

The queen's pair bond is called her Alistair. Their leader is the Tuuli Thea, or queen. The avians have birds for second forms and their royal line consists of golden hawks.

The book centers on two different kinds of shapeshifters: the avians and the serpiente. The title refers to a lullaby that Danica sings to Zane's younger brother Gregory at the beginning of the book, while the boy is dying on the battlefield. Danica's tentative marriage to Zane Cobriana ends the thousands of years of warring between their people. During this first book in the Keisha'ra series, Danica is 16. Narrated by Danica Shardae, heir to the Tuuli Thea.

Hawksong is Atwater-Rhodes' most critically successful novel to date. It was written by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and published in 2003 when the author was 19. Hawksong is the first in a five book series of young adult fantasy shapeshifter novels called The Kiesha'ra Series.
