But, really, this is not a Rapunzel retelling - except for very very loosely. It's more like it has some references to Rapunzel. Selestra is heir to the king's witch - her mother - and is forced to watch each year as Theola (her mother) holds a festival of predictions of people's deaths. If the predictions come true, then King Seryth takes their souls to feed his immortality; if they manage to avoid death, they will be granted a wish .And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death. A soldier in the King's army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King's immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra. Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.elestra and Nox individually are amazing and strong and fierce but together they are unstoppable. And do you know what else is good? She doesn’t lose powers because of a man. That’s always a win in fantasy books!!