What makes a monster? What is a monster?
Long ago, there was a terrible monster that hurt many people. And a brave, good man locked him away. He remained trapped until a holiday celebrating his sealing, when twenty-year-old Katrin accidentally frees him.
Upon awakening the monster—a moody and unreliable being known as Untier—a bond forms between the two, keeping his magic trapped in her and their emotions linked. And, while it’s annoying that he can basically read her mind, the bond is about the only thing keeping Untier from killing her and exacting his revenge on the empire that trapped him. Because he wants his magic back, and he can’t exactly get it if Katrin’s dead.
Now, with no idea how she’s holding his magic hostage or how long it’ll last, Katrin tries to sway Untier from murder and mayhem. But growing closer to the shapeshifting monster means learning the dirty secrets of her country—including why he was really imprisoned—and Katrin questions how she can change the mind of someone whose rage might be justified.
