by Oath Sterling
Community rating: 5/5 from 2 ratings.
In Kartham, monsters are hunted, hidden kingdoms are destroyed, and every generation one woman is sacrificed so the rest can survive. Six already have. Esvial Aravell was never supposed to be the seventh.
A bastard with no title, no standing, and no interest in becoming a martyr, she should never have been chosen. But when her bloodline is declared the last capable of completing the sacrifice, she is painted in pink and imprisoned in a palace where monsters wear crowns and no one is ever quite what they seem.
The prince destined to perform her death rite was never supposed to want her to live. The man she loves was never supposed to become engaged to her greatest enemy while she rots beneath the palace. And the tyrannical king who sleeps was never supposed to outlive her.
But Esvial has survived worse than monsters. She can survive this too.
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romantasy, Fantasy Romance/Romantasy
Tropes: Grief/Loss, Hidden Identity, Secret Past, Captive Romance, Prison/Captivity, Forced Proximity, Hidden Lineage
Published: 2026-11-20