Tenebrae

Faith is law in Thornewynn Gaur’s world, which is run entirely by men. At birth, every girl is assigned one of four sacred roles: Vestals, vowed to purity and silence; Voids, servants of the holy men; Pillars, forced into marriage and procreation; or Seclusions, hidden away in darkness to create clothing for the faithful.

Thorne and her two sisters were assigned the role of a Vestal, and at twenty-two, they are entombed within the walls of a Vestalia, where they are taught to worship a god who only speaks through men. But Thorne has never believed in Evarus, the god who blesses cruelty and calls it holiness.

When she uncovers the truth behind the Sacerdoses, the priests who rule in Evarus’ name, she finally understands that their divinity is built on a house of blood, flesh, and lies. Cannibalism masquerades as a sacrament, and the illusion of Evarus was formed to allow these holy men to rule over all.

As her faith collapses, so does the world she has been forced to endure. In the darkness of the House of Night Embers, her assigned Vestalia, she must decide if saving the women of her world is worth her own damnation.

Tenebrae is a brutal, romantic, gothic tale of religious horror, body autonomy, and a vision of what waking up in a world where women are currency and completely disposable would look like.