Lies Within the Darkest Tower

No one can know the newest guard in the Black Tower is a woman.

When my younger brother’s name is called in the lottery for life-long service in the most dangerous army in the kingdoms, I know my ruthless stepfather is responsible and I must take his place.

It doesn’t matter that I’m a woman and only men are allowed in the Black Tower. My cursed ability to sense when someone is going to die tells me my brother won’t survive a fortnight, and I refuse to lose my only surviving family member.

So I do the unthinkable. I secretly take on the spell that binds the lottery’s "sacrifice" to the Black Tower, cut my hair, and pretend to be my brother. All I have to do is keep quiet and avoid undue notice.

But things go wrong from the start. I walk through the fae ring to the Black Tower at night, drawing deadly shadow monsters to me and barely escaping. My mistake earns me the wrath of every guardsman, who makes it their mission to make my life miserable.

As if that weren’t enough, the three leaders of the Black Tower are beautiful fae, men who are as enticing as all the minstrels’ tales say, and they have far too much interest in me as the newest sacrifice.

I can't let them know the truth. I have to keep up my desperate disguise until my brother can bring our stepfather to justice, or I’ll have doomed both of us.