Riley Hawthorne was six when she witnessed her father put a noose around his neck. And though she doesn't remember much else about that night, there’s one thing she knows for certain: a witch killed him. 

 

Ten years later, Riley takes her retribution by painting backstreets in witches’ blood. Descended from a family of witch hunters, she wears the identity like a favorite jacket. Her sister, on the other hand, despises it, just like she despises that Riley's bloodlust forces their family out of every home they make. For Riley, though, witch hunting is the only thing that quiets her guilt and uncertainty over what really happened the night her father died.

 

Her opportunity for vengeance, and for answers, arrives when her mother tracks their father’s killer to Lewisburg, Mississippi. The hunt leads to Nick Proctor, a dark-eyed witch who claims he wants to help. When he risks his life for hers, she’s forced to take note. Slowly, their reluctant partnership grows into something as dangerous as the power Proctor wields.

 

But as they close in on the truth, Riley is haunted by family secrets whispering like shadows in the Mississippi forests, and when a divination spell warns Riley’s sister could be the next target, she must fight for more than revenge.

 

There’s just one problem: to kill a witch—Riley will have to become one.