Anabelle is trapped in a boy’s body, and in a year, it will kill her.

In the nation of Caimor, the wealthy buy and trade bodies like clothes. But Ana can only afford a grey, damaged male form, and by her seventeenth birthday, it’s already falling apart. As her extraordinary magical ability grows, but her body continues to fail her, she is left with only one choice: become an assassin for Paragon Academy, Caimor's prestigious school of magic.

But rebellion brews in Caimor, and at its helm is Khaoivhe, the most infamous dark mage in history. As Ana steals, fights and kills for Paragon, and forms a tentative alliance – and maybe more – with the elusive Wes, she discovers secrets that transform her concept of hero and villain … while striving, above all, to become her truest self. And that might just be the most powerful thing of all.