A brilliant, towering, puzzle-box novel about perfect summers and forbidden knowledge, somewhere in the mad interstice of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and A.S. Byatt’s Possession. Summer, 1993, and university student Alex Lane finds himself at the end of the summer term, broke and without plans. When offered the chance to join students – including beautiful, mercurial Ella – clearing out Solace House, a Victorian residence left by reclusive hoarder Edwin Flayne, he accepts. Initially the house seems ordinary, if slightly mad. But sorting through junk, they discover Flayne’s journals detailing his obsession with his missing mother, his discovery of strange place Bewise, and his belief in another parallel realm, with coded instructions for reaching it. One of the students becomes increasingly obsessed with the house’s secrets and gaining forbidden knowledge – assuming they’re willing to sacrifice everything and everyone.

From breakout star Sydney Shields comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of Heavenly Bodies and The Atlas Six.When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares offering a he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars.With a bite of her soul to seal the deal, Claudia is enrolled, taking the place of Odette, a student who mysteriously passed away.Her arrival sparks suspicion and Cassius MacLeod - her infuriating academic rival - spreads the rumour that Claudia had a hand in Odette's death.Hell bent on clearing her name, Claudia makes a discovery that puts her in direct danger. The only way to protect free Dorian.By night, she studies the stars, slowly unravelling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. But Cassius may not be who he says he is, and soon Claudia must will trusting him be the last mistake she ever makes?

From breakout star Sydney Shields comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of Heavenly Bodies and The Atlas Six.When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares offering a he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars.With a bite of her soul to seal the deal, Claudia is enrolled, taking the place of Odette, a student who mysteriously passed away.Her arrival sparks suspicion and Cassius MacLeod - her infuriating academic rival - spreads the rumour that Claudia had a hand in Odette's death.Hell bent on clearing her name, Claudia makes a discovery that puts her in direct danger. The only way to protect free Dorian.By night, she studies the stars, slowly unravelling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. But Cassius may not be who he says he is, and soon Claudia must will trusting him be the last mistake she ever makes?

A broken soldier. A wooden ballerina. When battle comes, can Alex use his gifts to defeat the Mouse King? Alexander Monde may have survived the war with Brisia in one piece, but that doesn’t mean he’s not broken. His family, his home, and his friends are all gone, leaving him just a shell of the man he once was. When a mysterious visitor arrives at the army hospital the night of the winter solstice, Alex is given a gift that will change his life a ballerina doll. When midnight arrives and his ballerina comes to life, a battle ensues between the dancer and Mouse King. The mirror gateway to Faerie is broken, and Alex finds himself stranded in a new and completely unfamiliar world. Worse still, a wound from the recent battle is causing him to slowly become more and more wooden and stiff as time goes on. As the sprightly ballerina slowly begins cracking the shell of his heart, will Alex be able to find the missing pieces of the mirror and restore the gateway? Or will the Mouse King come out victorious against the wooden soldier? To Crack a Soldier is a retelling of the Nutcracker. It is one of twelve novellas in The Shattered Tales, a collection of twelve fractured retellings of your favorite fairy tales. They can be enjoyed in any order, so fall in love with the swoony sweet romance, magical adventures, and tale-shattering twists one happily-ever-after at a time!