Silas, a trapper, discovers a hidden altar from an ancient religion in a tunnel deep within the frozen ground. His prayers to the Hearthlord summon Senya, a girl with healing powers, who emerges from a supernatural portal. He becomes a priest—Father Silas—and as the religion grows, angels known as the Hearthborn arrive through the portal to free the Hearthlord from the tundra, leaving Senya behind in the cold. Meanwhile, in her homeland, a gradual shift is taking place from religious to political power—and warfare. Senya returns home to serve the Hearthlord, teaming up with Siegfried, a dispossessed soldier from Feracht House, and Nell, a rogue princess from Aesterland. The novel opens with plodding worldbuilding framed by an origin story and little exploration of characters’ emotions before eventually exploding into the horrific devastation of war. Shifting third-person points of view provide detailed backstories and clues about the central characters’ roles as victims of political power plays. Eventually, these perspectives come together even as the leads confront individual losses in their world’s new and dangerous landscape. Some plot points are left unresolved, leaving room for a sequel. In a white-presenting world, Senya stands out for having deep bronze skin, pale eyes, and white hair.
