I never saw a future for myself. Every time I closed my eyes and tried to dream up a life different from this one, I couldn't see it. I always believed it was because I would never live long enough to get there, but now I wonder if it's because my brain could never process the place I'd truly end up. Not even in my wildest dreams.

This place, the one I'm stuck in now, is somewhere between a fantasy and a nightmare. I've questioned my sanity more times than I can count. I've pinched myself enough to bruise. But I can't blink away this reality. The one where every creature around me is out for blood, particularly mine. The one where I have to break down barriers I've carefully built just to find some answers. The one where I meet him. A world where day and night have no meaning.

Here, in this place, the clock is always counting down. Time is being wasted and I have no way to stop it. I'm helpless and yet, I'm their only hope for salvation.

Talara Tate's debut novel about a young woman who learns to love herself in the most unlikely of places is filled with dark humor, mental health representation, spice, and enemies to lovers; perfect for fans of Zodiac Academy and From Blood and Ash.