The Phoenix and the Crown

A pirate with a deadly secret. A princess desperate to save her dying kingdom. The kingdom of Daera is dying. For the past ten years, rain has poured from the skies and the sun refuses to shine. Crops wither and rot in their fields while the people starve. Annie is the princess of Daera, desperate to find a solution. Using her knowledge of plants, she experiments in the hope of finding a hybrid that can survive Daera's harsh weather. But time is running out. Ben is a pirate, captain of the ship Phoenix, who helps the people of Daera the only way he knows how-by stealing supplies from other ships and delivering them to the starving villagers-all while concealing a deadly secret. With no other choice, Annie finds herself forced to abandon her work and accept a marriage proposal from Alara, the kingdom to the south, in exchange for much-needed aid. Plagued by witch-hunts and pirates alike, Alara is not the paradise it appears. Even so, Annie believes their southern neighbor is the only hope Daera has-until she meets Ben.