May thy soul seek the Hearth of Song, the stars' blessed kiss upon thy brow. But should blessed star of thy soul be, may wing and claw play a savior's melody. By the will of the gods, Eloise Fennhaven was born cursed. She is the only soul in the kingdom of Aedreath without a shred of magic, which leaves her with no other choice but to do as she's told. With the eternal aurora filled night sky as her witness, she acts as her grandmother's assassin, forever trapped in a manipulative, ruthless cycle. So when the king names her as a competitor in his annual Starlight Trials, Eloise knows she's been given a clear death sentence. But winning grants unrestricted access to the sacred Temple of Borealis, where unimaginable power lies hidden amongst nightmares and ruin. Power that could sever the chains of her curse. She could break the cycle. As her every step forward is haunted by shadows she cannot seem to shake, Eloise is forced into an impossible alliance with the son of the king's Second, and his lethal inner circle. Not only must she navigate the trials before her, but she must also elude the fire in his veins before it consumes them both. She despises him. He wants to save her life. An invisible thread constantly pulls them together, woven on the foundations of a secret he and his inner circle keep from her. Something ancient, and winged. A secret that has everything to do with Eloise's curse, and what she was born to become.