The first book in a thrilling, high-concept fantasy series where power comes at a deadly cost, blending brutal trials, political intrigue and a forbidden romance. For fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Fourth Wing.

MAGIC IS MURDER

In the brutal kingdom of Averyth, where outlawed magic is passed through murder, the Chosen are trained from childhood to make sure it ends that way.

Auri is the best of them. An elite torturer with a flawless record, raised to hunt outlawed magic with blades and blood. Loyal. Lethal. Unquestioning.

Until Auri is thrust into a competition to crown the first Royal Chosen, and she realizes that winning could expose the secret she's risked everything to keep hidden: Auri has magic of her own.

As the trials unfold, it becomes clear that Auri's loyalty is what's really being tested.

Then everything breaks. The competition is violently interrupted by a coordinated attack-one that fractures the illusion of control Averyth has relied on for generations.

In the chaos, Auri is forced to flee with the last person she should trust: a former Assignment she was trained to break. A man bound to her past, armed with dangerous truths and a dangerously disarming charm that's becoming harder to resist.

Hunted by the very system she upheld, Auri must unravel betrayals, buried histories, and a prophecy whispered in the shadows.

Because some destinies don't come quietly.

Some destinies scream.

© Nicole Holleman 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027