Ava, a not-so-princessy-princess stuck in an oppressive life finds unexpected freedom through a series of harrowing events. Will she be willing to sacrifice that freedom to save her new world? Ava was born into a life as constricting as the corset around her waist. The threads tighten when she is betrothed to a man she’s never met because her father puts duty before family. Tomorrow she leaves for Erdene, to marry its king and cement the alliance between their realms. But Ava's undesirable future is about to unravel.
Ava’s caravan is attacked by the Deimos, a coalition of thieves, brigands, and criminals that claim no country as home. But the attackers are more than men – they have strength the likes of which Ava has never seen, ferocity only matched by legends, and brutality that makes her question if they are even human. It is only when Ava is inadvertently rescued from the Deimos by the Vorosi and their leader, Kallan, that Ava’s eyes open to the possibility that not all things are as they seem. Different doesn’t mean wrong, simple doesn't mean primitive, and power doesn't always reside in the hands of the righteous.
Faced with the threat of the Deimos looming closer and the mystery of their origins Ava finally discovers the hidden danger to her home and with it, her purpose. She must forfeit the freedom and love she has earned or her new world will burn to ash.
