Not all wishes are meant to come true. Some are meant to destroy you.
The Castle of Wishes appears every Leap Day, promising magic and dreams come true. But seventeen-year-old Bianca doesn’t believe in its wish-granting power, not after her brother, Nico, disappeared during its Midnight Ball four years before.
However, when Bianca’s father prohibits her apprenticeship with the most renowned seamstress in the Kingdom of Naples, and instead, arranges her marriage to a man she doesn’t love, Bianca secures an invitation to the Midnight Ball, and like her brother, casts her lot with the enigmatic Magician who hosts the Carnival celebration.
At the Castle, she discovers a world of masquerades and enchantments, where a Wish Quest—a game of five clues—must be solved in order to obtain her wish of finding Nico.
Aided by the exasperating Master of Ceremonies, Bianca embraces this labyrinth of dares wholeheartedly. But yielding to the riddles the Magician requires from her has dark consequences of its own, and the alluring Magician won’t let Bianca go without a fight.
Worst of all, if she doesn’t solve her five clues before Leap Day ends, his dangerous games will destroy all Bianca holds dear—including her soul.
Welcome, dear guest, to the Castle of Wishes, the only place where your every dream can come true—for the right price.
Expected publication: April 20, 2027
Advanced pre-order launching on Kickstarter September 1, 2026
Do you want to read the first chapter of The Castle of Wishes: Magic and Starlight?
*Note: This chapter hasn’t been through final proofreads yet.