Dayton (_The Eternal Rose_) never quite makes good on the engrossing buildup of this lengthy tale set in an alternate 19th-century Europe. The Imperial Council of Magicians forbids women to practice magic, so hapless servant Jax has spent 200 years searching for an heir to the last blood sorceress; at last he finds her in hedge witch Amanusa Whitcomb. Reluctant and afraid, Amanusa lets Jax teach her about blood magic. When she finally uses her powers, she and Jax flee from the Inquisitors, encountering disturbing "dead zones" devoid of life and magic. The burgeoning love between Amanusa and Jax is well-crafted and honest, but Dayton allows it to overwhelm the complex plot and world-building, leaving hundreds of pages of foundation crumbling without a suitable capstone. (Mar.)
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In 1636, the last blood sorceress was burned at the stake. More than two hundred years later, her blood servant Jax has found her successor. Amanusa at first turns down the opportunity to learn what she perceives as an evil art. But she craves justice, and innocent blood cries out for justice.

When Amanusa looses magic on those who've harmed her, she must flee for her life across a devastated Europe with Jax, who is inescapably bound to her by blood and magic. Their journey takes them through zones where everything--including magic--has died, zones populated with strange creatures cobbled together of things left behind by the dead.

Needing each other for their very survival, Amanusa and Jax grow ever closer on their journey to discover answers - about magic, blood sorcery, the dead zones, and even love.