Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

Irresistibly action-packed and full of lethal surprises, this paperback edition of the stunning new fantasy series from Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Queen series, features gorgeous, original stepback art of the main characters, and begins where hope is lost?asking the question: When the heroes have fallen, who will take up the sword?

A strange darkness grows in Allward.

Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage?and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won't be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:

• A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.
• An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
• An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
• An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.
• A forger with a secret past.
• A bounty hunter with a score to settle.

Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.