Published By: First Ink
Pages: 352
Released On: 05/03/2026
When heiress Roe Damarcus fails a trial to keep her magic, deemed too dangerous for society, she finds herself serving aboard the Celestial, her family’s luxurious magical cruise ship where staff members compete for guest votes to earn a coveted retrial.
As a concierge, Roe juggles the demands of affluent guests, cruel bosses, and the suspicion that an infuriatingly handsome silks performer, Ivander, is determined to sabotage her.
But the true dangers surface at night when the ship of dreams transforms into a nightmare, killing all who wander its halls. Roe must uncover the secrets of the ship, her family, and their entwined bloody past before she becomes the Celestial’s next victim.
Staff or guest, no-one is safe in these waters.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and First Ink for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Is it an adult book? Is it YA? It’s definitely not for children, it’s far too dark for them.
The world building begins really well. Just like any good classic fantasy novels, she has grabbed and pulled us into her world and you’re right in there. But it quite quickly falls away and you’re left on the outskirts of the world.
There is magic, fantasy, thriller, horror, and even a hint of romance, but that’s not really explored. I don’t mind a mixture of genres, but I do want a book to know what it is, whereas, whilst this give us a bit of everything, it’s never quite sure what it is.
I liked her exploration of magic. In most fiction, magic and witchcraft etc. is either seen as all good or all bad. But like everything in the world, it can be both. And whilst I won’t spoil it by saying what Roe’s magic is, it is definitely a power that could help so many, but could be disastrous if uncontrolled or in the wrong hands.
Personally I’d have liked a bit more on the character development side. I am someone who prefers characters over plot, and this is full-on plot but it’s at risk of ignoring the characters and they feel a bit flat, so I’d have liked to know them better.
What confused me slightly – maybe I’m thinking too much about it – but there were rules in this world of magic that were never fully explained, like why were some parts of the ship dangerous and others safe? So I think that needs to be developed more.
It reminded me of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series (which is fabulous). It has the same dark, gothic feeling – although this one is more on the adult side in terms of gore and violence and images of corpses and whatnot.
This is a very promising debut, but I think the writing style gives it away that it is a debut. There’s nothing especially wrong with it, but it does feel a bit juvenile at times. This doesn’t necessarily mean its bd, but it makes you aware of the writing itself as opposed to being lost in the story.
I’m not sure if this is a standalone (the ending makes it feel like it is) or if Julia is planning any more in this world but I think there’s definite promise in further instalments, time to expand on the world building and further develop the characters.
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