Will the death of her innocence be her rise from the darkness?

Fourteen-year-old Terza Jaidenson is many things—a fierce fighter, an inspired painter, a loyal friend, and, according to her father, dangerously striking.

Beautiful things like Terza are not supposed to blossom in Hell’s Labyrinth, a ruined wasteland that was once a magnificent artistic city-state.

Trained relentlessly by her father to defend herself, no amount of preparation can protect her from the moment her innocence is shattered forever—when she is forced to kill two dark attackers.

The fallout destroys her family, and Terza embarks on a journey to become a formidable combatant, determined to stand up to those who prey on the weak.

But when a powerful underworld figure seeks her out for retribution, Terza begins to experience the true consequences of the blood she first spilled.

Drawn into a dark criminal world, she begins to question whether she is destined to rise from the depths of Hell’s Labyrinth—and whether hope and love can survive alongside fear and loss.

The path she chooses will ultimately earn her a name the city will not forget: Falconbrow.

Content Note: This book contains sensitive themes including violence, sexual assault, and addiction. Reader discretion is advised.

Falconbrow is an epic dark coming-of-age story that is both heart-pounding and triumphant, featuring an unforgettable heroine from an award-winning author of literary fantasy.

“The worldbuilding, like the other novels in Eliott’s Shadow Bidder universe, is exceptional, as is the story engine, which consistently moves at full throttle throughout. But it’s the underlying theme that fuels this story like gasoline poured on a fire. Terza’s quest for vengeance—not only for herself, but also for a friend who’s suffered abuse at the hands of a man—is intensely intimate. Systematic sexism, misogyny, the dehumanization of women in a patriarchal society: All of these ideas are subtly but intelligently explored, especially in the references to the ancient world and the empire ruled by women.”

– Kirkus Reviews