In this thrilling sequel to World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's bestselling young adult debut Court of Fives, a girl immersed in a high-stakes competition holds the fate of a kingdom in her hands. Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives--the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes's only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the change to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on her traveling party puts Jes at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos--the prince she still loves--is fighting against their country's enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal's life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion....She must become a warrior.

Author Biography

Kate Elliott is the author of more than twenty-five novels, including her New York Times bestselling young adult debut Court of Fives, its prequel e-novella Night Flower, and Black Wolves. She has also written the Spiritwalker trilogy, the Novels of the Jaran, and the Crossroads trilogy, among others, and two of her books have been finalists for the Nebula Award and the World Fantasy Award. Kate was born in Iowa, raised in Oregon, and now lives in Hawaii. She invites you to visit her website at kateelliott.com or follow her on Twitter @KateElliottSFF.