About to be pawned off to an emissary, Wren Canaan is on the brink of losing the fragile life she's managed to build, the one where she toys with the crown prince and steals valuables from the palace to help her mother pay her tithe. When Highspire is brutally attacked by creatures thought to be myths, Wren finds herself homeless, alone, and questioning everything she's ever believed. So, when the Scynthians?a religious group of warriors promising family, protection, and vengeance?come to the refugee camp looking for recruits, Wren is enamored.

But Scynthians only recruit men.

Desperate and determined, Wren disguises herself as a man to join the Scynthians and begin her grueling training. Struggling to find her place and terrified of being discovered, Wren must ally with her fellow trainees?including a scarred recruit with secrets of his own?and prove herself worthy of joining the Scynthian ranks.

But Wren's cohort was recruited with a purpose. One kingdom threatens all of Acolytia, striving to raise the dark dragon, D'Maiik. Their only hope is to awaken The Creator, the dragon god Ephesus, before D'Maiik wakes and plunges Acolytia into endless war. And Wren just might be the key.

Fans of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang will love Effy Misnick's coming-of-rage Thai-inspired fantasy.