What if Cinderella was a thief,the fairy godmother evil,...and the prince only wanted to marry to get his revenge?Vanya wants nothing more than to escape Tal, the City of the Dead, and her debts. As her stepfather increases the interest, theft seemed the only way. Steal the glass crown at the crown prince's betrothal ball before midnight, and freedom will finally be hers. Too late she learns she resembles the missing foreign bride and her employer does not only want a crown - she needs to control the head it sits on. This summer stranger things than the dead walk the streets of Tal, determined to bring down the royals, while in the shadows the rebels gather their forces. All sides agree, the wedding must happen - even if no one survives to see dawn.