In Emily R. King's thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms
into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest
to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her
own.
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood in the ancient Tarachand Empire,
eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of
seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she's an unlikely candidate for
even a servant's position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream
is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood's mountain temple.
But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda's life. Within
hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek,
and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah's ninety-nine wives
and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her
guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.
Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death--and her growing
affection for Deven--Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies
in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.