
Part of Series
Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy's bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess' command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside. While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour. Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer. Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they're about to wake up.
Author

Hannah (H. M.) Long is a Canadian writer who loves history, hiking, and travel. She inhabits a ramshackle cabin in Ontario with her husband and dog, but she can often be spotted snooping about museums or wandering the Alps. Hannah writes for Titan Books and debuted with HALL OF SMOKE, followed by its companion novel TEMPLE OF NO GOD, and a stand-alone set in the same world, BARROW OF WINTER. A fourth book set in the Hall of Smoke world, PILLAR OF ASH, is slated for release early 2024. She is also the author of DARK WATER DAUGHTER, a swashbuckling gunpowder fantasy set in an original world of weather witches, warring fleets and winter seas. DARK WATER DAUGHTER will be released July 2023, and its sequel will follow summer 2024. For the latest updates, follow Hannah on TikTok (@hmlongbooks), Instagram (@hmlongbooks), and Twitter (@hannah_m_long).

