In a world where kindness is for the weak, can a boy find a way to be a hero? Born in the Commonwealth of Ashes, where citizens live and die by the tenets of the Seven Deadly Sins, teenager Ari Westergaard has known little but violence and deprivation. Though attachment to others is forbidden, he’s struggled all his life with the desire for connection—and the sin of pride—only to be rebuffed and punished repeatedly. Then, one day, during a routine execution of a sinner, he sees a girl dare to defy one of the Commonwealth’s High Priests…and falls hopelessly in love. Lust is one of the Seven Sins, and love is seen as the first step down the road to dissolution. Ari’s feelings for Eva Marteinn are forbidden—a temptation and a secret, a virtue and a sin. Though Ari and Eva have never spoken, his thoughts of her sustain him as he battles his instincts in order to survive in a world where cruelty is the norm and kindness is for the weak. But when Ari is faced with a fellow citizen in need of protection, he must make a difficult choice: Stand up for what he believes in—or pay the ultimate price.

From Emily Colin, author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Memory Thief. WINNER of the 2021 North Carolina Indie Author Award in Young Adult Fiction FINALIST for the 2020 Foreword INDIE Award in Young Adult Fiction SHORTLISTED for the The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy From New York Times-bestselling author Emily Colin comes a story of one young woman’s battle for freedom in a future world where love is the ultimate sin. Eva Marteinn never wanted to be a killer. But the Commonwealth didn’t give her a choice, and she is eerily good with a sword. The Commonwealth, where citizens are terrorized by the code of the Seven Deadly Sins and the barbaric punishments of the High Priests. The Bellators of Light, the Commonwealth’s conscienceless executioners. Eva, horrified to be chosen as the first female bellator, but strangely gifted at killing. Her mentor, Ari Westergaard, who alternates between taunting her and tempting her with feelings she doesn’t understand. Ari hides a gentle heart behind a brutal exterior. He’s loved Eva since they were children. When Eva falls for Ari too, she knows they must do anything to hide it. In the Commonwealth, love equals death. Balanced on a razor’s edge, Ari and Eva uncover a secret that would overturn the Commonwealth itself. Now Eva must make an impossible choice: turn her back on Ari’s rebellion and remain loyal to the Commonwealth—or risk her life for the boy she’s come to love and a chance at freedom. This young adult post-apocalyptic romance with wildly unexpected twists will appeal to readers of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Selection.

In the oppressive world of the Commonwealth, citizens live and die by the rules of the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Attachment is forbidden, and romantic relationships are punishable by death…but all the rules in the world can’t stop people from falling in love. It's terrifying to fight back against the High Priests who make the Commonwealth’s rules and the vicious Bellatorum warriors who enforce them. But for love, people will take chances they’d never dare to otherwise. For love, people will do terrible—and wonderful—things. In the pages of this spellbinding collection set in the world of Emily Colin's Seven Sins series, dive deeper into the stories of your favorite characters and meet new ones; discover dark secrets; and witness the courage of rebels who risk their lives—again and again—for love.

Read the second installment of the enthralling SEVEN SINS series! What do you do when the victory you’ve been fighting for is doomed to break your heart? Rogue bellators Eva Marteinn and Ari Westergaard have escaped the restrictive world of the Commonwealth, and they would like nothing more than to leave it behind forever. But Eva is the formidable weapon the Commonwealth wants—and they’ll stop at nothing to get her back. For years, Ari has seen Eva as his temptation and his secret, his virtue and his sin. Now that they’re finally free, he wants what he’s been craving—to start a new life…with her. But Eva is keeping a devastating secret of her own: the very victory against the Commonwealth the two of them have been fighting for is doomed to break their hearts. She faces an impossible decision—to be the face of the revolution she’s dedicated her life to and abandon the boy she loves…or to sacrifice everything she’s fought for to stand by his side.

In a world poisoned by revenge, love is their only salvation. Now bonded as skúma and familiar, Eva and Ari can read each other’s minds—and hearts. They’re an unbeatable warrior pair, and now that they’ve confessed their love for each other, their path forward should be clear…together. But the Executor’s disappearance has driven a wedge between them. Eva’s more determined than ever to march against the Commonwealths and put an end to the man she despises. And much as he would like to see the Executor dead, uniting the Houses comes at a price that Ari’s not willing to pay. When a strike against the Brotherhood stronghold sends the resistance into chaos, Ari and Eva find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly conflict. As Eva’s newfound powers spiral out of control, and Ari faces unexpected revelations, the rift between them widens. In a world beset by shifting loyalties and awakening magic, the two must face the possibility of a future apart if they want to survive and bring the Commonwealths down. Author's Note If you can’t resist fierce girls with swords, infuriating guys with hearts of gold, a plot that twists and turns when you least expect it, and star-crossed lovers who fight to the death by each other’s sides, then this is the book for you. With the propulsive action and addictive romance of Shatter Me, the high-stakes twists-and-turns of The Hunger Games, and the fantastical world-building of From Blood and Ash, this second book in the award-winning, slow-burn, romantic dystopian fantasy Seven Sins series will pull you in, break your heart, and never let you go. Praise for the Seven Sins Series WINNER, Gold Moonbeam Award for Best Book Series, Young Adult Fiction WINNER, North Carolina Indie Author Award in Young Adult Fiction WINNER, Silver IPPY Award, Young Adult Fiction FINALIST, Foreword INDIES Award in Young Adult Fiction SHORTLISTED, Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy