Veyka and Arthur.  The twins who should not be.  Arthur the heir to the Kingdom.  Veyka the newly released prisoner, tortured survivor and now talented warrior.  But when Arthur is struck down, Veyka finds herself was the unwanted queen and heir.  Now she must navigate court politics, Fae rivalries and the machinations of the Dowager! 

Arran Earthborn may be her intended but she won't be submitting to anyone, ever again.  But can Arran make Veyka see that life can be worth living after loss.  That arranged marriage can lead to true love.  That sometimes creating a family of friends, can be stronger than that of blood relations.

I really loved Veyka.  She has taken her trauma and turned it into her super-power.  She's decided that if she doesn't love anyone else, then it won't hurt if anyone else is taken from her.  She turns from tortured, self-loathing, powerless survivor to powerful warrior, fated mate and queen of the realm.  Arran may be the strongest fae for centuries but for a warrior with a fearsome reputation he has strong friendships and quite a tenderheart under all those muscles. when he finally sees past Veyka's outer shell of "doesn't give a s**t" and sees the self-hate boiling there, he drags her soul kicking and screaming into the light.  He refuses to allow her to die and shirk her duty to her people.

Revenge, hope, triumph over abuse, found family and dealing with prophecies all mix together into a fabulous story.  Some parts of the story are hard to read due to the themes being dealt with (child abuse, torture, confinement and suicidal thoughts) but they make Veyka's triumph that much more sweeter.