The Palace of Games and Secrets

some monsters were punished before they were ever understood.

Thea Corvidian has never wanted more than the life she already has. Her family, her village, the apothecary they run together, and the magic she uses to heal, grow, and give back to the land are enough.

Then the second prince arrives with a royal decree.

Erasmus Leander Theron has come to summon Thea to the palace as a prospective bride for his sister, the future queen. It is presented as a courtship arrangement, but Thea understands immediately that a royal command may be dressed in gold and still be a cage.

And the palace is interested in far more than marriage.

Six years ago, Thea saved Erasmus from an apparition using magic unlike anything the kingdom has ever known. And now the royal family knows about it. Her unique magic could change a war Ventoria has been fighting for generations. But it also makes her exactly the kind of tool powerful people prefer to keep under their control.

Caught inside a courtship she never chose and a palace determined to turn her power into its own, Thea will have to survive a court of games and secrets without letting it decide who she is or what her magic is for.

for readers who like: court fantasy, political cages, dangerous magic, morally complicated royalty, old debts, and heroines who refuse to mistake obedience for duty.

currently available: archive preview