Fires of the Faithful by Naomi. Kritzer
Elaiana has been studying at a music conservatory working towards an appointment at the Imperial court. Away from the conservatory the empire is suffering from a Famine that mysteriously started after they won a war with a neighbouring country. When a new girl joins the conservatory and gathers Eliana and some of her friends to play songs of the old way (The old religion of the land) some of the girls actually convert to the old religion. Soon troubles comes to the conservatory when two members of the Fedeli (the enforces of the new religion) arrive and kill one of Elianna’s friends and another friend is kidnapped by the Circle (the mysterious and powerful mages that rule the land. When Elianna learns one of the Circles most closely guarded secrets she can take no more and leaves the conservatory. But events take over Elianna’s life and she finds herself leading the opposition to the Circle and Feleli.

I enjoyed reading this book I found the story interesting and the characters very likeable. The story did come of as a bit feminist as both of the god were female and most of the leaders of the rebellion were female. And most of the male characters were incompetent.