From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling
author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult
romantasy. Enter the world of Starside, where swords wield
magic and power is not inherited...but claimed.
Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two.
Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods,
living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of
that magic.
Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty
challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access
a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their
reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess
set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’
magic—she’s going to kill them.
First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly
competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s
apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great
Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or
bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it
makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.
Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is
deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and
bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals
fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to
claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and
mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key
to her survival.
But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And
when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…
About the Author
Alex Aster is a #1 New York Times and
internationally bestselling author whose books have sold millions of copies and
have been translated into over twenty languages. She studied creative writing
at the University of Pennsylvania, lives in New York, and is never too far from
a coffee shop.
