Twelve-year-old Amaranthe has spent her life trapped in an isolated mansion, finding her only comfort in forbidden gardens and the study of plants. When a fairy named Leonard appears with a warning, her home is destroyed before she can make sense of it. Fire-wielding creatures called Star Demons slaughter the people around her and leave her with only one path of escape: follow Leonard into the hidden world of the Summer Court. There, Amaranthe learns the truth. The Star Demons are marching on the fairies’ last great stronghold, their king is dying, and the only chance of survival lies in a desperate act no fairy can perform. A human must steal the king’s Blessing and wield his power against the enemy.
But taking that power comes at a brutal cost. To claim the Blessing, Amaranthe must become the cause of his death. In return, she gains immense magic, immortality, and a future she did not choose, forever trapped in the body of a twelve-year-old and expected to fight in a war she barely understands. With the Star Demons closing in on the Home Tree, Amaranthe has only days to master a power never meant for human hands. If she fails, the Summer Court will fall, and the same fire that consumed her home will spread across the world.