Fireworks, riots, and rousing speeches all mark the vast societal upheavals taking place in the city of Tabat. But personal upheavals reflect the chaos as well. Adelina Nettlepurse, noted historian and secret owner of Spinner Press, watches the politics and intrigue with interest, only to find herself drawn into its heart by a dangerous text and a wholly unsuitable love affair with a man well below her station.

The match offered by Merchant Mage Sebastiano Silvercloth would be much more acceptable, but Sebastiano is hampered by his own troubles at the College of Mages, where the dwindling of magical resources that threatens the city itself. And worse, his father demands that he marry as soon as possible.

When Adelina’s best friend, glamorous and charming Gladiator Bella Kanto, is convicted of sorcery and exiled, the city undergoes increasing turmoil as even the weather changes to reflect the confusion and the loss of one of their most beloved heroes.

Meanwhile the Beasts of Tabat—magical creatures such as Dryads, Minotaurs, and Centaurs—are experiencing a revolution of their own, finally questioning a social order that places them at its lowest level. But who is helping the Beasts in their subversive uprising?

In this second book of the Tabat Quartet, award-winning author Cat Rambo expands her breathtaking story from Beasts of Tabat with a new points of view as Adelina, Sebastiano, and others add their voices. Tabat is a world, a society, and a cast of characters unlike any you have read before.