A dual timeline fantasy novel that doesn’t let you go until you know what happened to the girl whose death started a war. Perfect for readers who are looking for a heartbreaking love story in which nobody gets what they want but everybody gets what they need.

A God-touched epic fantasy of grief, guilt, and reckoning - for readers who love morally complex heroines, forbidden power, and found-purpose redemption arcs.

Prompts:

• A fantasy novel with strong female leads

• A fantasy novel with complicated, platonic and romantic relationships between women

• A fantasy novel about difficult family relationships, particularly mother-daughter and sisters

• A fantasy novel about free will and submitting to God’s will

• A fantasy novel about learning to set boundaries and have a self-identity

• A fantasy novel about learning to forgive yourself

• A fantasy novel about Christian themes such as giving up power, choosing non-violence, and forgiveness

Comp Titles:

• Leah Cypess’s Death Sworn and Death Marked

• Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road

• According to Claude (on August 10, 2026):

  • A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

  • The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

  • Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson

  • I will be reading these over the coming weeks and update it if I agree it is a good fit!

Tropes:

• Love triangle

• Unrequited love

• Enemies-to-lovers

• Slow burn

• Arranged marriage