Briony Eddons, heir to the kingdom of Shadowmarch along with her twin brother Barrick, struggles to save the kingdom from the inhuman Qar who have begun to reach beyond the Shadowline after centuries of peace, while also trying to deal with Barrick's increasing strangeness, and other enemies from without and within.

With King Olin imprisoned and Prince Kendrick slain, the royal twins Barrick and Briony have been forced to flee their homeland. But both families and nations can hide dark and terrible secrets, and even if Barrick and Briony survive learning the astonishing truths at the heart of their own family and of Southmarch itself, they must still find a way to reclaim their kingdom and rescue their home--from traitors, tyrants, a god-king, and even the angry...