Queens, countries, and cultures collided in Woodwalker and Ashes to Fire, the first two books in Emily B. Martin’s Creatures of Light series. From Mae’s guidance to retake Lumen Lake to Mona’s eye-opening adventure in Cyprien, we now see things from Gemma’s perspective—a queen in disgrace…and symbol of the oppressive power of Alcoro.

Queen Gemma—although she isn’t sure she still has claim to that title—is in prison.

To her people, it’s simply called “The Retreat,” but in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by guards and unable to speak to her husband, King Celeno, there’s no other word for it. The only comfort she has is knowing she might not be there long—the Prelate has let her know in no uncertain terms the council is, even now, deciding her ultimate fate.

And Gemma would resign herself to that if it wasn’t for a mysterious stranger breaking her free and setting her on a course that could change the world. With precious information—and a skeptical travel companion— Gemma must undertake a journey to find answers to the questions that have defined her life for years…and her country for centuries.

If she can make this desperate scheme work, she might not just forge peace between Alcoro and their neighbors, but win some peace of heart as well. And, perhaps, she’ll learn the same lessons Mae and Mona learned: that being Queen doesn’t mean having to do everything alone.

Creatures of Light—the eponymous third and final book in Emily B. Martin’s series—is a novel filled with adventure, betrayal, and a queen’s lifelong struggle to love and trust herself.

Emily Martin