by Logan Karlie
First published 2025
Nineteen-year-old Esmer Havenfall has lost everything to the Shadow Bringer, the creature who steals souls through dreams in the Kingdom of Noctis. Her sister lies dead, her village suffers under demon attacks, and her own future looks grim. When authorities accuse her of treason, they banish her to the Shadow Bringer's castle filled with monsters. There Esmer discovers she can wield the same dark powers that destroyed her life. Her hatred for her captor transforms into something deeper as they work together to break an ancient curse. Demons hunt dreamers across their kingdom while Esmer and the Shadow Bringer race through dangerous dreamscapes to stop the corruption. They must unravel centuries of dark magic before more innocents die. Success means rewriting their kingdom's fate, but failure will trap them in the Dream Realm forever. Esmer faces a choice between embracing the darkness within her or watching her world fall to the curse that has already taken so much.
Genres: romance, fantasy, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Kingdom of Noctis
352 pages · Hardcover · Christy Ottaviano Books
Content warnings: death, violence