The Sundown Crown Trial

About this book:

In the kingdom of Vesperia, the royal family doesn't just rule—they burn. Every sunset, the House of Vaelor dissolves into ash, only to knit themselves back together at dawn. But after fifty-two years on the Ash-Bound Throne, King Torin is unraveling slower, his memories scattering like soot on the wind. When the urns stay full, the ancient law awakens: the Sundown Crown Trial, a lethal contest where noble blood and forged claims alike are tested in the dark of the Obsidian Arena.

Sera is no noblewoman. She's a spy with a stolen signet ring, a forged lineage, and three days to infiltrate a slaughterhouse masquerading as a succession. Her mission: survive long enough to find who's poisoning the King's ash before the realm fractures into war. But the Trial doesn't wait for spies to learn the rules. Twelve houses sharpen knives in the shadows. A duke masses troops at the North Gate. And a man in black velvet watches from the corner of every tavern, leaving warnings written on black parchment that smell of sulfur.

When the sun goes down in Solis, the guards leave, the nobles lock their doors, and the real trial begins. Sera has walked into a city rotting from the inside out, where the losers don't just die—they're forgotten. To claim the crown, she'll need more than a blade in the dark. She'll need to outlast the night.