Meridia has not seen night in twelve years.

Beneath an unnatural white sun, the Order of the Unclouded Sun executes anyone found harbouring darkness—and feeds their stolen shadows into the machine keeping the city in endless day.

Elara Venn prepares the condemned for burial and listens to what their shadows remember. When a dead girl’s darkness leaves her a warning, Elara discovers that the mother she lost may still be trapped beneath the Basilica. Reaching her means trusting Lucien: the Order’s former executioner, a man without a reflection and a black iron thorn buried through his spine.

Lucien once hunted women like Elara. Now he is the only person who can lead her into the city’s buried dark.

Their alliance is dangerous. The desire growing between them is worse.

As the final bell approaches, Elara must uncover what truly powers Meridia’s false sun, confront the man Lucien was made to become, and decide how much she is willing to lose to return the night. Because some shadows conceal monsters.

Others remember how to set them free.