WAR IS COMING, SECRETS MULTIPLY AND
BETRAYAL WAITS IN THE WINGS.

The Annurian Empire's ruling family must be vigilant, as the conspiracy against them deepens. Having discovered her father's assassin, Adare flees the Dawn Palace in search of allies. But few trust her, until she seems marked by the people's goddess in an ordeal of flame. As Adare struggles to unite Annur, internal unrest breeds rival armies, then barbarian hordes threaten to invade - and unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn has fallen in with forces mustering at the empire's borders. The terrible choices they face could make war between them inevitable.

Fighting his own battles is their brother Kaden, rightful heir to the Unhewn Throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with two strange companions. While imperial forces prepare to defend a far-distant front, Kaden's actions could save the empire, or destroy it.

'Following in the footsteps of George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie and the like . . . exciting'
Kirkus Reviews

'This incredible sequel to The Emperor's Blades was everything I hoped for'
Bibliosanctum.com

'Superbly written, sublimely enchanting, utterly engrossing'
TheBookGeek.co.uk

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Brian Staveley is the author of the award-winning fantasy trilogy, The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, which has been translated into a dozen languages worldwide, and Skullsworn, a stand-alone novel set in the same world.
After teaching literature, philosophy, history, and religion for more than a decade, Brian began writing fiction. He now lives on a steep dirt road in the mountains of southern Vermont, where he divides his time between fathering, writing, mountain biking, splitting wood, skiing, and adventuring, not necessarily in that order.