As the kingdom flourished, the woods became cursed, and no one is allowed to go into them. The kingdom of Aloriya is a land of peace and free of disease since the King made a deal with the Lady who ruled the woods three hundred years ago. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home.īut the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions a small and irritating fox from the royal garden and the magic in her veins. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse-the magic-in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything.Īs a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden.Ĭerys knows this all too well: When she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. Ashley Poston, acclaimed author of Heart of Iron, returns with a dark, lush fairy tale–inspired fantasy for fans of Sara Raasch and Susan Dennard.Ĭerys is safe in the Kingdom of Aloriya.

Among beasts and briars