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Oracle, Tailor, Curator #3
Incarner
The Oracle fears what else may be hidden in the halls and walls of Rosehill.
The tailor is trapped in the demimonde.
The curator knows the way forward means pain and blood.
As barriers break between reality and other realms, and alliances crack and form anew, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey know they cannot survive the horrors beset upon them alone.
Magnus, Aubrey’s mentor and the Head Curator of the Magnificus Collectio, is a powerful mage but even he knows the demimonde is not a place to tread if you’re mortal. Enlisting the help of a very old (and rather odd) colleague means revealing secrets he’d kept for so long. And placing that colleague in the direct line of danger surfaces more than mere guilt.
Ethaniel’s fate lies in all their hands… but Uzala, the Mapmaker, has plans of their own. A Harkness in the demimonde is a unique opportunity, and one it will not squander.
And while the race to bring Ethaniel back traps them all once more in the walls of Rosehill, Aubrey’s chance to prove himself brings up uncomfortable—and perhaps deadly—family secrets and parts of his past that he has no intention of speaking aloud. But like always, magic and the demimonde have other plans.
Lawton is caught in his own inner turmoil, but the Golden Order is still searching for him. And he is still harboring the malingering spirit of Calix’s mother, Lily. His fate has always been tied to Calix, but now he has the chance to understand who he is, and who he could become.
In the final book of the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy, danger is faced head-on, vows to protect are fortified, and the lives of more then the trio are at stake. Their world, and their understanding of magic, will never be the same.
The tailor is trapped in the demimonde.
The curator knows the way forward means pain and blood.
As barriers break between reality and other realms, and alliances crack and form anew, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey know they cannot survive the horrors beset upon them alone.
Magnus, Aubrey’s mentor and the Head Curator of the Magnificus Collectio, is a powerful mage but even he knows the demimonde is not a place to tread if you’re mortal. Enlisting the help of a very old (and rather odd) colleague means revealing secrets he’d kept for so long. And placing that colleague in the direct line of danger surfaces more than mere guilt.
Ethaniel’s fate lies in all their hands… but Uzala, the Mapmaker, has plans of their own. A Harkness in the demimonde is a unique opportunity, and one it will not squander.
And while the race to bring Ethaniel back traps them all once more in the walls of Rosehill, Aubrey’s chance to prove himself brings up uncomfortable—and perhaps deadly—family secrets and parts of his past that he has no intention of speaking aloud. But like always, magic and the demimonde have other plans.
Lawton is caught in his own inner turmoil, but the Golden Order is still searching for him. And he is still harboring the malingering spirit of Calix’s mother, Lily. His fate has always been tied to Calix, but now he has the chance to understand who he is, and who he could become.
In the final book of the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy, danger is faced head-on, vows to protect are fortified, and the lives of more then the trio are at stake. Their world, and their understanding of magic, will never be the same.
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First published January 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 23, 2026
The final book in the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy picks up where the last one left off. With Ethaniel trapped in the demimonde, Calix and Aubrey are racing to figure out how to get him back.
I find writing three protagonists can be tough but Halli seems to have no trouble giving all three their own personalities and their own chance to shine in this trilogy. I can't even really pick a favorite (okay it's Aubrey, but still) they all have their own unique magic.
I really enjoyed getting to see more of Magnus and Agrippa and their dynamic. I always enjoy when the secondary characters are also treated with great care.
The world building and magic are also well done and interesting. My one gripe is a lot of things were something the characters would "talk about later." Although I suspect this may be due to possible future books?
A really enjoyable and satisfying third book and once again the cover art is gorgeous. I love these characters and would happily read more of their adventures.
Thanks Halli Starling for the ARC!
I find writing three protagonists can be tough but Halli seems to have no trouble giving all three their own personalities and their own chance to shine in this trilogy. I can't even really pick a favorite (okay it's Aubrey, but still) they all have their own unique magic.
I really enjoyed getting to see more of Magnus and Agrippa and their dynamic. I always enjoy when the secondary characters are also treated with great care.
The world building and magic are also well done and interesting. My one gripe is a lot of things were something the characters would "talk about later." Although I suspect this may be due to possible future books?
A really enjoyable and satisfying third book and once again the cover art is gorgeous. I love these characters and would happily read more of their adventures.
Thanks Halli Starling for the ARC!
September 26, 2025
Thank you to Halli Starling for the eARC
"Incarner" is the conclusion of a trilogy, and opening to more books to come. We find our characters where we left them in book 2, at a tension peak. It means a quick first part, with insights from differents characters and the ache of our main trio being the centre of the narrative. Still, secondary characters are not left behind, quite the contrary, since they feature quite a lot in our story, enabling an opening for different point of views.
As usual, Halli Starling does a good job at showing and explaining the rich worldbuilding, using known archetypes (other worlds, entities of said other worlds, family power etc.) to create a world that feels quite original.
The romance, if it does play a role, is less at stakes here, or at least it gave me this feeling. Book 2 did the main job in securing our main characters' relationships, book 3 test it slightly, straining it with new informations and choices to be made, past resurging and old ties tightening.
All in all, a great third book, leaving enough mysteries and paths to discover to write more books in the same world!
"Incarner" is the conclusion of a trilogy, and opening to more books to come. We find our characters where we left them in book 2, at a tension peak. It means a quick first part, with insights from differents characters and the ache of our main trio being the centre of the narrative. Still, secondary characters are not left behind, quite the contrary, since they feature quite a lot in our story, enabling an opening for different point of views.
As usual, Halli Starling does a good job at showing and explaining the rich worldbuilding, using known archetypes (other worlds, entities of said other worlds, family power etc.) to create a world that feels quite original.
The romance, if it does play a role, is less at stakes here, or at least it gave me this feeling. Book 2 did the main job in securing our main characters' relationships, book 3 test it slightly, straining it with new informations and choices to be made, past resurging and old ties tightening.
All in all, a great third book, leaving enough mysteries and paths to discover to write more books in the same world!
October 16, 2025
I can't really put my finger on what went wrong here, but Incarner came as a bit of a let down, for me. I'm all for open endings - I actually love it when as the reader I am left to imagine the future of those characters - but not when every single question posed on the books is left unanswered, and to me, that is what happened with Incarner. There was no conclusion to the main plot points - other than being hinted at the possibility of more books under the same subject - and for me, that was very much a let down. Calyx remained as much of a character with no real agency as he'd become on book 2, after being spectacular in book 1. Lawton, though having a bit more screen time, also felt like he could have been more fleshed out, but i guess he'll get his MC role in the hinted at upcoming books?
The author is still so very good with their prose - i love their way with words - but the sort of conclusion i was hoping to find in this just didn't happen, and that kind of ruined my enjoyment of the book a little bit.
The author is still so very good with their prose - i love their way with words - but the sort of conclusion i was hoping to find in this just didn't happen, and that kind of ruined my enjoyment of the book a little bit.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I want to start by saying thank you so much to Halli for the ARC!
4.5 stars, I had such a wonderful time with this book! I love love love Ethaniel, Calix, and Aubrey's dedication to each other and their love. I enjoyed how we got to learn more about Magnus and Agrippa as well. This book made me so giddy! I'm so happy that I got to be back in this world. There's such an interesting magic system; it's like nothing I've ever read before in that regard. So so fun. I strongly recommend this series.
4.5 stars, I had such a wonderful time with this book! I love love love Ethaniel, Calix, and Aubrey's dedication to each other and their love. I enjoyed how we got to learn more about Magnus and Agrippa as well. This book made me so giddy! I'm so happy that I got to be back in this world. There's such an interesting magic system; it's like nothing I've ever read before in that regard. So so fun. I strongly recommend this series.
September 26, 2025
What a fantastic conclusion! I was so enthralled by the characters, specifically the beautiful trio of lovely lads. This finale gave a satisfying ending but still left me with mystery and questions I would love to dig into. Halli Starling does an exceptional job in world-building and creating a sense of emotional connection to their characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend this trilogy to anyone who loves fantasy, found family, queer-representation and magical mystery!
February 8, 2026
Thank you Halli Starling for sending me an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
As with Demimonde, Incarner picks up where the previous book left off. Ethaniel is stuck in the Demimonde with his half-brother and a creepy creature named Uzala. Calix, Aubrey, Magnus, and Agrippa work together to form a plan and safely extract Ethaniel from the demimonde. Meanwhile, Calix must reckon with his feelings towards his mother, Lily, and her plans for him.
Overall, this was a wonderfully written story! Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel must cope with their stressful circumstances. Magnus and Agrippa really shine in this final book of the trilogy. Lily and Lawton are still scheming while coming to grips with how they each treated Calix. Vincent, Ethaniel's half-brother, is in shambles. The writing was beautiful as always, and the pacing of the story was on point. Additionally, there was a large focus on the various relationships characters had towards each other, familial, platonic, and romantic. My main reason for not giving this book five stars is the open-endedness of the novel. It felt as if some of the action-oriented plot points weren't resolved. I particularly was curious about . As there are plans for future stories in this world, I really hope that these storylines will be resolved.
Fans of the first two novels will not want to miss out on this installment of the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy!
As with Demimonde, Incarner picks up where the previous book left off. Ethaniel is stuck in the Demimonde with his half-brother and a creepy creature named Uzala. Calix, Aubrey, Magnus, and Agrippa work together to form a plan and safely extract Ethaniel from the demimonde. Meanwhile, Calix must reckon with his feelings towards his mother, Lily, and her plans for him.
Overall, this was a wonderfully written story! Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel must cope with their stressful circumstances. Magnus and Agrippa really shine in this final book of the trilogy. Lily and Lawton are still scheming while coming to grips with how they each treated Calix. Vincent, Ethaniel's half-brother, is in shambles. The writing was beautiful as always, and the pacing of the story was on point. Additionally, there was a large focus on the various relationships characters had towards each other, familial, platonic, and romantic. My main reason for not giving this book five stars is the open-endedness of the novel. It felt as if some of the action-oriented plot points weren't resolved. I particularly was curious about . As there are plans for future stories in this world, I really hope that these storylines will be resolved.
Fans of the first two novels will not want to miss out on this installment of the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy!
January 25, 2026
I enjoyed this trilogy so much! I could’ve done with a little more resolution at the end of this, but it sounds like there will be more? Also, I would looooove a spinoff of just Agrippa/Magnus. 😍
January 12, 2026
Halli really took us on a ride with this series, and it wrapped up beautifully! This is the end of Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey’s story for us, but it definitely isn’t the end for them 💙.
I loved that we got to see more of the other characters in this book; I loved Agrippa and Magnus from what we saw of them in the other books and we get to know them better here. They are an integral part of the story, which brings us to both the human world and the demimonde. There were moments when I didn’t know how these boys would get out of this story alive and well, as they spent so much time in danger. It was a really exciting to see where they would go on every page, and to see them find strength in themselves and in each other.
I really loved spending time in this world and with these characters, even through the scary moments! Thank you so much to Halli for the privilege of getting to arc read this series 💙
I loved that we got to see more of the other characters in this book; I loved Agrippa and Magnus from what we saw of them in the other books and we get to know them better here. They are an integral part of the story, which brings us to both the human world and the demimonde. There were moments when I didn’t know how these boys would get out of this story alive and well, as they spent so much time in danger. It was a really exciting to see where they would go on every page, and to see them find strength in themselves and in each other.
I really loved spending time in this world and with these characters, even through the scary moments! Thank you so much to Halli for the privilege of getting to arc read this series 💙
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews