For readers of One Dark Window and Fourth Wing comes a propulsive and darkly atmospheric romantasy set in a world where buying magic comes at a horrific price

Years after the tyrannical High King banned magic, whispers persist that a mage remembered only as the Martyr lies in hiding, waiting to lead the people into their powers once more.

For Maeve, the stories are just that—stories. But when her sister is gravely injured, Maeve risks impalement on the dreaded Black Quay for a chance to buy the forbidden magic that could save her sister and trades her own life to a ruthless and dangerously alluring rebel leader.

Bound to do the rebel leader’s bidding, Maeve begins to suspect he knows more about the stories of the Martyr than he lets on. But as she probes deeper into his dangerous plotting, a dark past emerges, tying him to a prince who could be even more brutal than his father—and who could hold the key to whether they will live or die. With the Isle on the brink of war, trust, and survival come at a terrible cost—one that will tear Maeve’s world, and her heart, in two.