The king wants her death magic. She wants the sister she forswore. That is, if her powers don’t betray her first. Caia never wanted the gift of death. Too bad the king plans to make her his leashed torturer. When her capable older sister sacrifices her freedom so that Caia may escape this fate, she must choose. Abandon her sister and her choice to be a tool of violence or become the king’s dark commander to spill the blood of those she loves. But something is happening to Caia. The same something that killed her mother. If she can’t control the darkness inside her, someone—or something—soon will...

Some secrets are better left dead. Soul raiser Caia Blackthorn has escaped to the haven of Llyra, only to find the country rife with political upheaval. Suddenly, she’s a suspect in an assassination, and the dark magic she has relied upon has vanished from her control. If nothing is done, King Arcturus will be closer than ever to achieving his two goals: seizing control over the entire continent—and capturing Caia for his own sinister purpose. His most powerful magical weapon? Caia’s sister. Rendered powerless and alone, Caia's only hope is to pursue the rumors of a third soul raiser in search of answers, but what she discovers is a secret more disturbing than she could have imagined—the twisted reason behind her existence.

She's destined to die choking on her own blood. Her only hope is the cruel boy who killed her grandfather. Caia Blackthorn is the key to ending the reign of a power-mad king. A king who compels his own people to light themselves aflame. A king who will use her to create an army of necromancers if she fails. The only price is her life. Her one hope of surviving this grisly fate is the king’s pet assassin. The only problem: he was tortured by Caia’s sister and detests family Blackthorn. Two things threaten to unravel everything: a dark truth buried deep in his past—and an unwanted, forbidden attraction.

A rift between worlds is opening. And behind it all is a dark, chittering voice Caia has heard before. Don’t miss the epic finale to The Crest of Blackthorn series!