For the last two weeks, Evangeline Fox has searched for the missing door to the Prince of Hearts’ church and finally finds it hidden in an alleyway. In the southern country where she lives, few people believe in magic, but having been raised by a father who owns a magic shop and a mother from the Magnificent North, where magic is a fact of life, Evangeline knew the disappearance of the church’s door was magical.

As she pries the door open, she pricks her finger, and the door seems to whisper a warning. Evangeline doesn’t listen. Two weeks ago, Luc Navarro, the boy she loves, and Evangeline’s stepsister Marisol announced they would be married. Evangeline’s heart is broken, and the church is the only way to fix it. Besides, she understands the Fates and the three most important rules of dealing with them: Don’t promise more than she can give; don’t make a bargain with more than one fate; and most importantly, “never fall in love with a Fate” (7).

Everything in the church is stark white in color, and the air smells of apples and blood. A dazzlingly handsome statue of the Prince of Hearts stands over a dais.