When the Ember Fair returns, River Torres-granddaughter of the first Lantern Keeper-learns her inherited guide can't outpace a Fair that's grown crueler. Thirteen teens are forced onto the Phantom Railway, where only one train won't kill them, and into the Clockmaker's Masquerade, a time-warped ballroom where three dances can steal a lifetime. With hours compressing into minutes and the Fair breaking its own rules, River must choose between saving the people she loves and keeping herself intact. Lush, eerie, and fast-paced, this installment deepens the series' folk-horror mythology with deadlier trials, fragile alliances, and a heroine who discovers that surviving isn't the same as winning. Perfect for readers who love deadly carnivals, clockwork magic, and impossible moral choices.