Kiera Azar Hardcover Series: Thorn Season YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Fantasy / Romance In the kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical specter—a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock…even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted. Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family…is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she’s escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father. Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal—and caught between two equally dangerous men: One, a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth—and the other, a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.