Veilmarch by Hallie Pursel

To stray from the Veil is treason. To desire Death is a sin.

In the theocratic kingdom of Annon, the Veilwalker serves both the divine and the crown, chosen as executioner and guide of souls. Since childhood, Ilys has been raised for this fate, trained to kneel without hesitation and spill blood without doubt. She believes her obedience holy, until Death himself takes too much. When his reach extends beyond the sacred, Ilys vows to ruin the god who made her.

Forced into a journey at Death’s side, she expects a figure beyond mortal grasp. Instead, she finds a man, fragile, fading, and dangerously human. What begins in resentment twists into curiosity, and soon into a desire as ruinous as it is undeniable.

As the kingdom fractures, Ilys is forced to confront her purpose and her power, but the answers demand sacrifice. To claim choice for herself, she may have to bring Annon to its knees.

Veilmarch is a gothic fantasy of blood, devotion, and dangerous love, perfect for readers of Katherine Arden and Leigh Bardugo.