Claire Vale has spent her whole life playing the songs Alderwick loves. Now she wants to find out whether she is good enough for Valenne.
One last performance, one badly timed kiss, and she is on the road with her lute, a handful of coins, and no intention of looking back.
Then the Briarwood changes the tune.
By the time Claire reaches Valenne, she is carrying a song nobody has heard, a secret she has no intention of explaining, and an appetite Alderwick never taught her to name.
At the legendary Golden String, talent is the only way in. One performance can earn a musician a place among the finest players in the city. Failure means never trying again.
Claire came for the music.
But behind the applause, the Golden String has traditions of its own.
And one old kiss is proving surprisingly difficult to leave behind.
She left home to discover what kind of musician she could become. She may discover rather more than that.
