Tradition. Temptation. Treachery.

The emperor and empress of Nantai are gone. Their youngest daughter and the chosen heir, Mairynne, is trapped between her duty to the country and the desire to find her father. The people need a new imperial leader, but Mairynne never wished for the role she inherited. She carries two soul stones, one cold and the other hot. They came to her with the loss of each parent. They now call to her, beckoning her to leave home. They reinforce her convictions . . . Her father lives. He will return to his seat upon the Serpentine Throne.

She flees from Arashi and the Serpentine Throne. For the first time, she faces the hardship of those without the comforts of the elite Storm Sorcerer caste. The city's first guard, Gensui Thalaj Northerngale travels at her side, her only companion and protector. Through the forests, across the grasslands, into trading towns, and beyond, the stones she wears around her neck draw her into new adventures. The people she meets guide her, prophecies are revealed, and she makes unlikely friends.

When the soul stones call for Mairynne to leave the shores of Nantai and journey across the dreaded Syrensea, she takes one step then another, and another still. Onward, until her travels turn into far more than the simple quest to find her father.

If you enjoy epic fantasy somewhere between N.K. Jemisin, Jacqueline Carey, and a little Sarah J. Maas, this is the series for you.