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- Expected 4 May 2021
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FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RED QUEEN COMES A BRAND NEW SERIES

SAVE THE WORLD OR END IT...

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage - with the power to save the world from destruction.

Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him.

Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 29 MAR 2021

Only descendants of Old Cor, an ancient fallen empire, can manipulate the Spindle gates that connect Allward to other worlds. One such individual, Cortael, believes the Spindles should stay shut, as they have for centuries not all realms are friendly, after all, and some contain monsters. Cortael's twin, Taristan, however, aims to open as many Spindles as he can find, destabilizing Allward so that the evil entity he worships, What Waits, can take over. When Taristan kills Cortael during a battle for control of a Spindle, Cortael's ally Domacridhan an immortal "Elder" whose ancestors hail from another land tracks down Corayne an-Amarat, the 17-year-old daughter of Cortael and a notorious pirate queen, and persuades her to help stop her uncle. Aiding their quest are 17-year-old squire Andry Trelland and 30-year-old assassin Sorasa Sarn, among others. Insufficiently elucidated worldbuilding and late-defined stakes hinder this expansive, action-packed series launch from Aveyard (the Red Queen series). Some point-of view characters lack depth, but the ensemble cast, whose skin tones range from golden to dark brown, features several fierce females whose uncertain fates may lure readers back for the sequel. Ages 13 up. \n

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