First published 2026
Horatio Bithersea enters the university library to discover Carson Hamlett holding his father's lifeless body. The death gets ruled an accident at Elsinore, one of the magical world's most elite institutions. A year passes. Horatio struggles to control his unpredictable magic while trying to graduate quietly. Everything changes when Professor Hamlett's ghost materializes and curses both students. They must avenge his murder by destroying Elsinore itself, or the spirit will steal their minds, memories, and souls. Elsinore gave Horatio his magical education, refuge from his abusive family, and the freedom to live as a transgender man. Now he must become the university's destroyer. As Horatio and Carson dig deeper into Elsinore's hidden corruption, Horatio falls under Carson's magnetic but dangerous influence. The real question becomes whether Carson will destroy Horatio before they can complete their deadly mission.
Genres: fantasy, supernatural, young-adult, dark-fantasy, mystery-thriller, dark-academia
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gothic, intense, psychological, suspenseful
Tropes: curse-breaking, dangerous-attraction, enemies-to-lovers, found-family, murder-mystery
Setting: Elsinore, university library
368 pages · Paperback · DAW
Content warnings: abuse, death, murder