by Kiera Azar
First published 2025
Alissa Paine possesses the very power her Hunter family was born to destroy. In the Kingdom of Daradon, Wielders command Spectres, luminous threads that extend from their bodies to touch, unlock, or kill. The kingdom fears these abilities and hunts down anyone who displays them. At eighteen, Alissa has survived through rigid self-discipline and her father's protection. When the royal court summons her for debutante season, she enters a world of palace politics and deadly secrets. Two men threaten her carefully constructed life: a prince whose beauty masks his cruelty and who would execute her if he discovered her nature, and a foreign ambassador pursuing his own hidden goals. Romance becomes a trap that could expose everything she fights to conceal. As Rose Season unfolds at court, Alissa must navigate betrayal and desire while keeping her magic hidden. Discovery means death, but suppressing her true self may cost her even more.
Genres: romance, adventure, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, hidden-powers
Setting: Kingdom of Daradon
464 pages · Kindle Edition · Storytide
Content warnings: violence