Ellen Renner

Ellen Renner is a children's and young-adult author born in Missouri who has built her career writing British-set fantasy. Her work blends mystery, historical fantasy, and steampunk influences with themes of social injustice, oppression, and rebellion. Her Castle of Shadows series follows a girl navigating a crumbling, magic-touched court in the aftermath of a coup, continued in City of Thieves amid deepening political intrigue; she also wrote the Tribute quartet, another fantasy series built around resistance to an oppressive regime. Renner's fiction has drawn praise from British and American reviewers for its smart writing and inventive premises, and she has built a body of prize-winning work aimed at readers who want fantasy adventure entwined with serious social themes.