In a world where magic means servitude, being giftless is a blessing.Mariah's twenty-first birthday was supposed to bring freedom: from expectation, from scrutiny, from the oppressive lord reigning over her hometown. When a summons from the Queen puts those dreams at risk, she has no choice but to follow through—even if it means a future she doesn't want or deserve.Thrust into a world of cutthroat politics, secret rituals, and ruthless power grabs,...

Those who burn the brightest, fall the hardest.Mariah Salis, Queen Apparent of Onita, has been betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust the most. Now a prisoner of the ruthless royals, she clings to the tattered threads of her soul as her hope wanes with each passing day.Back in the capital of Verith, Mariah's friends and Armature search desperately for their missing queen. When a new threat sails in from the east and the city's prote...