NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of SIX CRIMSON CRANES comes a
fantasy tale of two sisters—one as beautiful as the other is monstrous—who must fight to save
each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond
forever! One sister must fall for the other to rise. Channi was not born a monster. But
when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch she is forever changed. Cursed
with a serpent’s face Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister Vanna—the only
person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves
and trusts. Now at seventeen Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich
the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning
all these years can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so
she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale a quest over land and sea
a romance between sworn enemies and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking
point. Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales
like Beauty and the Beast Helen of Troy and Asian folklore Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute
top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of
beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.
