Description

For fans of House of the Dragon (R) and The Priory of the Orange Tree comes a dark and propulsive tale of warring kingdoms, female rage and a wild magic that refuses to be tamed, by the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Fallen Gods trilogy.

“Death is come to take you home, death of blood and thorn and bone…”

Tilde has always heard the whispers of the kithwood, the voices of her ancestors speaking through the mysterious forest of her homeland.

But now both the kithwood and her kingdom are in danger.

For Tilde is the only surviving heir of a conquered land. To unite the people and finally stop the bloodshed, she marries the ageing warlord, King Liran. Her duty is to bind their nations and bear him a son.

But the swan king’s court is dangerous. Tilde is a threat to the claim of Liran’s older sons, who will do whatever it takes to remove her, to the princess Elise who has only ever known loyalty to her family, and to the priests who own them all.

Yet none of them know that Tilde is a snake in their midst, with allies on her side and dark, forbidden power of her own. She wants her kingdom back, and she will sacrifice everything to claim it.

For the queen to rise, the swans must fall.

‘One of my favourite epics of all time’ – SAMANTHA SHANNON

‘Breathtaking’ – SAARA EL-ARIFI

‘An addictive, cunning political fantasy’ – SHANNON CHAKRABORTY

‘Captivating’ – ANTONIA HODGSON

‘Vicious, brutal, intricate’ – TASHA SURI

Publisher Review

‘One of my favourite epics of all time: dark and lyrical, thick with intrigue, told by women who rattle and rage against the cage of patriarchy’ – Samantha Shannon, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree ‘The book reads like poetry but retains a pace that took my breath away… Every word has been written with intention, every character carved with deft skill’ – Saara El-Arifi, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Faebound trilogy ‘A bold, powerful new fantasy epic… a compelling tale of blood, tyranny and magic, where every choice demands sacrifice, and every move risks death’ – Antonia Hodgson, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Raven Scholar ‘Complicated political machinations, twists that made me audibly gasp, and forbidden sapphic longing came together for a story that has me chomping at the bit for the next installment’ – Hannah Whitten, Sunday Times bestselling author of For The Wolf ‘A uniquely vivid and violent combination of the most epic, sweeping fantasy series and the most brutal, lyrical Grimm fairytales. Fans of Game of Thrones and The Priory of the Orange Tree will be obsessed’- L.K. Steven, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Silvercloak Saga ‘An addictive, cunning political fantasy whose scheming courtly factions and cutthroat star-crossed lovers are as beguiling and unpredictable as the lethal magic wilds that surround them’ – Shannon Chakraborty, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ‘A riveting and nuanced tale about the ways in which the power we seek and the survival we need can also be our undoing’ – Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters ‘Vicious, brutal, intricate and utterly incredible. Hannah Kaner is a queen of epic fantasy’ – Tasha Suri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Isle in the Silver Sea ‘A magnificently crafted dark and twisted fairy tale’ – Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Hera