Hunted across the True Sea, Alina Starkov and her childhood friend Mal are trying to outrun the reach of the Darkling and the burden of Alina's growing power. But a life of quiet anonymity was never truly possible for the Sun Summoner, and the ties that bind her to Ravka — and to the Fold — cannot be severed by distance alone. Soon Alina is pulled back into the fight for her country, and into a widening war for its throne.
Back on Ravkan soil, Alina must take up the mantle of leadership she never wanted, uniting the Grisha and the common people against a threat that grows stronger with every passing day. Her search for a legendary second amplifier to boost her powers brings danger, temptation, and a charismatic new ally: the daring privateer prince Nikolai Lantsov, whose ambitions for Ravka may rival even the Darkling's.
The second book in Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy raises the stakes of the Grishaverse, deepening its political intrigue and its central conflict as Alina is forced to choose what kind of leader — and what kind of person — she intends to become.