From the acclaimed author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns comes a
fantastical new tale of darkness and love, in which magical bonds are
stronger than blood.
Will love break the spell? After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor
physician's apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman's
daughter, regrets her actions. So when she finds Bao's prized flute
floating in his boat near her house, she takes it into her care, not
knowing that his soul has been trapped inside it by an evil witch, who
cursed Bao, telling him that only love will set him free. Though Bao now
despises her, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.
Together, the two travel across the continent, finding themselves in the
presence of greatness in the forms of the Great Forest's Empress Jade
and Commander Wei. They journey with Wei, getting tangled in the webs of
war, blood magic, and romance along the way. Will Lan and Bao begin to
break the spell that's been placed upon them? Or will they be doomed to
live out their lives with black magic running through their veins?
In this fantastical tale of darkness and love, some magical bonds are
stronger than blood.