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Seventeen-year-old Maris Raider is the last surviving heir of the fallen Lion house, kept alive under the watch of Vic Dreako—the charming, ruthless prince who murdered her family and now rules the cliffside city of High Anglen. Every Sweet Day, the city showers itself in sugar and sacrifices its second-born children to the river gods, a tradition Maris has always feared… and one she’s about to uncover the truth behind.
Marked by a searing blue light in her eye and visions that pull her into the haunted Vesarreo Forest, Maris is warned that if she kills Vic, she will die. She plans to do it anyway. Armed with her father’s dagger, she means to strike during the Sweet Day procession and end Vic’s serpent rule forever.
But when the prophecy comes true and betrayal ruins her chance, Vic orders her execution—and the power in Maris’s cursed eye erupts. Blue fire surges through her, revealing the chained spirits of sacrificed children and the terrifying will of the river gods. Saved by Raith, Vic’s scarred captain and reluctant traitor, Maris is forced into an uneasy alliance as the city falls into chaos.
Now Maris must face an impossible choice: kill Vic and doom herself, or flee with her family’s murderer still alive—and confront the dark forces rising from the river and the forest beyond.