He killed three hundred girls before he came to my village, looking for a wife.

When a powerful and dangerous king arrives in the desert to take one of the village girls as his next wife, one girl will stop at nothing to save the life of her sister - even if it means sacrificing herself.

At his palace she is sure death awaits. But the king's fascination with her keeps her alive night after night, as the tales she weaves for him create a strange magic between them and her words come to life before her eyes. As her stories become more intricate and beautiful, her magic becomes more powerful, but will it be enough to save her?

There are 336 pages in this book. This book was published 2016 by Pan Macmillan .

Emily Kate Johnston is a forensic archaeologist. She has lived on four continents, including summers spent in Jordan experiencing the desert first-hand. Her inspirations come from her work, travels and her university studies in Biblical Hebrew and Arabic. She loves telling stories, and has been doing so across different mediums for over ten years.