On a hotly-contested battlefield, a prince whose touch creates life meets a soldier chosen by death. But can they forge a future together, from opposite sides of a great war?
This is a lyrical and character-driven queer fantasy for those who loved She Who Became the Sun, The Song of Achilles and Lucy Holland's Sistersong.
Prince Elician is a Giver. With a touch he can heal any wound and bring the dead back to life. He also can't be killed, so is cursed to watch his country fight an endless war he can do nothing to stop. Reapers can kill with a single touch. And when one attacks Prince Elician near the battlefield, but fails, the Reaper expects to be harshly punished. Instead, Elician offers him a chance at a new life and a new name on enemy territory. The Reaper didn't realize he could still find something, or someone, to make life worth living - until Elician. And the prince is unaware that his kindness is part of his enemy's plan, until danger engulfs him in turn.
As the pieces of a deadly plot come together, featuring abduction, treachery and forbidden magic, the stakes rise and tensions escalate at court and on the battlefield. As the fires of conflict burst into new flame, who will wield the powers of life and death? And could love really change a world and stop a war?
A powerful and richly-imagined tale from a bold new voice in fantasy fiction.