By Betsie Hill
Micha has always been the overlooked sister. While her siblings bask in silks, shoes, and shallow praise in the Lovely Kingdom, Micha keeps to herself—quietly fixing boots and dreaming of something more. But one morning, everything changes. Her parents are gone, their rooms ransacked, and all that remains is a torn note. Her sisters dismiss it—too busy with their own reflections to care—but Micha knows something is wrong.
As she steels herself to leave, she discovers a stranger in her father’s workshop: Flint, a determined young man from the Ugly Kingdom with storm-gray eyes and a sharp tongue. He’s seeking a way home to save his mother and sister, taken by a force even he doesn’t fully understand. Despite their differences, Micha and Flint realize their fates may be linked—and their only chance lies in traveling together.
Their journey leads them through the enchanted forest where they form an unlikely fellowship with a sly pixie named Iver and a gentle troll called Bumbler. But peace is short-lived. The path winds through the Gaudy Kingdom, a glittering realm crumbling beneath the weight of its own vanity and civil unrest. Here, allies are hard to trust and beauty masks danger.
Beyond lies the war-scarred Ugly Kingdom, where Flint’s birthright hides more secrets than he’s ready to face. Elves, long thought dormant, have risen in violent resistance, guarding the road to the capital—and to the truth both Micha and Flint seek.
But as revelations mount and loyalties are tested, Micha and Flint must decide: will their growing bond survive the clash between duty and desire? And when love and destiny collide, will one have to betray the other to fulfill their mission?