fun-history
From the gilded cage of her Srivijayan palace in ancient Indonesia, she traded her crown for a cutlass and her silks for sailor's rags.
To escape a cruel arranged marriage, Princess Devi flees, reborn as a boy on a merchant ship. Her only guide through the bustling ports and treacherous seas of 9th-century Southeast Asia: a stolen map fragment hinting at a mythical island and a legendary treasure that could save her kingdom of Srivijaya.
But the ship's brooding, half-Chinese navigator, Jian, sees more than just a clumsy cabin boy, and he's not the only one with secrets. With pirates hunting them across the vibrant Maritime Silk Road, political enemies closing in, and a cryptic trader's warning that their destination, the "Isle of Songbirds," eats souls, Devi must fight for her freedom and her life.
Caught between her duty and her desire for self-determination, can she trust the enigmatic navigator who seems to unravel her disguise with every passing storm? Or will a forbidden, slow-burning romance in a world rich with Malay, Chinese, Arab, and Indian influences lead her to a fate worse than chains?
Embark on a swashbuckling adventure through the heart of ancient Southeast Asia-a world of hidden identities, ancient secrets, and sizzling tension, where loyalty is tested and love is the most dangerous treasure of all.