At the elite college of St Penderghast's, gravers and spirers train to perfect their skills in the hunt for glory. Graving is the art of raising the dead and turning their corpses into unnatural abominations built for war. Spiring is divine-fuelled combat against undead horrors, fought in grand arenas to thrill the insatiable crowds. Halen Kilchoir would kill (and resurrect) anything to study graving at St Penderghast's. But Hal cannot enlist alone: the only way she can secure admission is to enter a dangerous accord with her mortal rival, Alastair Faulton – a handsome, accomplished spirer and the infuriating exiled scion of the great Faulton dynasty. If they team up as spirers, fighting gruesome creatures in a cut-throat competition, they could both earn their places at the prestigious college. As Hal and Alastair fight grisly creatures and ghastly peers side by side, Hal faces the horrors of necromancy and the revolting prospect of a romance with her own nemesis. Our Illumicrate Exclusive edition is a Royal hardback and features: An exclusive redesigned cover (art by @tommyarnoldart; design by @chattynora) Full colour art on the hardback (art by @tomrobertsillustration) Digitally printed edges (by @chattynora) Illustrated endpapers (by @m.emityy); different front and back Bound-in author letter Bonus content Digitally signed by the author (on the author letter) The book at a glance: YA crossover fantasy debut, first in a duology Featuring: exclusive redesigned cover; full colour art on the hardback; digitally printed edges; illustrated endpapers; author letter; bonus content; digitally signed by the author Bisexual, biracial, neurodivergent MC; M/F main romance; Queer secondary characters Items included in the full box option: The Illumicrate Bookcase Puzzle, artwork by Olivia Gibbs Academic Rivals 2026 Calendar, artwork by Tamara Osborn, design by Steph Perry-Cuff Most Novel of Adademies Laundry Bag, artwork by Cho-Hyun Kim Demon at the Gates iron-on patch, artwork by Venetia Fjulsrud If you like witty banter, rivals to lovers and dark academia-esque fantasy, we think you’ll enjoy this one! Photos by @bookwormgram