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An Arcane Study
of Stars
From breakout star Sydney Shields comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Atlas Six.
When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares offering a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars.
With a bite of her soul to seal the deal, Claudia is enrolled, taking the place of Odette, a student who mysteriously passed away.
Her arrival sparks suspicion and Cassius MacLeod - her infuriating academic rival - spreads the rumour that Claudia had a hand in Odette's death.
Hell bent on clearing her name, Claudia makes a discovery that puts her in direct danger. The only way to protect herself: free Dorian.
By night, she studies the stars, slowly unravelling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. But Cassius may not be who he says he is, and soon Claudia must decide: will trusting him be the last mistake she ever makes?
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Content Warnings
This book is a dark academia romantasy with gothic themes and explicit sexual content. Content warnings include:
- On-page murder
- Parental death (most off page, but one on-page)
- One brief reference to a parent who died by suicide
- Suicidal ideation
- Blood/gore
- Snakes (a cute pet snake, but also a big spooky snake)
- Discussions of madness, visions, and hallucinations
- Use of blood in magic
- Spells carved into skin
- Sleep deprivation
- Alcoholism
- Smoking cannabis
- Taking magic mushrooms
- BDSM (bondage, dom/sub, sadism, masochism)
- Impact play
- Explicit sexual encounters
- GAY!!!!!! DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE HOMOPHOBIC!!!!! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!!!! IT’S BISEXUAL, WLW, AND MLM!!!!! IF YOU DON’T LIKE GAY STUFF THEN PUT THIS BOOK DOWN NOW AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
AO3 tags:
Alternate Universe - Fantastical setting, Angst, Education, Hurt/Comfort, Rivals-to-Lovers, Lovers-to-Enemies, Sweet Treats, Found Family, Queer, Kinks, Protectiveness, Sexual Content, Nightmare Sex, Romance, Smut, Violence, I wrote this instead of sleeping
Author’s note:
This setting is loosely inspired by our world in the early 18th century, but it is greatly advanced by access to magic. It’s also intentionally queer-normative. Basically, I wanted castles and cool historic outfits, but also running water and bisexuals. Please enjoy these messy, lovable, occasionally toxic and always horny characters.