Amora is destined to be queen of Visidia based on her bloodline. All she has to do is pass a demonstration of her soul magic, showing how an execution is done. When that goes awry, she joins the pirate Bastian to perform another demonstration that will prove her ability to lead. Nothing goes smoothly, of course.

I read some so-so reviews about this book before I read it, but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Amora's magic is gnarly, and wouldn't be my preferred magical type, but I guess she doesn't have a choice. I was annoyed that her father kept everything from her and she hadn't found anything out, but I did enjoy the general questing, the stowaway, and that the love triangle isn't the center stage part of the book.