In the latest novel by critically acclaimed author Cassandra Rose Clarke, two noblewomen and the pirate who once accompanied them to seek a bargain with a goddess find themselves at the centre of a conflict between the immortal being Decay and the Emperor himself, as the goddess calls on them to repay their debt by seeking out this elusive god, before the world crumbles around them all. Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage, Celestia’s perfect manners, and Izara’s nascent magic to their aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact a dangerous plan – using a spell she doesn’t fully understand, Izara summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favour: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their land. But a favour from the river goddess always comes at a cost... Now, five years later, rumours of war and disease are spreading, Celestia’s husband has been called away on a secret mission for the Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay their debt to the Lady – embarking on a mission that will put them on a collision course with Celestia’s husband, the Emperor, and a god even more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine.  Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn’t want to be found and prevent the end of the world.