From the author of House of Salt and Sorrows, the breathtaking, deliciously dark fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for!

When death calls, she must answer.

Hazel has always known she was different from her siblings. A thirteenth child, she was promised at birth to Merrick, the god of death.

Under his care, Hazel learns the art – and magic – of healing. Word of her extraordinary gift spreads throughout the kingdom. But all gifts come with a price. When Death claims a soul for himself, it is Hazel who must end their suffering… permanently.

Soon, destiny brings her to the royal court where she meets Leopold, an infuriatingly alluring prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. Here, Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet: to carry out her duties or follow the urges of her own heart. Can she go against the will of Death himself to save someone who is marked to die?

‘A candle-lit journey of love, sacrifice and becoming.’ Kiyash Monsef, bestselling author of Once There Was

‘A haunting, deeply romantic tale of life and death, and one girl who walks the fragile cord between them.’ Ava Reid, bestselling author of A Study in Drowning