An Ember in the Ashes

When Laia's brother is arrested for treason, she makes a dangerous bargain with rebels: infiltrate the Empire's most elite military academy as a spy, and they'll help rescue him. There she encounters Elias, a brilliant soldier who masks a devastating secret—he's desperately eager to escape the very tyranny he's been trained to enforce. As Laia and Elias navigate this brutal, Roman-inspired world of deadly secrets and impossible choices, their connection becomes undeniable, and they discover that their defiance might be the spark that topples an empire. This is a sweeping story about finding freedom in the darkest places and the power of standing up when everything is designed to break you.