She’s lost her memories—
but not her power.

In a ravaged world rebuilt on bones and betrayal, an imprisoned alchemist must unearth the truth buried within her own mind—before the secrets she’s forgotten destroy what’s left of her soul.

Helena Marino once shaped miracles from metal and flame. Now, she’s a captive of the victors—the necromancers and guild families who rule what remains of Paladia. Her memories of the war’s final days are gone, her powers suppressed, and her comrades slaughtered. Official records name her insignificant, a minor healer in a lost cause. But whispers say otherwise.

Desperate for answers, her captors send her to the High Reeve—a ruthless necromancer whose undead creations won the war. Within his decaying estate, Helena discovers that her mind holds the final key to a weapon thought destroyed—and that her captor may be the only one capable of unlocking it.

But the closer she draws to the truth, the thinner the line between captor and confidant, life and death, and love and ruin becomes.

As alchemy meets necromancy and memory becomes a battlefield, Helena must decide what to sacrifice: her secrets, her freedom, or her humanity.

“He’s the monster who ended her world.
And the only one who can help her remember it.”

⚗️ Tropes: dark romantasy, enemies-to-allies, memory loss, morally grey hero, forbidden attraction
⚗️ Perfect for fans of: The Atlas Six, One Dark Window, and To Cage a God
⚗️ Includes: necromancy, alchemy, captivity and trust, decaying estates, slow-burn danger, unreliable memories

“Even in ruin, she burns brighter than his eternal flame.”