First published 2026
Riven Hesper carries a curse that grows stronger each day, slowly draining her life away. The eighteen-year-old earned this death sentence through her own encounter with a Player, one of the godlike performers whose shows can twist reality itself. The Playhouse where these vicious beings dwell has replaced the dead gods as an object of worship and terror. When the Playhouse announces a competition offering one mortal the chance to claim a Player's immortality, Riven sees her only path to survival. She enters the deadly contest and meets Jude, the Lead Player whose brilliant mind and merciless nature make him as charming as he is dangerous. Riven strikes a bargain with him to save her own life. As the competition unfolds and time runs short, the Playhouse reveals disturbing secrets. Riven begins to suspect she may not be fighting for justice after all. The Playhouse creates stories, but it also rewrites them, and Riven's tale might end with blood on her hands.
Genres: fantasy, young-adult, dark-fantasy, contemporary-romance
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Playhouse
Period: contemporary
513 pages · Hardcover · Entangled: Mayhem Books
Content warnings: violence