August and her bonded Monster face a cutthroat competition to advance within their secret society as part of August’s mission to avenge her brother in this “thrilling, high-stakes” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) sequel to A Mastery of Monsters.

August Black risked everything to find her brother, joining a deadly secret society protecting the chilling truth that monsters are very, very real. She thought when she found him that she would leave the society behind. Instead, she fought and bled to bond herself to a Monster for life.

Now, despite her efforts to stay unattached, her connection to her Monster partner, Virgil, continues to grow. She can’t stop replaying the memory of their forbidden kiss that Virgil wants to pretend never happened.

Their strained bond is put to the test as they prepare for the Monster’s Ball, a brutal tournament where pairs battle for the coveted title of Master. But despite the danger of the contest, August is consumed with finding her mom’s killer and getting revenge. Her vendetta leads to her accidentally forming a rare second bond with Nolan, a Wild Monster who wants nothing to do with her. And if the three of them can’t work together, they’ll be kicked out of the tournament before it even begins.

But August can’t pull her focus away from vengeance—even if it means becoming the worst sort of monster herself. She believes that revenge will cure her grief, but it may just be the thing that breaks her bonds for good.