Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka is being devoured by the Shadow Fold—an impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked and her best friend is brutally injured, she unleashes a dormant power she didn't know she possessed—a power that could be the key to freeing her war-ravaged country.

Torn from everything she's ever known, Alina is swept away to the royal court to train with the Grisha, the magical elite led by the enigmatic Darkling. Yet in this dazzling world, nothing is as it seems.

With darkness closing in and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed magic, Alina must confront the secrets of the Grisha... and the mysteries of her own heart. Will she master her power in time, or will the shadows claim her?