A sharp-tongued disgraced-noble-turned-mercenary has to stop the world collapsing into chaos in this gripping; savagely funny epic fantasy packed with unforgettable characters; for fans of Joe Abercrombie. Exile. Mercenary. Lover. Monster. Pennyblade. Kyra Cal'Adra has spent the last four years on the Main; living in exile from her home; her people; her lover and her past. A highblood commrach - the ancient race of the Isle; dedicated to tradition and the perfection of the blood - she's welcome among the humans of the Main only for the skill of her rapier; her preternatural bladework. They don't care which of the gleaming towers she came from; nor that her grandmother is matriarch of one of Corso's most powerful families. But on the main; women loving women is a sin punishable by death. Kyra is haunted by the ghost of Shen; the love of her life; a lowblood servant woman whom Kyra left behind as she fled the Isle. When a simple contract goes awry; and her fellow pennyblades betray her; Kyra is set onto a collision course with her old life; and the age-old conflict between the Main and the Isle threatens to erupt once more.