The people of Ravka don't know what Nikolai Lantsov endured in their bloody civil war and he intends to keep it that way. Yet each day a dark magic in him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. Zoya Nazyalensky has devoted her life to rebuilding the Grisha army. Despite their magical gifts, Zoya knows the Grisha cannot survive without Ravka as a place of sanctuary - and she will stop at nothing to help Nikolai secure the throne. Far north, Nina Zenik wages her own kind of war against the people who would see the Grisha destroyed. Burdened by grief and a terrifying power, Nina must face her past to have any hope of defeating the dangers that await her. Ravka's king. Ravka's general. Ravka's spy. They will risk everything to save a broken nation. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried, and some wounds aren't meant to heal.