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Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows
by Sebastien de CastellA mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame!Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king's personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute.But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar's ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy.Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he's sworn to protect.Investigate alongside Estevar and the most heroic mule ever to appear in print in this thrilling swashbuckling fantasy mystery by Sebastien de Castell, author of the Internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger series!Crucible of Chaos may be read as a stand-alone fantasy novel and as a prelude to Play of Shadows, the first official novel in the Court of Shadows series!
Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows
by Sebastien de CastellA mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame!Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king's personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute.But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar's ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy.Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he's sworn to protect.Investigate alongside Estevar and the most heroic mule ever to appear in print in this thrilling swashbuckling fantasy mystery by Sebastien de Castell, author of the Internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger series!Crucible of Chaos may be read as a stand-alone fantasy novel and as a prelude to Play of Shadows, the first official novel in the Court of Shadows series!
Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows
by Sebastien de CastellA mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame!Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king's personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute.But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar's ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy.Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he's sworn to protect.Investigate alongside Estevar and the most heroic mule ever to appear in print in this thrilling swashbuckling fantasy mystery by Sebastien de Castell, author of the Internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger series!Crucible of Chaos may be read as a stand-alone fantasy novel and as a prelude to Play of Shadows, the first official novel in the Court of Shadows series!
Crucible of Fate (Change of Heart #4)
by Mary CalmesA Change of Heart NovelIn the secret city of Sobek, Domin Thorne is making his way as the newly chosen semel-aten, the leader of the werepanther world. He aspires to make sweeping changes—he’s set goals for himself and the people he chose to bring with him, modeling his reign after that of his friend, Logan Church. But Domin may have set too lofty a goal: his normal leadership style isn’t working.While juggling a homesick Crane, a moody Mikhail, a bullwhip-wielding Taj, servants with murderous intentions, a visiting ex, and a mate on a dangerous goodwill mission, Domin has to figure out his new role alone. He also must determine how to deal with a conspiracy, all the while falling hard for a man who, for the first time in Domin’s life, reciprocates that love. Whether Domin is ready or not, Fate has stepped in to teach him a lesson: internal threats are just as dangerous as external ones.
Crucible of Gold: A Novel of Temeraire (Temeraire #7)
by Naomi NovikNaomi Novik's beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon's forces and the friendly--and sometimes not-so-friendly--fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason. For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain's last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon. And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio--and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one's country do not always run on parallel tracks. Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers. Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor's edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk--for one bold enough to grasp it.From the Hardcover edition.
A Crucible of Souls
by Mitchell HoganAn imaginative new talent makes his debut with the acclaimed first installment in the epic Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, a mesmerizing tale of high fantasy that combines magic, malevolence, and mysteryAfter young Caldan's parents are brutally slain, the boy is raised by monks who initiate him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery.Growing up plagued by questions about his past, Caldan vows to discover who his parents were, and why they were killed. The search will take him beyond the walls of the monastery, into the unfamiliar and dangerous chaos of city life. With nothing to his name but a pair of mysterious heirlooms and a handful of coins, he must prove his talent to become apprenticed to a guild of sorcerers.But the world outside the monastery is a darker place than he ever imagined, and his treasured sorcery has disturbing depths he does not fully understand. As a shadowy evil manipulates the unwary and forbidden powers are unleashed, Caldan is plunged into an age-old conflict that will bring the world to the edge of destruction. Soon, he must choose a side--and face the true cost of uncovering his past.
A Crucible of Souls: Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence
by Mitchell HoganAn imaginative new talent makes his debut with the acclaimed first installment in the epic Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, a mesmerizing tale of high fantasy that combines magic, malevolence, and mysteryAfter young Caldan's parents are brutally slain, the boy is raised by monks who initiate him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery.Growing up plagued by questions about his past, Caldan vows to discover who his parents were, and why they were killed. The search will take him beyond the walls of the monastery, into the unfamiliar and dangerous chaos of city life. With nothing to his name but a pair of mysterious heirlooms and a handful of coins, he must prove his talent to become apprenticed to a guild of sorcerers.But the world outside the monastery is a darker place than he ever imagined, and his treasured sorcery has disturbing depths he does not fully understand. As a shadowy evil manipulates the unwary and forbidden powers are unleashed, Caldan is plunged into an age-old conflict that will bring the world to the edge of destruction. Soon, he must choose a side--and face the true cost of uncovering his past.
The Crucible of Time
by John BrunnerLife had become too interesting on one world crawling across the rubble-strewn arm of a spiral galaxy. For as the system moved it swept up cosmic dust and debris. Ice ages and periods of tropical warmth followed one another very quickly. Meteors large and small fell constantly. Yesterday's fabled culture might be tomorrow's interesting hole in the ground. But society had always endured. Many thought it always would. Only the brightest scientists admitted that to survive, the race would have to abandon the planet. And to do that they'd have to invent spacecraft . . .This engrossing epic describes the development, over millennia, of a species from a culture of planet-bound medieval city-states to a sophisticated, technological civilization. With The Crucible of Time, John Brunner returns to the large-canvas science fiction he pioneered in his Hugo Award-winning, novel Stand on Zanzibar.First published in 1982.
The Crucible of Time
by John BrunnerLife had become too interesting on one world crawling across the rubble-strewn arm of a spiral galaxy. For as the system moved it swept up cosmic dust and debris. Ice ages and periods of tropical warmth followed one another very quickly. Meteors large and small fell constantly. Yesterday's fabled culture might be tomorrow's interesting hole in the ground. But society had always endured. Many thought it always would. Only the brightest scientists admitted that to survive, the race would have to abandon the planet. And to do that they'd have to invent spacecraft . . .This engrossing epic describes the development, over millennia, of a species from a culture of planet-bound medieval city-states to a sophisticated, technological civilization. With The Crucible of Time, John Brunner returns to the large-canvas science fiction he pioneered in his Hugo Award-winning, novel Stand on Zanzibar.First published in 1982.
The Crucible of Time: The Sheep Look Up, The Crucible Of Time, And The Jagged Orbit
by John BrunnerAn alien race struggles to survive on an uninhabitable planet in this &“impeccably detailed and beautifully thought out&” novel from a Hugo Award winner (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). On a planet besieged with cosmic dust, where meteors of all sizes frequently hit, wiping out entire civilizations, a strange alien species struggles against extinction over the course of millennia. As their star grows hotter, melting ice caps and causing more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, higher levels of radiation lead to higher rates of mutation. Plants that had been edible become poisonous or die off altogether. Watching their dire situation only get worse, the planet&’s scientists finally acknowledge that to survive long-term, the inhabitants will have to abandon their fraught home world and become a space-faring species. In a story that spans millennia, Hugo Award–winning author and British science fiction master John Brunner introduces us to an alien race that takes control of their own evolution and builds the technological society that will be their way into space. &“One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves.&” —SF Site
Crucible Zero
by Devon MonkThe national bestselling author of Infinity Bell returns to her "fresh and unique"* world where the truce between the ruling Houses has shattered and chaos now reigns. Only one woman has the power to save the world--but she could also destroy it. . . .Matilda Case never thought of herself as a hero. But because she is galvanized--and nearly immortal in her stitched, endlessly healing body--she doesn't have much of a choice. Even if she doesn't want to save the world, she's the only one capable of traveling in time to do so.But her rescue attempt hasn't gone as planned. She's stuck in an alternate universe, and her world is in danger of disappearing. Worst of all, an unfathomably powerful man who can also travel through history doesn't want her to put things to rights. He's willing to wage bloody war to stop Matilda, unless she surrenders control of time to him.Now, with the minutes ticking, Matilda must make impossible decisions, knowing that one wrong choice will destroy her--and any chance of saving everything she loves. . . .*A Book Obsession
Crucibles of Power (The Threat of Angeals)
by C. T. FitzgeraldIn an island realm surrounded by darkness, a battle between order and chaos brews . . . The world is young, dark, and rough. But the bright light of civilization illuminates the highly advanced Island Nation of Athlan, a country of order, balance, and progress. However, the world is changing, and what is solid becomes fractured. Amidst this epic era of devolution, the never-ending cosmic battle for control of earth has centered on Athlan. While celestial forces gather, wielding power unimagined, the Marfach Gardai, human defenders of Athlan, ready themselves for the final conflict with the lethal, mindless Armies of the Night. Athlanians, great and small, men and women, will die in bloody droves, incapable of understanding or escaping their fate as Great Athlan destroys itself. Witnessing the battle for her planet, Mother Earth joins the fray with a small but extremely potent cadre of once-women who defend the earth with their lives. In the end, everyone will become a pawn on the empyrean board of life and death, and the game is in doubt . . .
Crucifax
by Ray GartonOriginally published in 1988, Ray Garton's fourth novel, following not long after his award-nominated LIVE GIRLS, is regarded as a classic of the "splatterpunk" movement in horror fiction. Garton has a way with teenage boredom, atmospheric small-town isolation, incest, drug abuse and over-the-top violence and he has managed to create a modern re-make of the story of the Pied Piper with a sinister character, Mace (who wears a "crucifax" around his neck--a crucifix with an ax-like blade on it) appearing on the scene, seducing mixed-up kids with his siren song of pleasure, power and indulgence, all leading to a horrifically unsettling climax of death and destruction. And then there are the rat-like things that do the piper's bidding...
A Cruel and Fated Light (A Dark and Hollow Star)
by Ashley ShuttleworthAn ailing king. An ambitious queen. Four tenuous friends. And a deadly game that threatens them all.The stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star.After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders - and breaking several fae laws to do so - all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck's Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn't be too much to ask, right?But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods' attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it's Arlo they're going to use to do it.When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She'll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she's just been greatly misunderstood.With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she'll soon be faced with a choice that won't only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever, but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.
A Cruel and Fated Light (A Dark and Hollow Star)
by Ashley ShuttleworthAn ailing king. An ambitious queen. Four tenuous friends. And a deadly game that threatens them all.The stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star.After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders - and breaking several fae laws to do so - all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck's Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn't be too much to ask, right?But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods' attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it's Arlo they're going to use to do it.When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She'll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she's just been greatly misunderstood.With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she'll soon be faced with a choice that won't only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever, but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.(P) 2022 Simon & Schuster
A Cruel and Fated Light (Hollow Star Saga #2)
by Ashley ShuttleworthHalf-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this &“beautifully written and deliciously complex&” (Nicki Pau Preto, author of the Crown of Feathers trilogy) sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that&’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck&’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn&’t be too much to ask, right? But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods&’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it&’s Arlo they&’re going to use to do it. When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She&’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she&’s just been greatly misunderstood. With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she&’ll soon be faced with a choice that won&’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.
Cruel Beauty
by Rosamund HodgeThe romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in a dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny. But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected--particularly her charming and beguiling new husband.Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy--who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.For fans of bestselling authors Kristin Cashore and Alex Flinn, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away.
Cruel Crown: Two Red Queen Short Stories
by Victoria AveyardIn a world divided by blood - Red or Silver - two women tell the stories no one else knows.For Coriane of House Jacos, love comes at a terrible cost. In a secret diary, she recounts her heady courtship with the heir to the Silver throne, Prince Tiberias, and the dangers that lurk at the heart of the royal court.Captain Farley is at the forefront of the Red rebellion. As she plans an attack on the Silver capital, she discovers a secret that could sway the balance of power for ever.Two gripping stories. One fight for justice.Red vs Silver.Contains an extract from GLASS SWORD, the second novel in the Red Queen series.
Cruel Crown: Two Red Queen Short Stories
by Victoria AveyardTwo women on either side of the Silver-Red divide tell the stories no one else knows.Queen SongQueen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary - how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.Steel ScarsDiana Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation - Mare Barrow.Read by Andi Arndt, Jayne Entwistle and Amanda Dolan(p) 2016 HarperCollins Publishers
Cruel Crown (Red Queen Novella)
by Victoria AveyardDiscover the truth of Norta's bloody past in this paperback bind-up of two novella-length prequels to #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series. <p><p> Queen Song: Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life. <p><p> Steel Scars: Captain Farley exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance as she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital. She was raised to be strong, but planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected—until she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation: Mare Barrow. <p><p> This paperback bind-up also includes an excerpt of the second book in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword.
Cruel Enchantment
by Anya BastView our feature on Anya Bast's Cruel Enchantment. The Dark Magick series continues from this New York Times bestselling author. To keep her fae race from being eradicated, Emmaline Gallagher must retrieve an object of fae power from a locked ancient box. Only Aeric O'Malley has the forging skills to create a key. But will their tumultuous past stand in the way?
Cruel Illusions: the deliciously dark and addictive magical fantasy
by Margie Fuston'The perfect sinisterly magical escape' Stephanie GarberCaraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother's death.Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. But it's been ten years since anyone's seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she'll ever find one . . . until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she's hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can't explain. But they've been waiting for her. The magicians reveal they're part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there's a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she's worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.
Cruel Illusions
by Margie FustonCaraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother's death. <p><p>Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. But it's been ten years since anyone's seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she'll ever find one . . . until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she's hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can't explain. But they've been waiting for her. <p><p>The magicians reveal they're part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there's a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she's worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly. <p>(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Cruel Illusions
by Margie Fuston&“The perfect sinisterly magical escape…full of longing, desperation, and betrayal.&” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval trilogy and Once Upon a Broken Heart Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this &“beguiling&” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother&’s death.Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. But it&’s been ten years since anyone&’s seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she&’ll ever find one…until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she&’s hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can&’t explain. But they&’ve been waiting for her. The magicians reveal they&’re part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there&’s a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she&’s worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.
Cruel Is the Light
by Sophie ClarkINSTANT #1 UK BESTSELLER • The epic young adult romantasy that caused an international sensation—a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers saga about a war between demons and exorcists . . . and the forbidden love that could change the course of history. &“Sinister magic, crackling banter, and sizzling tension.&”—Emily Thiede, author of This Vicious Grace It is said that love conquers all. But will it tear them apart?Humanity has waged a bloody war against demons for more than a century, with two elite soldiers now leading the fight: Selene Alleva, a powerful exorcist trained at the prestigious Vatican Academy, and orphan Jules Lacroix, unrivaled on the battlefield.When their paths cross, the distrust—and unwelcome attraction—is immediately apparent. But to get to the bottom of a series of unprecedented demon attacks, Selene and Jules strike an uneasy alliance, agreeing to an unusual arrangement: a fake engagement. With Jules posing as Selene&’s estranged fiancé, they head to the holy Vatican City in search of answers—only to discover a terrible secret.Soon Jules is forced to question everything he&’s ever known—including himself. And Selene, unable to ignore her growing feelings for Jules, must make an impossible choice between love and duty.Book One of the Cruel Is the Light Duology