Shara was born and raised in a prison where no one is allowed to touch or to love. She will never be allowed intimacy, even after her release...unless her people rise up.
In the realm of Kravan, children of lower-class citizens are raised in a prison-like structure called "The Tower" from birth until adulthood. Known as the Tethered, they are held in thrall until their powers reveal themselves around the time of their nineteenth birthday.
Every year, the Tethered who are tested and deemed harmless are chosen to leave the Tower and join the outside world as servants to live in the households of the ruling class. Those who are deemed threats are taken awayāand no one knows what happens to them, though they suspect the worst.
Shara has spent her entire life in the Tower, longing for the day she will be chosen to leave. She's always been certain her powers would be minimal just as her mother's allegedly were, and that she would be assigned to a life of simple servitude.
When Shara receives her Placement in the home of a Noble family, she feels at first like she has finally found her place in the world. But over time, mysteries begin to reveal themselves about her Proprietor and those who live in the houseā¦including the handsome fellow Tethered who shares a wing of the house with her.
When he offers her an opportunity to attend the annual Princeās Ball and to see the world of the Nobility for what it truly is, Shara begins to learn the ugly truth about the divisions between the ruling class and the Tethered.
After a life spent in near-isolation, Shara must learn to distinguish friend from foe, and to decide if her new allies are who they claim to be...
Or if they will turn out to be her greatest enemies.
Why You Should Read This Book
Tropes
Trigger Warnings
Thrall
āWe are, all of us, shackled in our way.ā
āTo go without contact for years on end is a test of fortitude. Humans were never meant to go without touchābut the Tethered have evolved to function without basic human needs.ā
āThereās a hole inside each of us that was always meant to be filled by loveāa part that has never fully matured. Every one of us is an orphan in our way.ā
āThe outside world is not a fair or an even playing field. The sooner you all learn that, the better.ā
āTomorrow, everything will changeāand none of us has a clue what our lives will look like on the other side.ā
ā I think you have an incredibly high opinion of yourself, the way you assume every woman you meet wants you.ā
āYouāre everything. Everything I never thought you were. Everything I ever hoped you were. Everything I want in this world. Everything that I canāt have.ā
āYouāre fucking mine, Shara, even if you donāt know it yet. You always have been.ā
āIt means youāre using me. You make me feel for youāyou make me want you, Thorne. Youāre protective and heroic, and occasionally, you convince me that maybe you care a little for me. And for some crazy reason, it feels good. But then, you remind me that Iām just a pawn in some secret gameāsome princeās whore for one night. Youāre using me, thatās all. Iām a fool to think Iām anything in your mind but a toy.ā
āI have never wanted anything like I want youāand thatās a big problem for both of us.ā
āBecause history, they say, has a way of repeating itself. Some believe itās a knowledge of history that allows people to learn to overthrow those in power.ā
āI have a feeling about youāand I think I know exactly where you should be placed when you get out of here. Iād hate to be proven wrongāso donāt let me down.ā
āBut in the moment when my fingers met his skin, something happened between usā¦and I donāt think Iāll ever be the same again.ā
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