The Ones We Burn

Ranka is a blood-witch whose magic compels her to kill, and she is weary of it. She wants only to be left alone in Witchik's wild north with the coven that raised her, far from the horrors of her past. Others call her Monster, Butcher and Bloodwinn.

Then she is named the next treaty bride to Isodal, the human kingdom to the south. Her coven sends her there with one order: kill the prince. The prince turns out to be gentle and kind, and he is frightened of her. He does not want to marry Ranka, and he does not want the crown either.

The greater danger seems to be his sister, Princess Aramis, who is clever, sharp-tongued and impossible for Ranka to ignore. When a magical plague begins killing witches, Aramis makes an offer. If Ranka helps her work on a cure, Aramis will help Ranka learn to contain her deadly power.

A coup draws closer and the plague spreads, and Ranka has to doubt what she believed about her magic and her past. She must choose between the coven that raised her and a princess who sees more in her than the monster she was made into. This is a young adult fantasy with a romance at its center, a political plot and a rising body count.