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These Shattered Spires
Wyrdos (Related to this series)
- Author
- Cassidy Ellis Salter
- Narrator
- Kit Griffiths
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 10 March 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 41 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
In this YA high fantasy, four magical rivals must work together to survive a deadly competition. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Gideon the Ninth.
Entombed beneath a tooth-filled sky, the world rots. At the heart of the decay world is Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists from the four disciplines--bone, blood, botany, and stone.
When the king is assassinated, chaos erupts. To crown a new ruler, the arcanists and their human familiars must kill or be killed in a bloody fight to the top of the Fifth Tower.
Amid the bloodshed, four rival familiars must work together . . . Taro, a bone witch still obsessed with her ex. Nixie, a botanical familiar who will do anything for her freedom. Elliot, a cursed and vengeful blood familiar. And Alix, a banished stone familiar shrouded in secrets.
Together, the four Wyrdos are not just fighting to survive, but to lift the curse on their world and find out what really lies beyond the decay of Fourspires.
Critics Review
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Utterly fabulous and darkly imaginative. Complicated, flawed characters shine in a world of grit and bloodshed, all brought to life through effortlessly evocative prose. I devoured every page.
Elise Kova, New York Times bestselling author of ARCANA ACADEMY
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A grotesque extravaganza of a book, with a labyrinthine quest and complex, morally grey characters you can’t help but root for--no matter how many times they make clear you shouldn’t. With utterly unique world-building, a brilliant magic system, and writing that flips from fun and entertaining to heart-wrenching . . . I've never had so much fun.
Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN
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Absolutely perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth, These Shattered Spires pulses with the weird and wonderful macabre. Salter weaves a ragtag crew of lovable misfits with uniquely grim world-building that is impossible to forget. Witty, diverse characters and tongue-in-cheek humor make this gothic YA fantasy both upbeat and chill inducing.
Catelyn Wilson, author of ALL THE DEVILS
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Part fantastical court intrigue, part murder mystery, part lush queer romance, and part dysfunctional found family. At times, the writing is humorous, at others it bites like a scorpion's sting.
Katy Nyquist, author of A HOLY MAIDEN'S GUIDE TO GETTING KIDNAPPED
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Gruesome, gothic, gay, and glorious. I ate this up from cover to cover. Addictively weird, heartfelt, and a bloody good time!
Kat Dunn, author of BITTERTHORN
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In this heartrending trilogy opener. . . . Salter deftly balances the intersectionally diverse characters’ grim existence with gleefully gruesome worldbuilding, snarky banter, and fraught queer romance.
Publishers Weekly
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Sets the stakes high immediately, and Salter never lets up on the urgency. . . . The four protagonists are deeply sympathetic, with staggering power that they have been forced to yield to others and distinct, relatable motivations to want to live, despite being imperfect in their shared core emotions--even the end of the world can’t derail desire, love, and spite.
BCCB
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This darkly humorous fantasy trilogy opener, which will appeal to fans of Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Room trilogy, starts strong with a fast pace driven by imminent life-or-death stakes, irresistibly self-destructive characters, and absorbing worldbuilding. . . . A grim, engrossing, and captivating fantasy.
Kirkus Reviews
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Salter transports readers into a world that’s as deadly as it is putrid. . . . The plot is fast-paced, making it hard to put down.
Booklist
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Fans of fantasy will eat up the worldbuilding in this novel. . . . The story leaves readers waiting breathlessly for the sequel that’s sure to come.
School Library Journal
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Cassidy Ellis Salter
- Narrator
- Kit Griffiths
- Duration
- 14 hours 41 minutes
- Release Date
- 10 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781547618651
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Dark fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers, or other scary supernatural stories, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: LGBTQIA+
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents The Shattered Spires by Cassidy Ellis Salter, read by Kit GriffithsIn this YA high fantasy, four magical rivals must work together to survive a deadly competition. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Gideon the Ninth.Entombed beneath a tooth-filled sky, the world rots. At the heart of the decay world is Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists from the four disciplines--bone, blood, botany, and stone. When the king is assassinated, chaos erupts. To crown a new ruler, the arcanists and their human familiars must kill or be killed in a bloody fight to the top of the Fifth Tower.Amid the bloodshed, four rival familiars must work together . . . Taro, a bone witch still obsessed with her ex. Nixie, a botanical familiar who will do anything for her freedom. Elliot, a cursed and vengeful blood familiar. And Alix, a banished stone familiar shrouded in secrets.Together, the four Wyrdos are not just fighting to survive, but to lift the curse on their world and find out what really lies beyond the decay of Fourspires.
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