Synopsis
Pride and Prejudice meets Six of Crows in this thrilling, Regency-style romp. Four unlikely heroes, worlds apart. They have nothing in common, aside from the sinister forces determined to hunt them down.
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Carseld is a country divided. The poor fester in smog-filled streets, while the nobility revels in excess, daubing their faces in paint to conceal the rot beneath. Yet, all are ruled by the clergy. Under their strict doctrine, even fiction is denounced as falsehood, while such outlandish ideas as magic are downright blasphemous. But it is truth that threatens the Ministry's reign. And four seemingly unconnected youths could expose the greatest lie of all, if only they knew it...
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Heartbreaker, pit-fighter, thief - Stephen is nobody's hero.
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Cassandra is a duelling debutante who will sacrifice everything for duty, even her freedom.
What little Emily knows about life she has learned from devouring the books in her library (and the illicit novels hidden beneath her mattress).
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And James relies on reason and logic to outmanoeuvre his aristocratic peers, eager to achieve his lofty ambitions.
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Dark clouds gather. And trouble arises in the form of inquisitors, blackmail and sacrilegious texts, drawing them into a tangled web of lies and heresy that could spell ruin. Not just for themselves, but the people they love. And time is running out.
A storm is coming. To survive, they must be willing to break every rule to stay ahead of their enemies. But they cannot do it alone. Caught between rebel plots and government conspiracies, they will uncover secrets centuries in the making. And when they finally unite, the world as they know it will shatter.