Blending the archaeological heist intrigue of Indiana Jones, the mind-bending speculative conceits of Inception, the dark academia adjacency of The Cloisters, and the dystopian climate disasters of How High We Go in the Dark or The Fifth Season with a queer love story in an Appalachian-influenced setting, a memory hunter and her bodyguard unearth a terrible secret about the foundations of their society in this twisty, propulsive science fantasy set in a world where generations of memories are etched in blood.

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Kiana Strade can dive deeper into blood memories than anyone alive. But instead of devoting her talents to the temple she’s meant to lead, Key is determined to use her skill as a researcher for the Museum of Human Memory. . . and to avoid the public eye in opulent, cutthroat Asheburg.

Valerian might look like a delicate country girl, but her lightning-fast swords protect Key from murderous rivals and her own enthusiasm alike. Vale cares about Key as a friend—and maybe more—but most of all, she needs to keep her job so she can support her parents and siblings in the storm-torn south.

But when Key collects a memory about the founding of the temple that diverges from official history, no one but Vale sees the fallout. Key’s mentor suspiciously dismisses the finding. Her powerful mother demands she stop research altogether. And Key, unusually affected by the memory, begins to lose moments, then minutes, then, for her own safety, days.

As Vale becomes increasingly entangled in Key’s obsessive drive for answers, the two women uncover a shattering discovery—and a devastating betrayal. Key and Vale can remain complicit in the Museum’s unethical practices, or they can jeopardize everything to bring the truth to light; either way, Key is becoming consumed by the past in more ways than one, and time is running out.