Kody Boye Knihy

My mother once said that only the Beautiful Ones survive. This is because, in the war-torn Great South, beauty is a currency, and to have it means you will never have to worry about a thing. The only problem is: beauty is judged by our capital's Gentlewomen, and there is no guarantee that we will pass their test.Every year, the Gentlewomen of the capital leave the Glittering City to oversee the annual Procession. They travel settlement to settlement selecting girls, aged sixteen and older, to become Beautiful Ones. If chosen, we will be lifted into a life of luxury, but the cost is our free will.

My mother was burned at the stake.Of course, this is not uncommon, now that the Republic controls everything. From what we watch. To what we learn. To who we are, even what we become. They are always on the hunt for witches.I have lived in terror of developing my magic, of becoming my mother’s daughter, my entire life. Now, on the cusp of my eighteenth birthday, my greatest fear is coming to pass. My only chance at survival is to flee to the wilds of East Texas and join a place called the Academy -- a place where witches like me are trained to not only control, but use our powers to fight back against our tyrannical government.I have always feared the fire. The only question can I outrun it?