'She is an outstanding talent, and wherever her imagination sails next, I will follow' Samantha Shannon, author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree


Sinners repent!

In the domain of Galla, power is piety and chastity is the price of magic. For Mair, born a Penitent, there is no power, only a life of repentance for the sin of her own birth. Destined to serve the ruling classes and breed more sinners, she dreams of a life beyond the one she was given.

Her defiance is answered with an Ecstasy — a holy vision sent by a godlike Eremite. She is commanded to do the impossible: rise from her lowly station, infiltrate the sacred City of Saints, and lead a Penitent revolt. But this call to arms comes not from the revered gods of Galla, but from Seraphine, a banished Eremite, whose motives are steeped in vengeance and whose love is a possessive, dangerous fire.

To become the saviour her people need, Mair must conceal her identity from everyone. She must deceive the cruel Autarchs who rule the land, the jealous rivals who wish for her failure, and Feras, the watchful Saint who instructs her and tempts her with a forbidden, human love that could be her undoing.

As she uncovers the awful deceit at the core of Galla, Mair learns that everything she has ever believed is built on a lie. Trapped between a vengeful goddess, a corrupt regime, and a love that could cost her everything, she must fight with her body, her heart, and her soul — and risk becoming a martyr for a god who may be the greatest sinner of all.

A lush, beautifully written, brutal literary fantasy reimagining of Joan of Arc told by a critically acclaimed bestselling storyteller at the top of her game.