"A beautifully told saga of an ultimately tragic love story." Tony Palmer, British film director

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS, A REMARKABLE YOUNG WOMAN STRIVES FOR POWER IN 16TH-CENTURY MOLDAVIA 1583 AD.

The Principality of Moldavia, situated between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River, is a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Prince Petru VI, great-grandson of Vlad Dracula, tries to maintain his claim to the throne. In those turbulent times, a girl named Irina grows up in the Roma slave camp of an Orthodox monastery.

Her mother, originally descended from the Venetian upper class, teaches her how to read and write. When Irina’s path crosses Cornelius’s, court adviser and mage of Prince Petru VI, he covertly introduces her to the secret sciences. Irina soon realises that knowledge alone does not satisfy her. She strives for power and when the prince himself falls deeply in love with her she may have her chance.

Will her long-awaited dream of power come true? Or will Cornelius’s teachings guide her to unexpected and more dangerous pathways?

"This book is English language/literature at its finest." Boots, Shoes & Fashion