Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little potential for escape . and even less to be together.

Desperate to save lots of her existence, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, offers told the Vendan Komisar that she’s a magical present, and the Komisar’s desire for Lia is greater than either Kaden or Lia foresaw.

In the meantime, the foundations of Lia’s deeply-held values are crumbling beneath her. Nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to her, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who designed to assassinate her but has now saved her lifestyle; and the Vendans, whom she usually thought to be barbarians but whom she right now realizes are individuals who have been terribly brutalized from the kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan. Wrestling with her upbringing, her present, and her very sense of self, Lia will have to make powerful options that influence her nation, her people . . . and her very own destiny.

Read simply by Emily Rankin, with Ryan Gesell, Kirby Heyborne, Kim Mai Visitor, and Ann Marie Lee