Poppy was just a little child when her parents were killed, since then she has been kept in the hiding as a sacred thing. The gods have allowed no one to see or meet her, establishing a relation of any kind is utterly impossible. Poppy has been brought up in complete isolation and she of course is not happy at all. Though the girl has a scary purpose in her life this is something that she has not chosen for herself.
She wants a free life and a relationship of her own choice, sadly no one has ever asked for her choice. Guards keep a strict watch on her all the time and soon the time will come when she would be sacrificed in front of the gods for the safety of all mankind. Her soul still desires someone who would be able to decorate her life the way she wants. Hawke happens to be one of the new guards who are bound to protect Poppy like a treasure.
Slowly the two develop a strange relationship between them which brings them to the point where they stop thinking about the rules and regulations. If the forbidden act is performed then the two will bring the end of the world sooner than expected and the gods will also not help mankind at all.
Jennifer L. Armentrout showed full control of the story during The Crown of Gilded Bones and A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and this made the author famous and confident enough to write this one. Stina Nielsen has a lovely voice for the narration of such stories and the narrator has used all technical skills here.