Set in Slatter's much-loved Sourdough universe, this dark magical fantasy is perfect for fans of The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.
Her Grace, the True Princess Emlyn Mentoras, has come home after twenty years. The sole survivor of the slaughtered royal family of Five Ports, her life's been dedicated to winning back her kingdom from the vicious Woodcutter Kings. Overseen by the Beldame Lanike she's learned the ways of sword and shield, to rule and also – perhaps surprisingly – to show mercy. Emlyn wants the city to live again, for her people to prosper and, most of all, to follow in the footsteps of her idol, St Callwen, Five Ports' founder.
But Emlyn's got a secret that will blow her hard-won existence apart... When the horrors of her past catch up with her, she finds herself on a journey into the underworld with a loyal knight by her side seeking an elusive crown. A deadly quest that will test all her skill and courage and reveal a betrayal at the heart of the kingdom.
A deeply engrossing, richly told dark fantasy of a blighted monarchy, a stolen destiny and a young woman's difficult search for her own path.
A.G. Slatter has won a Shirley Jackson Award, a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, three Australian Shadows Awards, eight Aurealis Awards and a Premier Ignotus. Most recently, All the Murmuring Bones was shortlisted for the 2021 Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards Book of the Year and the 2021 Shirley Jackson Award; The Path of Thorns won both the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Australian Shadows Award for Best Novel in 2022; and The Briar Book of the Dead has been shortlisted for both the Aurealis and Australian Shadows Awards for 2024. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, and has been a judge for the World Fantasy and Aurealis Awards. Angela’s short stories have appeared in many Best Of anthologies, and her work has been translated into many languages. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with a superannuated beagle and a TBR pile which will likely be the death of her. Find her on her website angelaslatter.com and on social media @angelaslatter