Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country, and Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and to make her dream come true: to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to faraway lands.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader-Lorelei's beloved mentor-is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her long-time academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before a coup begins and the murderer strikes again.
But there are other dangers lurking in the dark: forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood. As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth-and resist their growing feelings for one another-they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
Illumicrate pick for September 2024 “Darker Academia”, featuring:
- Royal hardback
- A redesigned cover (by Niall Grant; design by Jane Tibbetts)
- Full colour printing and foil on the hardback utilising the US cover art (by Audrey Benjaninsen; design by Jane Tibbetts)
- Digitally printed edges (by Niall Grant)
- Illustrated endpapers (by @hopechristofferson; design by Jane Tibbetts), different front and back
- Bound-in author letter
- Bonus material
- Signed by the author
- ISBN13 9781837840601
- Publish Date 17 September 2024
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Daphne Press
- Edition Illumicrate Exclusive
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
- Special Bonus Content Exclusive Design Signed Sprayed Edges