"After a devastating loss and the discovery of a dark conspiracy, Klarke Ascher is determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost. Her mission: to find the prince's missing twin and the elusive Ramanata, who hold the key to exposing the king's deceit and forcing his abdication. To advance her cause, Klarke cleverly convinces the king to allow the Ascenditures to join Ainar's team for a peace climb aimed at healing the rift between their lands.
As she embarks on this journey, Klarke discovers a kingdom that values diversity and equality—ideals she yearns to bring back to Ectair. But first, she must brave the perilous slopes of Mount Opasno while searching for one of the many women her mother helped smuggle to safety from their oppressive king.
In a world where lies are as fierce as the mountain winds and danger lurks around every craggy outcrop, Klarke must navigate a tangled web of enemies and political intrigue. As alliances shift and hidden agendas emerge, she realizes that not all allies can be trusted and not all adversaries are as they seem."
"Klarke Ascher has a singular goal: to become an Ascenditure, a member of the kingdom's elite climbing team who scale the treacherous peaks of Miter's Backbone in search of an elusive medicine to treat the lung sickness that ails the populace. However, in a kingdom governed by centuries of tradition, where women are legally bound to home and hearth, owned by the men they are forced to marry, the Ascenditures have always been male. As the strongest climber of her generation, Klarke's skill and strength are undeniable, and her courage and persistence prompt a civil uprising to which the king is finally forced to concede. Klarke's fight for justice, however, quickly becomes a struggle for survival as fellow Ascenditures, one by one, are inexplicably murdered. For danger lies not only on the icy peaks of treacherous mountains, where ropes are cut and routes are compromised, but in the very halls of power, where the king is determined to see Klarke fail. With the hope of an oppressed generation on her shoulders, Klarke must dig deep within herself to discover the greatest strengths—of muscle and mind—not only to survive but to unravel the sinister conspiracy upon which the foundation of their kingdom rests."
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