"A true fantasy masterpiece." --Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard comes an epic fantasy adventure of destiny and betrayal in which an unlikely band of misfits and outcasts must reckon with the unwanted burden of saving the world.

The battle is lost. The heroes have failed. But the fate of the kingdom still hangs in the balance...

A strange darkness grows in Allward. Corpse armies march the hillsides; dangerous beasts creep through fissures in the world. The noble band of warriors meant to triumph over evil lies dead, cut down before the quest could fully begin.

The fate of the realm falls to those left behind.

Not heroes, but misfits, outcasts, and criminals: a squire with a soft heart. A jaded immortal. An assassin in exile. And a pirate's daughter desperate to prove herself. Little more than strangers and just less than enemies. No champions for the realm of Allward, and yet the only champions left.

If they can set aside their rivalries, ambitions, and fractured loyalties, they might be able to stop what's coming. The choice is impossible, yet simple: save the world, or end it.