When the Luminary Chancellor Margaret Faulise is forced to flee her magical city, she stows her daughter Elsie in the heart of a land that has long denied the existence of magic. All seems to be going according to plan-but as the years go by, the truth can't stay hidden, and neither can Elsie.

At 19, Elsie has come of age, a freshly-minted Heiress. Deep in the throes of a new love with Fletcher, an elf from the mountain realm masquerading as a human, Elsie receives a letter from District Commissioner Clark Carson. An old ally and mastermind behind the scheme to hide Elsie away, Clark sees that the time is ripe for Elsie to retake her mother's throne.

Elsie has other priorities, though.

Teddy, the only person Elsie's ever trusted, is unwilling to admit he's got his own fair share of magic, and Sam-Clark's ward and Teddy's boyfriend-has been caught spying on Elsie. To make matters worse, Clark's maneuvering has put Elsie back in the sights of those who drove her mother from power.

And of course, there's the matter of Fletcher. With the push of a mischievous chaos demon, Elsie has teased out Fletcher's secret-and unwittingly finds herself at the center of a blood magic conspiracy. Elves and barghests and mende and humans have banded together in an attempt to summon the gods. Schemes converge when rumors of Elsie's parentage begin to circulate, and someone called The Master identifies her as not only the Heiress to her mother's city, but the descendent of the God of Death.

A tragic masquerade, a brotherly betrayal, and a hunt for justice leads Elsie to confront her worst fears.The love of found family is tested against schemes for power-and Elsie's fate hangs in the balance.