In the stunning third installment of this hit fantasy adventure, a villainous tyrant at the height of her power has only two weaknesses: arrogance and love.

Everly Skolder, the self-proclaimed Empress of the world, has fully embraced her inner darkness. With sheer magical might and the assistance of her devoted followers, her influence has reached a global peak. Alongside new additions to her gang-er-inner court, like her pet rat, Matty, and the mysterious Dullahan, Everly's helping the reluctant citizens of Winstead to embrace her vision of the future . . . whether they like it or not. She's charismatic, powerful, and dangerously unstable. In short, she's the perfect villainess.

Aside from liberating (read: wiping out) an entire nation and drawing the ire of an angry pantheon of elemental gods, all of demonkind, and the former royal family of Winstead, Everly thinks she's been doing a great job at laying low. But as her ambitions grow, her resources are spread thin, leaving her vulnerable to a dangerous new opponent: the insidious Ashen Knight, who shares a twisted connection to her past and a ruthless drive that matches her own.

Meanwhile, Everly's lost and resurrected maybe-love, Lady Fenneth, refuses to bow to her control-despite how nicely Everly asked. With shadowy forces aligning against them and the fate of the empire at stake, would it really kill Fenn to admit they'd be great together? Some kidnapped heroines can really hold a grudge . . .