First published 2016
Lada Dragwyla refuses to play the gentle princess. She and her brother Radu were left behind by their father to grow up in the Ottoman sultan's courts. Their royal blood makes them valuable but also puts them in constant danger. Lada trains as a warrior and schemes to destroy the empire that keeps her prisoner. Then she meets Mehmed, the sultan's son. Her feelings for him complicate everything. Radu also falls under Mehmed's influence, but in a different way. The brothers who once stood together now find themselves on opposite sides. Mehmed becomes the wedge that drives them apart. Lada must choose between her growing attachment to him and her burning need for revenge. She knows how to fight and she will do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means losing her brother forever.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, political-machinations
Setting: Ottoman Empire
Period: historical
475 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press
Content warnings: violence