A decades-long war is raging with the Coalition, and Maderlav is on the cusp of defeat. The Coalition has forever been steeped in magic-consuming shadow ore that has been slowly draining all traces of the fantastical from the country across the Gray Sea. It is evidence, the Coalition claims, of the unnaturalness of magic—something that belongs in their world should not be so fallible. Now, at the tipping point, they have found the source of the poison and are determined to quicken the spread across magic-rich Maderlav, too. Seeding once-prosperous lands with the shadows, the Coalition is determined to rip magic from every last living being in the name of moral superiority.

When the infamous Coalition leader, the Dragone, is rumored dead and venerated as martyr, it seems a Coalition victory is almost certain.

The only problem is Rose, the daughter of the Dragone.

With a longing for the love she lost, a slew of false names—nearly a thousand of them, to be precise—and a soul-taking darkness borne from her time steeped in the shadows of her home, Rose sets out to avenge her father’s death. To her surprise, though, her biggest obstacle isn’t Nala, the annoyingly endearing elf dogging her steps, nor is it Quinn, the ambitious rebel leader with a talent for staying one step ahead.

No, what stands in her way is her doubt, her cowardice, and her disloyalty. As she sacrifices her friends, jeopardizes what surely would’ve been a Coalition victory, and bears witness to the deaths that come from tearing magic asunder, Rose must make a decision about whether avenging her father is worth the increasingly steep price. With gods and shadows and souls and gardens—and betrayal after betrayal—Rose will have to decide whether coming face-to-face with the person who killed her father was really worth the high price of justice.