Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer. Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, and she can’t always decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself. As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the charming-yet-volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

Betrayal cuts deep. Peace is unsustainable. Sonya and Anton may have brought about a revolution, but can they protect their homeland—and their love—with so many forces threatening to tear them apart? The empire has fallen, Valko faces trial, and Sonya is finally free from her fate as Sovereign Auraseer. But Sonya’s expanding abilities are just as unstable as the new government of Riaznin—and her relationship with Anton. Not only can she feel the emotions of others but, unlike other Auraseers, she’s learned to make others feel her emotions as well. And Sonya isn’t immune to dark temptations. Now, as Sonya fights to contain her own darkness, she senses a new evil lurking in the shadows of the palace. Someone from Sonya’s past has returned. And that someone won’t be satisfied until Sonya pays for the mistakes she’s made.

Fear reigns in Riaznin. Former emperor Valko has kidnapped the youngest Auraseer and provoked a civil war. Now, he’s hunting his brother, Anton, and leading Shenglin troops across the border. But with her empathic powers gone, Sonya doesn’t know how to protect the people she loves or the nation she helped free. She can’t sense who to trust. She can’t track Valko. She can’t tell if her beloved Anton is safe. She only knows danger is coming. And there’s nothing she can do to stop it. Until Sonya hears a tale of an Esten Auraseer with a mysterious ability to heal, and suddenly her situation doesn’t feel as impossible as it once did. But without her powers, finding the legendary Auraseer will be dangerous. And if she doesn’t succeed, the peace she sacrificed so much to achieve will be shattered forever.