by Keri Lake
First published 2025
Maevyth Bronwick faces a terrible choice. Tragedy strikes her village, forcing her to flee into the Voracious Forest, a cursed realm that devours everything it touches. Only the mad or the banished dare enter its borders. She passes through a bone archway and emerges in Etiria, a dark magical world filled with sinister creatures and shadow magic. Here, wicked sorcerers hunt her relentlessly. Her sole protector is Zevander Rydainn, known as the Scorpion, the king's most feared assassin and a cursed lord. As fate weaves its designs around them, a dangerous attraction grows between the refugee and her deadly guardian. Maevyth soon realizes that survival in this forest demands transformation. She must become the most terrifying thing within its boundaries, more fearsome than any creature that stalks its shadows.
Genres: romance, fantasy, dark-fantasy, fantasy-romance
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, protector
Setting: Etiria, Voracious Forest
680 pages · Paperback · Plaza & Janés
Content warnings: violence