Midnight on the Celestial
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Mar 3, 2026
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Roe Damarcus has never been afraid of the dead. Her power to summon spirits has awed the guests of her esteemed family’s galas for as long as she can remember. Her future is certain, and her gift will be another shining jewel in the Damarcus legacy.
But when she fails her realm’s trial to keep her magic and is deemed too dangerous for society, she faces a harrowing choice: give up her gift or serve a punishment sentence aboard the Celestial, a 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 keep her from a retrial.
But the true dangers surface after her shift ends when the Celestial transforms into halls of nightmares that kill staff members after dark. Faced with the reality of serving aboard, Roe begins to question the ship, trials, and the system that put her there. But the moment Roe sinks into the ship's dark history, she's wrongly framed for a guest's murder. Vowing to conjure her own second chance, Roe will use whatever power she has to uncover the secrets of the ship, her family, and their entwined bloody past... before she becomes the Celestial’s next victim.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A privileged teen discovers the dark truth about her family's grand legacy in Alexandra's spellbinding debut. In the realm of Tamarynth, some people possess Morphia, the ability to alter reality. Certain Morphics can heal, some can manipulate time, and others—such as Lady Roe Demarcus—can assist spirits in communicating with the living. At 18, all Morphics undergo evaluation of their magical control. Those who fail must surrender their Morphia, either immediately or after serving a work sentence aboard the Celestial. Invented by Roe's ancestors, the Celestial is a cruise ship, teeming with unbridled spectacles, that both stores and runs on extracted Morphia. Impressing the vessel's tyrannical bosses and guests might earn one a retrial, so when Roe's evaluation ends in disaster, she flouts her parents' orders to trade her magic for academia and joins the Celestial's crew. But while the ship dazzles by day, it turns nightmarish once guests retire for the evening. With help from new friends, Roe starts plotting an escape—as well as a revolution. Though the ending feels rushed and some story elements go unexplored, a vividly imagined setting conspires with an intersectionally diverse cast of richly developed characters to enthrall readers while championing kindness, self-acceptance, and social justice. Ages 13–up.
