A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. All collide in this twisty, explosive space opera debut, perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley. Jun Ironway—hacker, con artist, and occasional thief—has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for proof that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold. Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots’ monopoly—and they can’t afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire. But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone’s guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all. ​It's a game that could destroy their lives and devastate the stars. And they have no choice but to see it through to the end.

Chained to floors and locked in basements, Ophelia McCammon has spent her life praying to far more than the Lord Jesus in search of forgiveness. After her step-sister–Cedar Lewis–vanishes in the middle of the night, Phe is abandoned with parents who will do everything it takes to make sure their only remaining daughter proves pure and devoted to The Temple. On her knees, she begs for mercy. With an open mouth she receives the Priests’ blessings and recites her prayers. But her curious mind gets her deeply into trouble, and the Demons in her own personal Hell have become her Saviors. The divide between dark and light is only the beginning. Now, that she’s committed an unforgivable sin against her parents and has fallen into the care of her long-lost Cedar–she begins unravelling between the segments of her monster and her madness. Forbidden desires build home in her flesh and blood, tempting her with sins far worse than she could have ever expected. Which side of her will win? The Monster. Or The Devoted.