In a country where magic is as common as strife, the al-Khazar dynasty has ruled for centuries. So long as their family sits upon the Celestial Throne, they are blessed with the power of the stars and the land will prosper. When a vengeful official summons a powerful spirit to destroy their legacy, the creature kidnaps the khan's favorite daughter, a woman with dangerous ambitions and a prominent witch, trapping her behind a powerful curse. If Zara wants to save herself, and the dozens of servants trapped alongside her, she will have to match wits with a monster that feeds off mortal peril and turn her enemy's power against it. But the more of the spirit's power she unravels, the more it changes her. The longer Zara survives the nightmare that has become her world, the less certain she is of who, or what, will walk out of their shared prison.