When Nadya prays to the gods, they listen, and magic flows through her veins. For nearly a century the Kalyazi have been locked in a deadly holy war with Tranavian heretics, and her power is the only thing that is a match for the enemy’s blood magic. But when the Travanian High Prince, and his army invade the monastery she is hiding in, instead of saving her people, Nadya is forced to flee the only home she’s ever known, leaving it in flames behind her, and vengeance in her heart.
As night falls, she chooses to defy her gods and forge a dangerous alliance with a pair of refugees and their Tranavian blood mage leader, a beautiful, broken boy who deserted his homeland after witnessing his blood cult commit unthinkable monstrosities. The plan? Assassinate the king and stop the war.
But when they discover a nefarious conspiracy that goes beyond their two countries, everything Nadya believes is thrown into question, including her budding feelings for her new partner. Someone has been harvesting blood mages for a dark purpose, experimenting with combining Tranavian blood magic with the Kalyazi’s divine one. In order to save her people, Nadya must now decide whether to trust the High Prince - her country’s enemy - or the beautiful boy with powers that may ignite something far worse than the war they’re trying to end.
A fairy tale in the style of the old ways, where it's hard to tell who is the monster and who may be a god. Where affairs of the heart are tinged with blood - and everything else is too. Where betrayal is common, and darkness resides within...just waiting to be released.
This book is so good. Besides just the overall awesome of the tale, Duncan did an excellent job conveying the atmosphere. It is a dark story, where the hints of light are all the more important for their rarity. The characters are all well done, and even those least sympathetic manage to work their way into your thoughts. Because who is *really* the monster in this tale? Or is it everyone?
I will definitely be reading book two, and I look forward to finding out how this moves forward.
