A Mediterranean Gaslamp Fantasy take on the myth of Hades and Persephone, where the brash and headstrong heroine narrowly avoids being next in a line of suspicious demigod deaths and is pulled further into the mystery by the Lord of the Dead.
Eerie yet attractive, Adamantus takes Cora to his Nether Court where he reveals her father, the King of the Gods, has gone missing and made all the semi-divine a target in the most dangerous succession war in existence. Regardless of her disinterest in divinity and the Throne of Heaven, Cora - and her loved ones - will remain a target until a new head-god is chosen. In exchange for his protection of her land and family, she will pose as his Bride of Death to discourage the other gods' efforts to choose a Goddess of the Underworld.
The gods take offense at his choice and she has to defeat each challenger for the death-god's hand in unpredictable and lethal tests, all the while further investigating the mysteries of the divine world and navigating her treacherous yet doomed feelings for the secretive god.
First of the Into the Nether Court trilogy, The Starless King is full of divine mystery, high-stakes adventure and trials, a fated yet forbidden romance, and a growing conspiracy that could reshape the cosmos.