Publisher's Synopsis
It's hard not to be savage when everyone you meet wants to kill you-and maybe eat you.
In crossing a barren continent, Vara has survived slavery, a death-cult, a ruthless militant, and countless daily dangers. She has killed-and liked it. She has lost-companions, as well as a small piece of herself. Her losses have taught her that it's better to strike first than to wait and see. At least that way, you stay alive.
But survival isn't everything. Not anymore. At some point, inadvertently and inconveniently, Vara started caring about the people around her. Thanks to them, she feels like a good person sometimes, or like she could be one if the MX didn't have other ideas.
Someone once told her she was made for this awful place. She'd rather not believe that, but maybe it's true. Maybe that's why she can't even accept kindness from strangers without thinking of killing them. Now that she has others to protect, the consequences of a wrong move are higher than ever. How will she know whose hand to clasp, whose throat to cut?
There's still a lot of wasteland between Vara and the next ocean. It's filled with threats old and new, natural and unnatural. Navigating them will require walking the razor's edge between truth and lies, reason and instinct, mercy and blood-soaked savagery.
If you've traveled at Vara's side through a thousand miles of mistakes and questionable behavior, now's not the time to turn back. You may think you know what's coming, but you've got no idea.
