Far beyond the easy reaches of the mortal world lies a kingdom of ice and snow. Its glacier mountains reach the horizons of eons, and its cold, hard oceans paint the vastness of its world. It is terribly harsh and beautiful, and there is only one man capable of ruling from its frozen throne. He has ruled there alone for more than a thousand years. But the Thirteen Kings are finding their fated queens, and though he'd all but lost hope he would count himself amongst their lucky numbers, the moment she walks into view, his frozen heart and soul are rekindled with by a fire that will melt through anything, even him.

Persephone Glacia Nix—"Poppy"—is a human warlock who has forced herself to fit in with the mortals around her, despite her differences, despite her secret longings, and regardless of the different way in which she sees the world. Her empathetic nature makes life better for others, but difficult for her. She's come to accept this as the curse that accompanies the gift of understanding. However, when Kristopher Scaul approaches her on a dark street in a dark city on a cold night and introduces her to a world she at last feels "at home" in, Poppy must decide whether to continue faking it in the mortal world—or take her place on a second frozen throne, in the lonely but beautiful Kingdom of Winter.

Contains mature themes.