Emory’s shame is a giant, soul-sucking monster. And it’s the only kind she’s never killed before.
In the ruined, overgrown skeleton of the old world, survival means never looking back. Emory has lived by this rule for eight years, gleaning ruins and fighting ash creatures—horrific monsters birthed from human sorrow and trauma. She walks alone, carrying a secret that destroyed her home and haunts her every step.
When she saves a group of travelers from a deadly ambush, Emory reluctantly agrees to guide them north to the mythical Walled Meadow. Among them are a fierce mother protecting her young son, a lovelorn bomb-maker, and Mel, a fiery survivor who refuses to let Emory push her away. As they battle ash creatures, floods, and desperate killers, Emory realizes she is terrified of losing them. But her past and her secrets are putting them in more danger than anything else this deadly world can throw at them. To protect the family she never thought she’d have, Emory must finally stop running and face the monster born from her own soul.
