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The Court of Venus
- Author
- Bel Banta
- Narrator
- Samantha Hydeson
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 29 September 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 47 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Set in a fantasy world inspired by Tudor England and the real astrologers who advised kings, The Court of Venus is Bel Banta's alluring romantic fantasy and a beautiful historical debut about rival magicians.
'Our kind has many names. Planetborn. Sorcerer. Witch or wizard. Magician.'
In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living.
Bianca Mortlake is born at the moment the stars and planets align just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of.
Alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland, Bianca spends her childhood training under the realm’s most powerful magician. They live a quiet life far from court – until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning them back.
A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner’s blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to – the infuriatingly alluring Roland.
There is something terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court – and each other – from the dark fate they see written in the stars.
'Utterly unique and decadently romantic . . . I am beguiled – and obsessed' – Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning
'Decadent, gripping, and romantic' – Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark and Drowning Tide
Perfect for fans of The Knight and The Moth, The Familiar, and A Darker Shade of Magic.
Tropes Include . . .
*rivals to lovers
*courtly intrigue
*magic tournament
*slow burn
*murder mystery
*she falls first, he falls harder
Critics Review
-
Utterly unique and decadently romantic, The Court of Venus sweeps you away into a world both lush and dangerous, balanced on a knife’s edge. I am beguiled – and obsessed.
Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
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A stunning and irresistible rivals-to-lovers story full of political intrigue and featuring a fascinating magic system, The Court of Venus is rich, lovely, and powerful!
Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
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Enter The Court of Venus and prepare yourself for delicious schemes and machinations. Full of heart and wonderfully entertaining!
Kristin Cashore, New York Times bestselling author of the Graceling Realm series
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Decadent, gripping, and romantic, The Court of Venus pulled me into its orbit and refused to let go. With both my new favorite magic system and love interest, this is a stellar debut
Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dark and Drowning Tide
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-
Gorgeously lush with a romance that burns with candlelit yearning, The Court of Venus is decadent romantic fantasy at its best. Add in courtly politics, a rich celestial magic system and a tragic mystery at its core – it’s unputdownable.
Georgia Summers, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The City of Stardust:
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Lush, evocative magic set in a world of conflicting allegiances with a slow burn that devours. A must read.
K.A. Linde, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author
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The Court of Venus dazzles with a wholly original celestial magic system, irresistible slow-burn heat, and twisty court intrigue that grabs you by the throat. Bel Banta delivers a compulsively readable romantic fantasy that shines as dangerously – and seductively – as the moon itself. Wildly imaginative, wickedly addictive, and impossible to put down!
Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Dominion
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The Court of Venus is a rollicking tale powered by a unique blend of astrology and magic. Bianca is a wonderful protagonist, navigating the turbulent intrigues of a royal court with grit and ingenuity. Romance, mystery, action — The Court of Venus has it all, including dragons!
Louisa Morgan, author of The Faerie Morgana and A Secret History of Witches
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Scintillating magic meets decadent court intrigue in Bel Banta’s glittering debut . . . both thrilling and intimate – as striking as a constellation in the night sky
Chelsea Abdullah, award-winning author of The Stardust Thief
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Brimming with yearning and set against a glittering world of celestial inspired magic, high stakes, and Tudor worthy intrigue
Rachelle Raeta, author of These Immortal Truths
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An utterly addictive, decadent feast of a book. Artfully blending lush worldbuilding, courtly politics, tense magical mystery and searing romance . . . This is a rare gem of a book, and one that I could not put down.
Morgan Ryan, author of A Resistance of Witches
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Luring you in with the promise of unbound decadence, twisting intrigue, and lush sensuality, The Court of Venus grabs you from the very first page. Be prepared to be up till dawn, chasing this star-crossed romance as it leaves you devastated but still wanting more.
K. M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies
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Banta's fantasy debut sparkles with celestial-inspired magic, dangerously seductive court intrigue, and a burning romance at its core that grips you from the first page to the last. Utterly immersive and gorgeously written, The Court of Venus is one of the best political fantasies I've read in years.
Lenora Woods, author of Roll for Romance
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Readers will delight in a lushly imagined court ruled by magic, intrigue, and desire, full of characters to both loathe and long for. Banta has created a world to sink into, where emotions run almost as high as the stakes for those trying to change destiny
Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones
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The world building is phenomenal, growing and growing into a living and breathing castle and court, filled with magicians, servants and scheming royals. Every page is brimming with desire and tension between Biance and Roland, perfectly primed to make the reader long for more
Debut Digest
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Details
- Author
- Bel Banta
- Narrator
- Samantha Hydeson
- Duration
- 14 hours 47 minutes
- Release Date
- 29 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035088546
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Historical fantasy, Magical realism, Romance: fantasy and paranormal
Synopsis
Set in a fantasy world inspired by Tudor England and the real astrologers who advised kings, The Court of Venus is Bel Banta's alluring romantic fantasy and a beautiful historical debut about rival magicians.'Our kind has many names. Planetborn. Sorcerer. Witch or wizard. Magician.'In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living.Bianca Mortlake is born at the moment the stars and planets align just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of.Alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland, Bianca spends her childhood training under the realm’s most powerful magician. They live a quiet life far from court – until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning them back.A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner’s blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to – the infuriatingly alluring Roland.There is something terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court – and each other – from the dark fate they see written in the stars.'Utterly unique and decadently romantic . . . I am beguiled – and obsessed' – Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning'Decadent, gripping, and romantic' – Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark and Drowning TidePerfect for fans of The Knight and The Moth, The Familiar, and A Darker Shade of Magic.Tropes Include . . .*rivals to lovers*courtly intrigue*magic tournament*slow burn*murder mystery*she falls first, he falls harder
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