Filled with political intrigue, violent magic, and malevolent spirits, the mesmerizing second book in Sarah Beth Dursts Queens of Renthia epic fantasy trilogy that started with the award-winning The Queen of Blood.Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . . And those spirits want to kill you.Its the first lesson that every Renthian learns.Not long ago, Daleina used her strength and skill to survive those spirits and assume the royal throne. Since then, the new queen has kept the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, she is hiding a terrible secret: she is dying. And if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people. Naelin is one such person, and she couldnt be further removed from the Queenand she wouldnt have it any other way. Her world is her two children, her husband, and the remote village tucked deep in the forest that is her home, and thats all she needs. But when Ven, the Queens champion, passes through the village, Naelins ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wifes ability to control spiritsmagic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows that if the truth of her abilities is known, it will bring only death and separation from those she loves. But Ven has a single task: to find the best possible candidate to protect the people of Aratay. He did it once when he discovered Daleina, and hes certain hes done it again. Yet for all his appeals to duty, Naelin is a mother, and she knows her duty is to her children first and foremost. Only as the Queens power begins to wane and the spirits become emboldenedeven as ominous rumors trickle down from the northdoes she realize that the best way to keep her son and daughter safe is to risk everything. Sarah Beth Durstestablished a place of dark wonder in The Queen of Blood, and now the stakes are even higher as the threat to the Queen and her people grows both from within and beyond the borders of Aratay in this riveting second novel of the Queens of Renthia series.