ABANDONED. Fantasy country under siege from without and threatening civil war within.

[Mandee]

This is a fantasy novel, not sure if it was YA or Adult Fantasy. The country of focus has an aristocracy who are warriors, who all have smooth hair. They are meant to protect the peasants, brown curly hair, who provide the heavy labor. The peasants subscribe to a religion surrounding a wheel of fortune that spins and spins, while the upper class have some kind of polytheistic gods.
The invading country is very successful because they know the secret to water steel. A peasant is one of the major characters and has a distinctive hand injury that causes him to switch things from right to left hand in such a way that gets him in trouble when he tries to go incognito.
There is also a long siege of one of the major cities.
I think at one point there is a long journey through the mountains and to the swamps.
That's all I can remember, sorry!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

What year did you read this?

[Kokomomomo]

Fall of a Kingdom?

[Lou]

Flame is the old title of Fall of a Kingdom, if that cover/title is unfamiliar.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Mandee, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Mandee, are you still looking for this or did you find it?"

No response in 2 years. Moving to Abandoned.