Sev must decode her mother’s last words to find the cure to Sleeping Sickness before her enemies find it first in this stunning sequel to Last Star Burning, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike calls “a rich and timely tale.”
No one is safe, not with a horrifying new strain of Sleeping Sickness tearing through the population. After fleeing the City with her friends, Sev has one goal: to find the cure her mother developed and put an end to the epidemic once and for all.
But decoding her mother’s last words—to seek out “Port North”—is easier said than done.
Nobody she talks to has heard of Port North, and with only Tai-ge and June on her side, Sev fears Dr. Yang will find the cure first, and that he’ll use it to start a new world order under his rule.
With no leads, Sev is running out of options—until she discovers someone hiding in the cargo hold of her heli plane. Someone she thought was dead. Someone with maps that could point the way to Port North, if only she could read them.
Unfortunately, the one person Sev never wants to see again might be the one person who can help her find the cure.
About the Author
Caitlin Sangster grew up in Northern California, moved to XinJiang when she was eighteen, and has been fascinated with how much she doesn’t know about the world ever since. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Asian studies and is the person you avoid at parties because she will probably start talking about Shang dynasty oracle bones. Caitlin lives with her husband and four children in Utah.
Industry Reviews
Sev, Tai-ge, and June set out for seemingly unknown Port North in search of a sleeping-sickness cure, not to mention the vague hints that Sev might also find family at the end of her journey. On the way, they meet up with Howl, the object of her hate/attraction, who offers help, but Sev struggles to trust him again. Despite impossible circumstances and a civil war, they must get the cure before the nefarious Dr. Yang finds it and uses it as a political weapon. Detail-oriented Sangster is a master of creativity when it comes to setting and action, and the various characters’ ambivalence about trust and hope feels authentic. Moments of humor and warmth add dimension, and dedicated readers will appreciate many, many twists and turns. An author’s note indicates inspiration for parts of the book came from historical China. Try this sequel to Last Star Burning (2017) with fans of Julie Dao’s Rise of the Empress series or Livia Blackburne’s
Rosemarked (2017). — Cindy Welch
