Publisher's Synopsis
Poisoned with the magic blood of a murdered god, Odessa has been cast out of her village-and now an angry goddess is on her trail-in this fantasy adventure.
When Odessa joined the hunt to kill one of the Low Gods in a last-ditch effort to save her people from the ravages of the sun-deadening Gray, an encounter with the ancient boar god Egende left her trampled and near death. Desperate, her father filled her body with cursed magic blood, saving her life but damning her soul. Then, terrified of what she had become, her tribe cast her out.
Now a young woman, the forsaken Odessa is obsessed with vengeance against the gods who destroyed her family and village. Her mangled arm is burned and streaked with poison, and she hides her deformities with magic and runes. Meanwhile, back in plague-stricken Kalaro, the shaman Kunza-ka throws himself on the mercy of the High Gods. Talara, Goddess of Rot and Ruin, heeds his call, but her price is Odessa's heart.
Accompanied by her only friend, the fairy Poko, Odessa continues to search for a cure for her affliction, which ultimately leads her to Asha-Kalir, a city of dark magic built upon the bones of a dead deity. But Talara is hot on her trail. What does she want from her? Odessa knows one thing for sure: she will not become a pawn in the bloodthirsty goddess's game. Instead, with the lives of her family and the fate of her soul on the line, she will battle both shamans and gods in her quest for salvation-and revenge.
