First published 2026
Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada carries the weight of his difficult past when the US government forces his family from their home in 1942. Violet Aratani loses everything she cared about when authorities shut down her parents' print shop and ship them to a desert internment camp in California. Both teens possess family relics that hum with ancient magic, but neither expects to find each other behind the barbed wire fences. Their attraction grows stronger as camp life strips away everything familiar. Then they discover a god trapped in mortal form, walking among the imprisoned families. He offers them a divine favor in exchange for his freedom, but claiming this reward could put their lives at risk. As tensions mount in the camp and their feelings deepen, Ren and Violet must decide whether divine intervention can overcome the hatred that surrounds them. Their choice will determine not only their own fate but the destiny of everyone they love.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: United States, California
Period: 1942
432 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press
Content warnings: violence