BOOK THREE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES : An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads
pick and New York Times bestseller! Beyond the Martial Empire and within it the threat of
war looms ever larger. Helene Aquilla the Blood Shrike is desperate to protect her sister's
life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides:
Emperor Marcus haunted by his past grows increasingly unstable and violent while Keris
Veturia the ruthless Commandant capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own
power--regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path. Far to the east Laia of Serra knows
the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court but in stopping the
Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down Laia faces unexpected threats from those she
hoped would help her and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight. And
in the land between the living and the dead Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve
as Soul Catcher. But in doing so he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his
complete surrender--even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.
