In the kingdom of Daradon, Wielders—those with dangerous, mystical tendrils of power—are hunted and feared. Alissa Paine, the daughter of a Hunter family, hides her own Wielder nature, surviving only through strict control and her father’s protection. As she enters her eighteenth Season at the royal court, she must navigate a treacherous world of politics and deception, caught between a ruthless king who would execute her if her secret is exposed and a charming foreign ambassador with hidden motives. Amid the glamour of Rose Season, Alissa learns that to survive, she must become as sharp and dangerous as the thorns themselves.