Channi was just a toddler when her father offered her to the Demon Witch in a desperate attempt to save his wife from dying during childbirth. Before the witch can kill Channi, the little girl is saved by a bite from the King of the Serpents; it poisons her blood so that the witch can’t kill her. The witch, who wanted newborn Vanna in payment for her mother’s life, gets revenge by cursing Channi, giving her face scales and snake-like features; she will undo the curse only if Channi delivers Vanna before her sister turns 17. Channi has endured a childhood of taunting and isolation because of her disfigurement. Her only friends are Ukar, a snake she can talk to because of the curse, and her beloved younger sister, whose ethereal beauty radiates light that awes all who see her. As Vanna’s17th birthday approaches, their father encourages wealthy suitors to compete for Vanna’s hand, unconcerned that some of them are clearly brutes. Intent on protecting her sister, Channi becomes entangled in a string of challenges, drawing on her combat skills and strategic instincts as she forges an uneasy bond with a dragon, escapes a kidnapping, and learns the Demon Witch is still intent on claiming her sister—and why. This complex, action-packed fantasy is also a richly satisfying, character-driven exploration of trust and loyalty set in the same well-drawn world inspired by cultures of Southeast Asia as the author’s (Age 13 and older)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of SIX CRIMSON CRANES comes a fantasy tale of two sisters—one as beautiful as the other is monstrous—who must fight to save each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond forever!

One sister must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now at seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.

Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.