You duel or you die.
Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.
Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.
As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.
I was so excited when this arrived in the mail that I jumped in right away… but by page 23, I found myself checking other early reviews. Those 3-star takes? Yeah, I get them—and I didn’t even finish.
The writing just didn’t click for me. It leaned more on telling than showing, and the flow felt stiff and uneven. I even skipped ahead a few chapters hoping for improvement, but the tone never landed. Honestly, it read more like an unpolished self-pub draft than a finished, traditionally published book.
I also had trouble connecting with the characters. Skylar’s chapters felt heavy, while Astrid was the only real bright spot for me. There’s a solid story buried here, though, and with a release set for April 2026, I hope it gets another round of edits to smooth the writing and bring it to life.
As it is, I just couldn’t keep going.
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