“RAISES THE BAR FOR WHAT EPIC FANTASY SHOULD BE.” - Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights
A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come together to rewrite the fate of an empire in this “fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world” (S. A. Chakraborty).
Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household, biting her tongue and cleaning Malini’s chambers.
But when Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.
An intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. I loved it.
- Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Gripping and harrowing from the very start.
- R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War
Suri’s incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove. Simply magnificent.
- Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun
A fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love in a world of politics and power.
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This cutthroat and sapphic novel will grip you until the very end.
- Vulture (Best of the Year)
Lush and stunning....Inspired by Indian epics, this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out.
- BuzzFeed News