Sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre is the descendant of traitors. She never knew her family or which one of them betrayed the isle of Nanseau. Like all people of her class orphaned after the war, Kellan is forbidden from carving magic into metal, a trade known as makecraft. But Kellan has a secret. In the wake of a tragic miscarve, she’s been helping her adoptive father, Edgar, run his celebrated makeshop.

With Edgar’s condition worsening, his shop is on the brink of ruin. To save them both, Kellan strikes a dangerous deal: she must compete against the nation’s elite for a coveted spot as a maker’s apprentice.

But danger lurks at every turn. As Kellan grows closer to the illegitimate son of one of Nanseau’s most revered families, something sinister begins targeting the competitors.

Amid a crumbling city and a ticking clock, winning won’t just be a test of survival – it will mean uncovering the shrouded legacies of Nanseau itself.