Destroy the key. Save her people and herself.

The Eternity Gate is found, and kings and monsters battle over its legends of treasure. But rumors whisper that someone stole the gate’s ancient key.

Seyo, handmaiden to the princess, keeps three secrets. First, she’s gifted in fire, not light, and may as well be cursed. Second, she translates a prophecy warning that the gate does not offer treasure but judgment. Third, Jorai, the scorned prince and Seyo’s confidant, entrusts her with the key and disappears.

Surrounded by war, Seyo and her companions embark on a journey to seek help from a faraway empire and find Jorai, unaware of the trap awaiting them. But what should Seyo do with the key? Who can survive judgment, especially someone as flawed as her? Will hiding the key—or destroying it—save her people or ensure their defeat?

Book 1 of The Threshold Duology series.

Seyo is handmaiden to the princess, but she struggles to be the perfect young woman that an aspiring priestess should be. Instead, she broke one of the most sacred rules. Now she has secret knowledge of the Eternity Gate and a secret past. Katherine Briggs’s debut novel The Eternity Gate explores themes of duty, loyalty, and prophecy in a near-eastern setting. Brisk writing tells a continent-crossing story of political intrigue and war with the backdrop of religious prophecy. The Eternity Gate delivers a satisfying ending that prepares readers for this duology’s final book.

Best for: Teen readers and older fans of epic fantasy with political intrigue.

Discern: Fantasy battle scenes with brief descriptions of abuse, people transformed by forbidden rituals into monsters.