In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy; debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception. Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own. Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown; but when her beloved father is murdered; she's thrust into power; suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father's killer; Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer-a treasonous act; punishable by death... because in Yan; magic was outlawed centuries ago. Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth; and uncertain if she can trust even her family; Hesina turns to Akira-a brilliant investigator who's also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake; can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?