Award-winning author Juliet Marillier’s “lavishly detailed” (Publishers Weekly) Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds a community in thrall…

Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking them out.

From an ancient tower surrounded by an impenetrable thorn hedge, the screams of a monster ring out day and night, threatening the sanity of all who live nearby. The landholder, Lady Geiléis, seeks help from Prince Oran, who in his turn consults Blackthorn and Grim. As they undertake this mission, the problem-solving duo are confronted by the dark shadows of their own past.

As Blackthorn and Grim put the pieces of this puzzle together, it’s apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest soon becomes a life-and-death struggle–a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.