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Vessel of the Forsaken: A Crime Syndicate Fantasy Novel
Paperback
Series: Fantasy & Supernatural
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Apr 21 2026
Pages: 280
Weight: 0.75
Height: 0.70 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Princess Lyra of Veridia is a dud. Born into a lineage of blinding solar magic, she is the only member of the royal family without a spark of power. To her father, the Sun King, she is a political pawn to be traded. To the court, she is a pitiable defect. But in the shadows, Lyra is something else entirely: a master lockpick, a thief of secrets, and a woman seething with a lifetime of silent rage.
When her father announces her betrothal to a grim prince from a kingdom of stone, Lyra's desperation drives her to the forbidden Ashen Wing-a sealed ruin within the palace. There, she doesn't find salvation. She finds a chess piece. An onyx rook, pulsating with a dark, ancient warmth.
And it talks.
Enter Rook-or Kaelen, to the very few who know his true name. He is the First Forsaken, the God of Mischief and Chaos, banished and erased from history by the Order-obsessed pantheon. Charming, manipulative, and lethally dangerous, he offers Lyra a deal: he will break her chains if she helps him reclaim his.
The Heist of the Millennium. To challenge the gods, they must infiltrate the most heavily warded sanctuaries in the realms. From the goose-filled chaos of the Temple of the Dawn to the floating, deceptive ballrooms of the celestial city of Aethra, Lyra and Rook become the ultimate partners in crime. He provides the divine chaos; she provides the mortal cunning.
But as they pull off impossible cons and evade the terrifying, clockwork assassin known as The Inevitable, the line between partner and possession blurs. Rook is hiding a devastating secret: Lyra isn't magicless. She is a Vessel-a living prison for the very chaos the gods fear most.
He intends to use her as a weapon. She intends to become the war.
As the heist turns into a revolution, Lyra must decide: Will she be the queen of a broken kingdom, the pawn of a forgotten god, or the monster who unmakes the world?
Perfect for fans of Six of Crows meets The Bridge Kingdom, this gritty, high-stakes Romantasy blends the thrill of a magical heist with the heart-pounding tension of a slow-burn romance.
TROPES & THEMES
Morally Grey God MMC (Charming, manipulative, and utterly obsessed)
Partners in Crime (Heist fantasy dynamics)
Arranged Marriage Escape
Touch Her and Die (Protective shadow daddy energy)
Who Did This To You?
Hidden Power / Defective Chosen One
Fake Dating / Secret Identity (During the masquerade infiltration)
Smart, Cunning FMC (Competence porn)
Gods & Monsters
Slow Burn & Tension
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