As the great chief matriarch lay dying, she gave one final decree: Upon her death there would be a contest. Having no heir of her own blood she called on the Gods. Let fate decide the one truly worthy to rule in her place. The rich, the strong, the wise, the powerful; many put forward their names in hope of being chosen. But when the night came... only fifty souls alone were chosen. Join our cast of characters in a spell-binding journey of betrayal, magic and tragedy as they battle their way through a series of tasks set by a sorceress of unimaginable power, all with the purpose of discovering who will be the next ruler. As our protagonist, Io, fights for her life and faces horrifying consequences, will her fellow chosen souls band together to defeat evil, or is it every soul for themselves?

ALEXIS DEACON

Alexis Deacon graduated from the University of Brighton, where he studied Illustration, gaining a first class honours degree. Alexis Deacon was one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008, and Beegu was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Alexis lives in London.