by R. M. Gray
First published 2025
Aster Oberon has lived her entire seventeen years on the ocean with her pirate family, treating the sea as sanctuary from the cursed Nightweavers who conquered the continents six centuries ago. When her brother dies fighting these powerful beings in a brutal sea battle, Aster's family must abandon their ships for life on land. Will, a Nightweaver who serves as right hand to a cruel prince, offers the Oberons work and safety at his grand estate. Aster distrusts this arrangement completely. She despises everything Will represents and suspects his motives. Yet as Will demonstrates unexpected compassion and reveals deeper truths about their world, Aster finds herself drawn to him despite her hatred of his kind. Will shows her that more dangerous enemies exist than Nightweavers, creatures who may have orchestrated her brother's death. As Aster pursues these true killers, she uncovers secrets that shatter her understanding of her family's past and her own identity.
Genres: romance, adventure, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Ocean, Continents
Period: Six Centuries Ago
448 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books Ltd
Content warnings: violence