The Ruthless Light - by Cate Baumer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Miracle worker Csilla has left the holy walled city of Silgard behind, hiding from the Church who are threatened by her existence. Unable to see suffering, Csilla uses her new divinity to heal the sick. But when word spreads of her powers, she finds herself reunited with the inquisitor-turned-sainted soldier Ilan, sent by the Incarnate to bring her to the frontlines of a holy war.

The Church fights against the Western territories, believing they can bring the creator god Asten back into the world. But their faith cannot stand against the Western army's magically corrupted soldiers, or the disturbing miracles they find. Csilla believes the angels have returned - but to their enemy.

Ilan fights to protect Csilla from the worst of war, but when the Incarnate pushes her to become a symbol of the Church's divine right, he is forced to watch as she is pulled into the violence. They soon realise the world is not as the Church taught it, the Incarnate cannot be trusted, and that no war is ever holy.

About the Author

Cate Baumer (she/her) is a fantasy writer who lived half her life in Japan but currently resides on an Appalachian mountaintop and is occasionally visited by foxes and bears. While she works as an international relocation consultant by day, she spends her nights crafting bittersweet stories set in lush and haunted worlds.