There are two things that should never mix, family and politics. House Blackwood can trace its lineage back a thousand years, to the petty kings of old. In a realm where magic is dying out and the royal line fading, the Blackwoods are the obvious choice of succession. But opposition comes from within. Hazel's mother has kept her in the country far from her father's influence, in a house where all talk of magic is forbidden. Cassia has been raised the prodigal daughter amongst a score of cousins. When Hazel is finally sent to school, their paths cross. But whilst one struggles to find her place within the family, the other is trying to claw her way out. They are branches to the same tree, and rot spreads. __________ A YA dynastic fantasy