Since Ragnarok - the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos - the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic. Sixteen-year-old Eirie Halvorsen is among the luckier ones - his family remained prosperous. But he stands to lose everything when he's wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is Eirie's half-systir, Liv, who's under suspicion for her interest in seidr, or magic. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eirie will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove - the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery. Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger. Eirie's, Liv's, and Reginn's journeys converge in New Jotunheim, a paradise fueled by magic and the site of the Temple. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.