Part of The Ashes of Thezmarr
First published 2025
Wren Embervale has spent years perfecting her poisons and hunting those who killed her friends. The alchemist turned assassin prefers solitude to company, vengeance to peace. Then someone uses mysterious alchemy to attack a king, and Wren's hidden life ends abruptly. The ancient academy of Drevenor offers her a place to study this dark magic and develop a cure. First she must survive the Gauntlet, brutal trials that break minds and end lives. Other competitors scheme against her, but a deeper conspiracy targets magic wielders across the realm. Her assigned protector makes everything worse. Torj Elderbrock, the silver haired war hero, despises Wren for assassinating someone under his protection. Their past creates dangerous friction between them. As Wren navigates academy politics and magical threats, she discovers enemies everywhere. The fragile peace between kingdoms hangs in the balance. Torj represents everything she should avoid, yet their shared history pulls them together. Wren must decide whether love offers salvation or becomes the deadliest poison she has ever encountered.
Genres: romance, adventure, fantasy, action, dark-fantasy
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, gritty, intense, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, found-family, slow-burn-romance
Setting: Drevenor, the realm
662 pages · Paperback · Alchemy
Content warnings: death, murder, violence