued by the darkness of his past and future. His powers grow stronger by the day, as do the doubts in his plans for revenge. But when the Endari scheme to forge an alliance with an unlikely foe—the humans of Sol—Ion must set aside his uncertainties. One misstep and his allies could become his enemies, his ultimate plan never come to fruition.

Lady Lillian of Illyria has only recently settled into her new position amongst the pantheon she long feared and respected. But soon, she finds her elven blood a problem for the pureblooded gods of Illyria. On top of navigating their foreign customs, backstabbing, and searing whispers, she must also endure their wrath…and the dark secrets behind the fall of the previous pantheon.

Add your review of any or all of the author-published Guardians of Illyria books in comments!