The Queen is dead.
A new enemy is rising to power from beyond the coastline.
Raena, an heir to the throne, takes her place as ruler of Candor. But she cannot reveal her true identity as a woman or she will surely be executed.
Avenna, once a duchess, returns to her life as a commoner. She hardens her heart and leaves her true love Raena, but will a heinous assault reunite them?
Sylas, a Lord displaced, is forced to lead the refugees and prisoners out of the Boen slaughter. He may be the only one to stop the next war between dwellers of the ocean and the land.
And Bell, the noblewoman, finds the way to command a kingdom is sometimes through gaining the ear (and the bed) of a King.
In this second book of the Black Crown series, Raena, Aven, and their allies learn that it will take more than power and titles to overturn years of oppression, but they might die trying.