Shadows of Sparta by C.R. Jane

Sparta is dying.

Gods once ruled the land, until King Menelaus cast them out and crowned himself in their place. Now, drought scorches the earth and a mysterious affliction steals the breath from the living, while defiance is answered with death.

When the king resurrects the ancient trials meant to choose his queen, Helena becomes her dying village’s only hope. Cursed with a terrible beauty, she steps forward, not for glory but survival.

But beauty alone cannot save her from a crown stolen from the gods.

Alone in a dangerous court, Helena must decide whom to trust: Achilles, a legendary warrior bound to the throne by blood and oath, or a mysterious prisoner bearing forbidden magic and long-buried truths.

One guards her cage. The other whispers how to escape it.

And one of them is lying.

The fate of her people rests on Helena’s shoulders. If she chooses wrong, Sparta will not simply fall. It will kneel.

Helena must claim the throne―or be destroyed by it.