"Content Guidance War, violence, blood, death, murder of a loved one, fictional drug/alcohol use, addiction, wounds, physical assault, trauma, sexual content, profanity, and a brief mention of cannibalism." --Introduction

""His Imperial Majesty, King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest." When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab's forge, she believes it's a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith-one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm-but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved. But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined-and fraught with danger. It's not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who draws her interest...and her ire. The invitation isn't a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the starbringer-a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia. When the rebels carry out a brutal strike, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the starbringer. But Roshan is hiding secrets of his own. And with no control of the power that seems to be stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of the old gods themselves...and the interest of one dark god in particular might be the biggest threat of all"--