The fate of an Empire lies with a headstrong Heir and a restless demon in this lush YA fantasy for fans of Laini Taylor and Girl, Serpent, Thorn.
Ever since she was a girl, Raliel Dark-Smile’s best friend has been the great demon that lives in the palace. As the daughter of the Emperor, Raliel appears cold and distant to those around her, but what no one understands is that she and the great demon, Moon, have a close and unbreakable bond and are together at all times. Moon is bound to the Emperor and his two consorts, Raliel’s parents, and when Raliel comes of age, she will be bound to Moon as well, constrained to live in the Palace for the rest of her days.
Raliel is desperate to see the Empire Between Five Mountains, and she feels a deep kinship with Moon, who longs to break free of its bonds. When the time finally arrives for Raliel’s coming of age journey, she discovers a dangerous way to take Moon with her, even as she hides this truth from her travel companion, the beautiful, demon-kissed bodyguard Osian Redpop. But Osian is hiding secrets of his own, and when a plot surfaces that threatens the Empire, Raliel will have to decide who she can trust and what she’ll sacrifice for the power to protect all that she loves.
TESSA GRATTON is the author of adult SFF titles The Queens of Innis Lear and Lady Hotspur from Tor Books, as well as the original fairy tales Strange Grace and Night Shine from McElderry Books. Her YA series and short stories have been translated into twenty-two languages. Though she has lived all over the world, she currently resides alongside the Kansas prairie with her wife.
Sarah Naughton is an Audie Award–nominated narrator who has recorded titles in a variety of genres, including young adult, mystery, and thriller. Also a renowned actress, singer, and dancer, she is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.