A high stakes, action-packed romantasy from bestselling author Emily Varga where a relic-hunter searches for an ancient fae object to restore the magic to her world, but must learn to trust her own powers—and her heart.
This limited luxe edition features gorgeous foil design on the cover and case, a dazzling edge design and an exclusive map―available while supplies last!
I’m going across the River. And I’m going to save us all.
Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.
Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema seeks: the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.
With magic that is a mystery even to her, Yaseema can help him find the crown and save his family from a fate worse than death. Unless she steals it first to help her own.
To survive, they must work together to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect their worlds. But as secrets unravel and loyalties blur, they face the greatest danger of all: losing their heart to each other.
Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Mummy, this thrilling start to a new fantasy duology bursts with dangerous romance, heart-stopping twists, and a heroine who dares to steal back her future.
Anticolonialism meets south Asian fae realm
"Book review: 3. 75/5 ⭐️ Genre: romantasy Themes: fae, colonialism, artefact repatriation, freedom fighters, forbidden romance 📖 Read if you like: Aïcha, The Mortal Queen, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods The fae world gets the flavour of south Asian culture in this new romantasy where colonialism, oppression and relic hunting become central to the storyline. Synopsis: Yaseema is a scholar forced to work for the Citadel as they search for ancient fae relics that are then sent back to a foreign Empress. Meanwhile her people starve under the thumb of their invaders. She is seen as a collaborator by day, but she seeks to restore the magic to their lands by night. When she finds a key that will lead across the River into the fae world, she is determined to bring down the wall and return magic to the world of humans. Across the way, the Prince of River is forced to don the mantle of dog for the viceroy, while he simultaneously leads a rebellion against the Salt invaders. He too is searching for the lost crown that will not only restore power to his people, but possibly free his family from entombment. When the viceroy learns of Yaseema rare gift to locate things, she is forced into employment and the three parties will have to work together to reach their goal before one will outwit the others for the prize. The world building was interesting with a rich landscape of lore, ancient curses and history of warring nations. It was refreshing, but recognizable. Both the magical and human realms mirrored each other in political bargains and oppressive invaders that stymie power from the people, thus rooting this fantastical tale in a very real condition of hardship. The overarching theme that commented on the evils of colonialism and the origins of artefacts in western society was one I very much appreciated. It was approached with both a historical and current connection that made the theme resonate even more. The hypocrisy of a girl crossing into foreign lands and stealing a relic while condemning others for doing the same bothered me, but it was eventually addressed and illustrated the complexities of maintaining compassion during oppression. Yaseema was a younger Indian Jones type, who was more bookish than hands on. She is imperfect and single minded in her determination to help her people. It leads to a messy and impulsive character arc that explores grief, identity and choice. Kiyan was a much more complicated and interesting figure as he was forced to play two parts. He is ruthless on the outside, yet tenderhearted and full of yearning for family and freedom for his people on the inside. He is full of forced juxtapositions and tragedy. The romance between the two MCs is a forbidden union that slowly builds and is full of betrayals and swaying loyalties. It lacked the tension or sparks I was hoping for, but it had development and did not pop out of nowhere. The jump from interest to sacrifice years worth of subterfuge to save was a big one, but I could buy into the rationale. Overall, it was fast paced and complex on the moral scale. I would not necessary say it is similar to the publisher comparisons, so if you are looking for something specific you may not find that. There was relic hunting, characters with complicated political alliances, warring feelings, and of course a magical fae realm that is both beautiful and dangerous. I was confused by parts of the magical system like Kiyan’s loophole or why Yaseema had magical, but it didn’t really detract from the cohesive and extensive story. Thank you to Colored Pages book tour, Wednesday Books, and Emily Varga for letting me be part of this book tour. And thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. 🎧 I did a dual read and the narration by Safiyya Ingar was excellent. Her performance was immersive and expressive, though I wish the audiobook was dual narrated given that both MCs had interchanging chapters. It was not that Kiyan’s chapters were lacking, but had his character had his own voice it would only have enhanced the dynamic and characterization."
