To my friend and sister Jenn Kelly: I think when you finally read this book, you’ll understand the impact your friendship has had on me, and how much good you’ve brought into my life. You kept reaching out your hand to me, and I will be forever grateful.
To my editor and fellow New York Times crossword fanatic, Noa Wheeler: you are a genius. An actual genius, and a lifesaver, and the best damn editor I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your incredible hard work, your clever and thoughtful ideas, and for pushing me to be a better writer. I wake up every morning truly excited to work with you and learn from you, and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for it.
To my agent, Robin Rue: thank you doesn’t seem adequate for all you’ve done for me, and how much I adore working with you. You arrived at the precise moment in my life when I needed you and your expertise the most, and I thank the universe every single day that I have the honor of calling you my agent. Though we’ve had a million Zoom calls by now, I can’t wait to crack open a can of champagne (lol) with you in person one day!
To Jill Gillett: you are my take-no-shit fairy godmother. Thank you for working so tirelessly to make so many of my dreams come true—and for being a brilliant, lovely human being.
To Victoria Cook: you are the epitome of a badass, and I’m so grateful to have you in my corner.
To Maura Wogan: thank you, thank you, thank you for your wisdom, hard work, and generosity.
To Cecilia de la Campa: you are one of the coolest and hardest-working people in this industry. Thank you for championing me and my books!
To Beth Miller: you are an actual ray of sunshine and the most organized person I’ve ever met. I bow down before your note-taking skills! I’m so grateful for all that you do.
To the Writers House team: while we haven’t been working together for very long, you’ve already surpassed my wildest expectations. I can’t imagine my books in better hands—or with better people! I’m so proud to be a part of your family!
To Laura Keefe: thank you for your hard work and the tips on toys to occupy Taran! It’s so fun to work with you—thank you for everything!
To the entire global team at Bloomsbury—Nigel Newton, Emma Hopkin, Kathleen Farrar, Rebecca McNally, Cindy Loh, Valentina Rice, Nicola Hill, Amanda Shipp, Marie Coolman, Lucy Mackay-Sim, Nicole Jarvis, Emily Fisher, Emilie Chambeyron, Patti Ratchford, Emma Ewbank, John Candell, Donna Gauthier, Melissa Kavonic, Diane Aronson, Nick Sweeney, Claire Henry, Nicholas Church, Fabia Ma, Daniel O’Connor, Brigid Nelson, Sarah McLean, Sarah Knight, Liz Bray, Genevieve Nelsson, Adam Kirkman, Jennifer Gonzalez, Laura Pennock, Elizabeth Tzetzo, and Valerie Esposito: Thank you for your incredible hard work.
To Kaitlin Severini: thanks so much for your meticulous copyediting!
To Christine Ma: thank you for your eagle-eyed proofing.
To my publishers around the world: I am deeply grateful for all of your support and all the effort you’ve put into getting these books into the hands of readers around the world.
To Jillian Stein: you are such fun to work with, and one of the most awesome people I know. Thank you for all the hard work—and for being you!
To Tamar Rydzinski: thank you so much for your dedication and kindness.
To Nick Odorisio, actual Jedi master. Thank you for walking me through everything from balance to the importance of the feet to the basics of Jedi master. So much of your wisdom made its way into this book (along with my complaints about crunches and planks and my lack of balance)!
To Jason Chen: thank you for your article on how to throw a punch—and to Aiman Farooq, Keith Horan, Chris Waguespack, and Pete Carvill for the invaluable insight and tips provided in it. If I’m ever in a bar fight, I hope I can at remember at least some of your advice! If I’ve gotten any of the information wrong in this book, the fault is entirely mine.
Thank you to Anna Victoria, whose workout app (Fit Body) helped me experience so much of Nesta’s physical transformation firsthand. I never realized how much it would mean to me to be able to do a single push-up (though I could do without those Bulgarian squats!). And thank you to Headspace, for the calm and rest I found through meditating.
To Dr. C: there’s so much that I would like to say to you, and I know all of it will fall short in conveying my gratitude. But I’ll settle with a thank-you for how much you’ve helped me.
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Mahu Whenua in New Zealand. Walking the mountain trails, listening to the roar of the river, watching the sun shift across the land—it all inspired Nesta and Cassian’s hike. (Though I nearly snapped my ankle a few times while attempting to write down notes and keep walking!) Your property is my favorite place in the world, where I experienced a level of peace and clarity that I still can’t quite explain. Thank you and the Maori people for the healing these lands brought to my weary soul.
To Lynette Noni: thank you for the friendship that brightens my days, and for being the cleverest critique partner on the planet. I don’t know what I’d do without you!
To my friend Steph Brown: I love you. That is all. (Okay, it’s totally not all, but you know how I feel about you by this point!)
To Louisse Ang and Laura Ashforth: I’ve said it about a thousand times, but I want you to know how much I adore you and how lucky I am to know both of you.
My wonderful parents and family: it’s been so long since we’ve been able to see each other in person, but I’ve felt your love even from hundreds of miles away. I don’t know what I’d do without you. And to my in-laws, Linda and Dennis: thank you for the chocolate (even when I said I didn’t want any!), for being such doting grandparents, and for the unconditional love.
And lastly, to all of my readers: your kindness, generosity, and support mean the world to me. Thank you for taking these characters into your hearts, and for allowing me to do what I love most for a living. I am forever grateful.
BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING
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BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING, and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain 2021
Copyright © Sarah J. Maas, 2021
Map by Virginia Allyn, 2019
Sarah J. Maas has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: HB: 978-1-5266-0231-2; TPB: 978-1-5266-2064-4; eBook: 978-1-5266-0230-5;
ePDF: 978-1-5266-3469-6; UK exclusive: 978-1-5266-3475-7;
UK exclusive signed: 978-1-5266-3468-9; UK standard signed: 978-1-5266-3390-3; UK tour: 978-1-5266-3476-4
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