A Court This Cruel and Lovely by Stacia Stark — book slip

The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead. In a world where the gods strip humans of power at birth, those who retain their abilities are hunted as the corrupt.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I must flee my village and make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me.

Our deal is simple: I'll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city, and he'll teach me to wield the dark power I've kept hidden.

But as secrets unravel, the mercenary's hidden past threatens everything I hold dear, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.

For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout.