Frankie Diane Mallis

Cleopatra meets Throne of Glass in this stunning debut. 19-year-old mage Lady Lyriana Batavia is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria: a position of wealth and privilege, but not safety. Bamaria falls under the rule of the Lumerian Empire, survivors of a celestial war whose island sank in the Drowning. Now all Lumerians submit to the Emperor and his strict laws about magic. He decides what magic can be practiced and what powers remain forbidden. He decides who will die for possession of forbidden magic. Lyr’s own cousin was executed for wielding the wrong kind. And for years, Lyr has sworn to protect her older sisters, helping them conceal their own illicit magic. But when Lyr must participate in the ceremony that reveals her power, she uncovers something else entirely. Something that means banishment from the Empire. Faced with death in exile, and leaving her sisters behind, Lyr has no choice but to accept a deadly contract. She has seven months to train as a warrior and pass the Emperor’s brutal test of strength—all without magic. But when she’s forced to train with Lord Rhyan Hart, the man she’s secretly loved since she was a girl—a feared warrior in exile himself, forbidden to her in every way—she’s in danger of losing far more than her family, life, and country. Rebel forces, and an invading army, are destabilizing Bamaria, just as her family’s secrets threaten to reveal themselves. Surviving the training, and saving her sisters may mean sacrificing her own heart.

Now that Lyr has survived the Imperator's cruel punishment, she has only three months to prepare for the test that will decide her fate. Despite Rhyan's promise of additional training, her life has never been in more danger. Enemies known and unknown get closer every day. While the Imperator's soldiers occupy the city, the Emartis rebels grow bolder, marking Lyr as their target. Staying safe means more time under Rhyan's protection. But the closer they become, the more their desire ignites, the harder it becomes to resist temptation. Secrets can only remain hidden for so long. Even ones Lyr bled for. As new threats arrive at the Bamarian border, Lyr delves deeper into solving the mystery of her power. But revealing these secrets and surviving the Emperor's test may cost Lyr more than she can bargain for. Loyalty will be tested. Lines will be crossed. Ancient promises will be reforged. And most dangerous of all: as passion burns, oaths will be broken.

Blindsided by their aunt’s betrayal and stripped of the protections of their station, Lyr and her sisters’ only hope of survival is to throw themselves into the dark intrigue of the Bamarian Court. As Meera and Morgana struggle to hide their illegal magic while living amongst their enemies, Lyr uncovers long-buried secrets from her mother that may finally unlock her power. But the Imperators are determined to set decades-long plans into motion, with Lyr’s true identity placing her at the center of their game. As Morgana’s magic intensifies to its breaking point, she comes face to face with the Lumerian Empire’s most insidious secret—one that threatens her and Meera’s lives. To save her sisters, Lyr must escape Bamaria with Rhyan. Though they’re being hunted by demons and tracked across borders by the Empire’s forces, they’re determined to solve the puzzle Lyr’s mother left behind. But claiming Lyr’s power may not be enough as an ancient evil returns to Lumeria.

Lord Rhyan Hart, Heir Apparent to the Arkasva, High Lord of Glemaria, Imperator to the North hates everything about his title. Its length, its pretentiousness, and the fact that it connects him directly to his father, the sadistic violent man he hates more than anyone in Lumeria. The last thing Rhyan wants to do is spend the summer before his Revelation Ceremony traveling across the Empire with him for a state visit. Rhyan's resigned to his season of misery until he reaches Bamaria and sees Lady Lyriana Batavia. Rhyan's sure she doesn't remember their meeting a decade ago, but an act of kindness from her stayed with him through the years. Though he longs to know the woman she's become, he must keep his distance to protect her from his father's sinister political maneuvers. But when the undeniable attraction between them garners the attention of two dangerous Imperators competing for power, Rhyan must play the villain to keep him and Lyriana from becoming pawns. Jules, Lyriana's cousin and best friend, is the only one to see through his facade, becoming his unlikely ally as they navigate instability in the Bamarian Court. Though Lyriana is suspicious of his true motives, Rhyan's plan has nearly succeeded—until the night of the solstice, when hidden enemies emerge, posing an even greater threat. To save the girl he loves, Rhyan must play the hero—but to do so involves risking not only his heart, but exposing his most dangerous secret.

Now that Lyr knows the reincarnations of the Guardians have been reborn, she must dive deeper into her past as the Goddess Asherah, and Rhyan’s as Auriel if they’re going to survive. With Moriel’s reincarnation on the verge of restoring his God power, it’s crucial Lyr fulfills her oath to the immortal Mercurial. She must claim the red shard–and the otherworldly power it will grant her, because Lyr may be the only one strong enough to defeat a God. But traveling across the Empire is no simple task. With the consecration of Arianna as Arkasva of Bamaria, and her new political alliances in place, Lyr and Rhyan find themselves vulnerable when Rhyan’s political immunity as a forsworn is stripped. He’s now wanted in both the north and the south for questioning. Not to mention Imperator Kormac has personally tasked Lord Tristan with hunting Rhyan down and arresting him. But ever since Lyr learned the Empire’s darkest secret, that the Emperor has been enslaving vorakh, siphoning their forbidden magic to the elite, she has only one goal in mind: get Jules out. But breaking into the Emperor’s palace will be nearly impossible, especially after he announces a grand tournament to distract from the civil unrest across the land. The tournament will bring thousands to the capital, including both Imperators. Freeing her cousin will require more power than even Lyr and Rhyan combined possess, especially as more of their secrets come to light, threatening everything they’ve worked for. The only way to move forward may be to make a far more sinister deal with the person who has the most to gain–the person Rhyan trusts the least. As they navigate their mission in the present, while uncovering memories of the past, ancient enemies resurface. More Guardians’ identities are revealed, and they are ready to finish a war that started a millennia ago. To protect the ones she loves, Lyr has no choice but to harness more magic and power than she ever has before. But if she can’t claim and control the fire inside of her, she risks unleashing total destruction across the Empire, costing her everything–her freedom, her heart, and even her soul.