The Thread Of Light

Liora Vale has always been the light of her family.

Ever since her older brother was reaped and never came home, she has done everything she could to hold what remains of them together - soft where the world is cruel, strong where grief still lingers. In District 8, where threads are spun into fabric and lives are quietly worn thin, Liora has learned how to survive without ever hardening.

But the Capitol remembers everything.

When her name is called at the reaping - rigged, deliberate, and impossible to fight - Liora is forced into an arena that already took everything from her once before. This time, there is no illusion of chance. No hope of fairness. Only the weight of being chosen.

As she is pulled deeper into the spectacle of the 72nd Hunger Games, Liora must navigate not only the brutality of the arena, but the dangerous attention of the Capitol - and the quiet, complicated presence of the mentor assigned to guide her. In a place where love is a weakness and trust can be fatal, the line between survival and surrender begins to blur.

Because in a world that thrives on control, even something as small as hope can be an act of defiance.

And Liora Vale was never meant to burn - but she was never meant to be chosen, either.