Starside

Centuries after a devastating war divided the land, mortals and immortals inhabit separate worlds. Starside, home to the gods and their descendants, holds powerful magic that mortals are willing to risk their lives to obtain.

Every fifty years, the gates between the realms open, allowing fifty challengers to undertake a dangerous journey. Those who succeed may gain the power to heal, acquire immense wealth, or extend their lives.

For Aris, the journey promises something different: vengeance. When she was a child, a goddess destroyed her village and killed her family. Now she’s determined to find the one responsible.

First, Aris must survive the Culling, a deadly competition to select the fifty challengers. An orphan raised as a blacksmith’s apprentice, she lacks the superior weapons and privileges enjoyed by heirs of the Great Houses. But when she claims an extraordinary sword, she gains an unexpected advantage and becomes a target.

Reaching Starside is only the beginning. Ancient creatures, powerful magic, dangerous beasts, and a mysterious threat rising from the ground after dark make survival increasingly uncertain.

Aris also encounters Harlan Raker, a ruthless royal guard who betrayed her years earlier. Despite their troubled history, he may be essential to keeping her alive.

As Aris continues her quest, a hidden truth surrounding her family’s death threatens to change everything, setting events in motion that even the gods may be powerless to prevent.

Starside, the first book in Alex Aster’s fantasy series, combines deadly trials, powerful magic, vengeance, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.

Alex Aster is a bestselling fantasy author whose books have reached number one on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She is also a USA Today bestselling author.

She created the Lightlark series, which is being developed into a major motion picture, and the Emblem Island series, inspired by her Colombian heritage.

Aster graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied English.

Readers can explore her books and learn more at www.asterverse.com.