Smoke and Scar
In the world of Arcanis, humans and fae are locked in a centuries-old feud that only the brutal Arcane Crucible can pause. Elyria Lightbreaker, a grieving fae warrior, enters the deadly trials to protect her late lover's sister from certain death. She must work with Cedric Thorne, a human knight who blames her for everything he has lost. As they fight to survive the trials, the hatred between them begins to turn into a dangerous attraction.
A roughly 200-year-old fae war hero drowning in grief after losing the man she loved in a previous Crucible; re-enters the trials to protect his younger sister, Kit, from the same fate.
A human knight and spellweaver who blames Elyria for what the war took from him; paired with her in the Crucible's trials, his hatred slowly turns into something else.
Evander's grieving younger sister, who enters the Crucible herself to honor his memory and is the reason Elyria competes again.
A champion allied with Elyria and Cedric, valued for a stone-sensing ability that helps the group navigate the Crucible's trials.
A nonbinary champion in the Crucible's fellowship, known for deadpan wit amid the trials' danger.
Yes. Author Gretchen Powell Fox independently published Smoke and Scar in March 2025. Scarlett Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, acquired the Shattered Crown trilogy later that year and released this hardcover edition on April 7, 2026.
Three. Smoke and Scar (Book 1) and Splintered Kingdom (Book 2) were published in 2025; the trilogy concludes with Shadow and Son (Book 3), expected in late 2026.