The world as we know it ended 209 years ago. From a desert wasteland springs a single kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical King and trapped in an endless war against the shadowy desert warriors. As a desperate bid to save what remains of humanity, society has been split into two distinct classes, nicknamed the Court and the Commons. For an oppressed population on the brink of revolution, a common thief could be the last hope. Up until now, Kay has survived by her wits alone. Reckless and impulsive, wanted by the King's guard, Kay has become known as the Runner. Using the city's rooftops as her personal domain, she manages to keep one step ahead of the King with one hand buried in the purses of the courtiers. Driven by the plight of the commoners and the unjust death of her family, Kay seizes the chance to graduate from small-time thievery to full-scale rebellion. Her opportunity comes in the form of Will, a wealthy ex-soldier with a dark past. Plucked from the streets and thrown into the shimmering palace court, Kay must use her every strength to blend into a world where she doesn't belong, closer to the enemy than she ever thought she would be.

In a time of myth and magic, nine ancient mighty kingdoms are at war from as far as the inscriptions go back and stories are told. Leila is an orphan living in a magical world where she lives every day like it's her last. Leila has a past shadowed by misfortune, fires, unsavoury characters, evil sorcerers, dark magical creatures and all. Over the years she learns how to use all sorts of weapons; the once sweet little girl had grown up to be a dangerous woman. Things change drastically on Leilas sixteenth birthday and she is forced to serve the Golden Year. The Golden Year allows civilians the chance to escape the life laid out for them since birth. She has to leave what little she had behind in search of a new life. It means turning her back on her secret love, Theo, the self-crowned king of thieves. Leila begins to doubt her original assumptions about the royal family when she gets to know Prince Leonardo. However, the return of the dark lord could mean the end of everything she holds dear. She is put into the heart of a war between kingdoms at odds. She soon discovers her magical gifts and her destiny as the chosen one. She never expects to learn a new truth about her parents and herself. In this sweeping fantasy about Leila's journey to fulfil her destiny and all the monsters that stand in her way, only one monster does not have fangs or claws but he does have a powerful hold on her heart. Danger and betrayal, forbidden love and lust, dark secrets and enchantments threaten Leila's life and it could lead to her ultimate destruction.