In early 16th-century Korea, King Yeonsan terrorizes the populace, torturing those he considers enemies and kidnapping women as consorts. Iseul, 17, was raised in a noble family, but her parents were killed in one of the king’s sweeping campaigns of vengeance. Now her older sister, Suyeon, has been kidnapped by the king, and Iseul is determined to rescue her. Once pampered and self-absorbed, Iseul takes a job at an inn and is soon immersed in the hunt for an assassin known as Nameless Flower—who’s been murdering supporters of the king–in the hopes of trading the assassin’s identity for her sister’s release. Meanwhile, the king’s half-brother, Prince Daehuyn, maintains appearances in support of Yeonsan’s rule but is secretly helping organize a coup. The planning takes place at the inn where Iseul is working, and she finds herself drawn to Prince Daehuyn, as he is to her. Iseul’s priority remains saving Suyeon. But as questions about whom to trust deepen, she finds her best hope of helping her sister is knotted with the coup attempt, and she realizes that all of the women kidnapped by the king deserve saving. This sweeping love story and immersive work of historical fiction is told in chapters alternating between Iseul’s and Prince Daehuyn’s points of view, revealing each of their personal histories. The author’s excellent preface and end note provide helpful historical context. (Age 13 and older)