In the tarot trials, betrayal is always in the cards . . .
Kestrel has trained to compete in the Tarot Trials her entire life. Winning means becoming one of the five Cinque - a position of influence and power that could reshape the lives of people in her hometown slum, the Dregs. It's the position Kestrel's mother should have had when she won the Trials twenty-two years ago as the Champion of the Moon. Instead, she was executed for treason after allegedly attacking the Minor Court.
Determined to find out the truth, Kestrel joins the trials as the Moon's new champion, desperately trying to master her new powers of shadow and illusion - and find allies she can trust (or trust enough) to survive both the Trials and the schemes of the Minor Court. Though enemies abound, she soon strikes some unlikely alliances: the coy and unnaturally lucky Wheel of Fortune, Vesper and the arrogant powerhouse Sun, Cato. She's equally drawn to the mysterious and brooding Tower - whose alliance with Death, the man who killed Kestrel's mother years ago, may lead to the answers she seeks.
But, in the Trials, betrayal is a question of 'when', not 'if'. Kestrel will come to learn that winning the game isn't about what she must do to win, but who she needs to survive.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Dark Olympus series, this high-octane, fast-paced epic fantasy of tarot magic and deadly competition launches an explosive new series, perfect for fans of V. E. Schwab and Carissa Broadbent.