These Shattered Spires

Wyrdos Trilogy #1

by Cassidy Ellis Salter

In a rotten and bloody world, four magical rivals are forced to work together to avoid certain death in a deadly competition. A queer, gothic fantasy YA, perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and Gideon the Ninth.

Entombed beneath a tooth-filled sky, the world rots.

Those yet to succumb to the curse of decay inhabit Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists from across the four magical disciplines – blood, bone, stone and botany.

The castle is thrown into chaos when the ruler of Fourspires is assassinated. To crown a new ruler, the arcanists and their human familiars are forced to kill or be killed in the Slaughter, a bloody fight for succession at the top of the Fifth Tower. Familiars, both servants and sources of power to arcanists, are forbidden from even speaking. For them, the Slaughter means certain death.

When Nixie, a botanical familiar, learns that her fate can be avoided and the rotting curse of Fourspires lifted, she'll stop at nothing to save herself. But she must work with familiars from across the rival disciplines – not easy when one of them is her bone witch ex-girlfriend, Taro – find four magical curse keys and climb the deadly Fifth Tower. With just 48 hours until the Slaughter begins, Nixie and Taro must forge an unlikely alliance with rival familiars Alis and Elliot. Together, the four Wyrdos must battle re-animated skeletons, poisonous and possessed plants, un-dead nuns and the deadliest enemies of all; each other.

These Shattered Spires is the first instalment of the sensational and gloriously gothic Wyrdos Trilogy.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Gothic, Young Adult Fantasy, Audiobook

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2026

Reviews

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

have never met a bunch of messier gays in my life

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a lot of books comp Gideon The Ninth, but this genuinely felt like reading a YA version of it. It has queers that could not be more horrible, and yet so are incredibly endearing in their enduring of the suffering they face. The worldbuilding and plot are insane and do not care if you understand them. Just pure brilliance.

[Zana]

DNF @ 73%

Yeah, I'm gonna call it quits. I thought that this would be fun and stupid, but it ended up being plain ol' stupid.

This feels like Temu Locked Tomb. There are so many petty fights between the characters due to childishness, this reads like Gossip Girl but make it dark fantasy. They're in a life or death situation, yet they're still arguing with each other and picking nonsensical fights.

And don't get me started on the miscommunication trope. If you're a huge fan of that, then check out this novel. I'm neither here nor there on this extremely hated trope, but my god. The author manages to stretch it to the moon and back. I can see why a good subset of readers hate this trope.

Such a cool premise and cool worldbuilding, but utterly destroyed by such inane characters.

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for this arc.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth 5⭐️ of 2026.

I fucking loved this. If you’re a fan of The Locked Tomb, CG Drews, Dark Rise and messy queers, you must read it immediately.

THE PREMISE: four acolytes who can manipulate blood, bone, botanical and stone, must soon take part in a Battle Royale in a cursed nightmare of a castle in order to pick the next king. But what if they worked together and tried to break the curse instead? WHAT THEN?

TROPES & VIBES:
- Basically YA Gideon the Ninth. But understandable
- Taro is my favourite, and is somehow simultaneously both Gideon and Harrow.
- The audiobook is very good. I switched when I had to “go do stuff outside” but still wanted to read
- Mysteries and deception
- Everyone has issues
- Multi-pov fantasy

[Mella aka Maron]

DNF at 11%

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. While the premise and plot sound really good, I am not a fan of the writing style at all. I didn’t enjoy the atmospheric writing, the vulgar childlike obscenities, and the overall use of similes/metaphors that just didn’t work for me. 🙃

All below quotes are based on the ARC copy.

“…casting it in shadow darker than an armpit.”
“…slowly melting like a Gothic ice lolly.”
“…moves like a skeleton with wet celery for feet.”
“I don’t know how you get your rocks off.”
There is also a “your mum’s ass” joke. 🙄

Suffice it to say, this is definitely me not enjoying the writing style. I don’t think this is a bad book at all and I’m sure it will find its audience. I just do not think that’s me.

[Jamie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

#gifted from Bloomsbury Publishing, thank you!

These Shattered Spires is a debut and the first book in an exciting new series.
Centered around four familiars who are essentially human power banks for the lead Arcanists who every morning stop the apocalypse that would destroy the world. They must work together to stop a deadly tournament and get their freedom.

These characters are fantastic, everyone is gay and awful but you can't help but fall in love with them. There's a lot of world building in this book and it's well threaded into the story which hits the ground running. The countdown system was used really cleverly and added to the tension of the story.

This world feels expansive and I feel like we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, I'm excited to see where Cassidy takes this series because it's an impressive and ambitious debut.

[PaygeLP · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world building in this book to stunning, the descriptions throughout the book of the fourspires and surrounding world is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It is a completely unique world from the sky of teeth to the melting walls and rotting ulcer in the basement. The description is so detailed you can imagine you are there inside the gory, creepy, gothic castle.
The introduction to the 5 spires and the main characters was a nice touch and incredibly useful. The accompanying illustrations are absolutely beautiful and continue throughout the book.
The magic system is incredibly unique, it’s made up of four disciplines stone, blood, bone and botany. Each discipline has a head arcanist that takes power from a familiar. Each morning they have to perform the suppression to stop the apocalypse.
The story follows four familiars one from each discipline Taro, Nixie, Elliot and Alis as they are forced to work together to prevent the slaughter. The slaughter is a competition between their arcanist to become the new head which will lead to most if not all of their deaths.
The relationships between these characters are complex, full of hate, love, longing and attraction. If there’s an emotion they feel it at one point or another.
The inner dialogue is hilarious, the characters are complex and have a complicated history we are yet to learn more about. I can’t wait for book two.
The book has great LGBTQIA+ representation and Handles dark themes well.
I haven’t been this excited about a book in a long time, I simultaneously didn’t want to put it down and wanted to make the reading experience last as long as possible.
Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsbury publishing and Cassidy Ellis Slater for my copy of the E-Arc.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! Truly chaos personified for every second and I loved it

Full review to come - thank you to Bloomsbury for providing an arc copy for my honest feedback

[C Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is definitely good for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Atlas Six but if you like gothicness , if you love gothic fantasy and YA, honey, this is for you.
Based off what this book is about , this basically follows four magical rivals , forced to ally to survive a deadly competition in a decaying castle after their ruler is killed/ assassinated.
Taro: a bone witch who is described as a single minded and is obsessed with her ex girlfriend, Nixie
Nixie: a botanical (botany) familiar who is a cold, calculating, and determined to do anything for her freedom
Elliot: a blood familiar described as mercurial, vengeful, and cursed
Alix or Alis: a stone familiar who is mute and shrouded in secrets.
Yeah , this is basically what this book is about.
So the first half was pretty interesting.I really enjoyed the characters and what we got to introduce to these kind of horror elements and the dark academia for this I really enjoyed.Since this was why I it could be good for older teens above which I definitely do recommend.
But I feel like the second half didn't do very well for me, the chapters were pretty boring.
None of it seemed to be interesting and the ending didn't feel like it deserved it. I wish this could have been just like a standalone instead of the first in a trilogy.
Don't get me wrong.This wasn't a bad start. But I feel like this could have been better but I really enjoyed this whole story and I'm gonna read book too.I'm just gonna wait until we get a release date and see if i'm okay to complete this trilogy.
So is this worth read?? Probably , but I don't know if you would like the horror aspect of it, but if you do like dark academia, you would definitely like this book.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I loved the world building and the writing, and I'm frankly obsessed with the descriptions of the nuns, but the characters were a bit too grimdark for me.

[Void_Kiddo · Rating 5 out of 5]

ohhh this was so good. Oh my gosh. It was so good.

It was bloody and confusing and mean, but also tender and sad and really beautifully written. The characters acted their age, and in a book where the main premise is children and teenagers are literally drained of their life, it was really great that the teenagers actually sound like teenagers!

And oh my gosh, like real teenagers, the characters were mean. They were messy and horrible to each other and they loved and hated each other in equal amounts, sometimes at the same time, and it felt so incredibly real. Of course these kids would be awful people. Look at the circumstances they’re in.

And yet. None of the main characters are unlikeable? Even when they were actively beating each other up and betraying each other, you felt terrible for them. They were going through literal hell. And they still manage to be snarky and silly and even a little bit sweet while they’re at each other’s throats.

I just adored this. The world building was so incredible. The way arcana worked and the way the world was set up was SO strange and the mystery that threads through the entire story is resolved in a great way.

Yeah the ending freaked me out. I was really concerned this was a standalone and if that was the case, this would have been so lower rated, but i am SO happy this is the first book in a trilogy and there’s more to come. I can’t wait to see how these characters act outside of their situation.

There’s toxic found family, a crazy situationship, and awesome bone magic. What isn’t there to love?

My only thing is I wish there was a content warning for grooming. One of the characters (who I think is 17, as he stated he was a year younger than the 18 year old characters) gets into a relationship with an older man that feels, very grooming-ish and made me incredibly uncomfortable. IT IS NOT PORTRAYED AS A GOOD THING but it is there and could be triggering.

[Ivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 30%

Unfortunately this book is just not for me. It is not a bad book, I’m just not the right audience for it and I know a lot of people who would love it.

The premise is interesting but I could not find myself invested in it or the characters! It is definitely dark, twisty and a little too gory for my taste but can definitely see the appeal for someone who enjoys things like these. The characters and their backgrounds are intriguing and they’re written to be unlikable which the writer definitely delivers on!

The writing and language is more geared towards teens and can see it doing amazing in that space.

Thank you Bloomsbury for a the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Abbey Lavinia ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk I’m confused but I liked the characters

[Lucy Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Cassidy Ellis Salter, and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC!

Okay, I was a little nervous when I saw the Locked Tomb comp. But this book is genuinely a Gideon the Ninth read-alike. Of course, it can’t quite attain Locked Tomb level in my mind, but it certainly convinced me that I have a thing for fucked up bone lesbians, so…

The world is rotting. Trapped beneath a sky filled with teeth, the four arcanists of Fourspires castle must perform a daily ritual (with the reluctant help of their familiars) to suppress the morning apocalypse. Taro, Elliot, Alix, and Nixie, familiars for bone, blood, stone, and… plants, are forced to work together after the ruler of their world is mysteriously assassinated. But all of them have secrets, and everything is working against them.

I’ll admit, as I was reading this, the parallels to Gideon the Ninth were at times almost too much. But for me, Salter pulled it off! The characters are all equally hatable and lovable. The rotting world vibes are there. The magic system is satisfyingly gory. Also, Salter did a commendable job ensuring that each POV (and it’s hard when there are four) had a distinct voice, and I was never disappointed when the book switched to any of the POVs.

My only complaint is that the kindle copy I read had majorly messed up formatting, which made it somewhat difficult to read at times.

I’d say if you’re a fan of messy magic, snarky protagonists, and Locked Tomb vibes, this book is for you!

[Vavo ☆]

Yeah I can't do it. I keep trying to pick it up and I manage two pages before giving up. The writing tries unsuccessfully to be funny, the gore is not goring and I simply don't care about any of the characters. There is a countdown to a slaughter and yet I am bored.
The only connection to GtN is that the author tried really hard to copied it.

[Lara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes this book seemed like AI wrote it.
A character who had their tongue cut out, literally bites their tongue from pain in one scene. There is no tongue to bite?? (I know there was a reveal about this character and their tongue. But that doesn't change the fact that my brain hurt trying to understand how one can bite their tongue when they supposedly have no tongue.)
This same character writes what they want to say on pieces of paper. At one point this Charakter was in a dark room with another of our main characters, and they showed him what they had written, and the other character could read it. They were in a dark room. How could he read their cramped tiny handwriting in a dark room?
And that same character identifies as non-binary, but for some fucked up reason they refer to themselves as she/her throughout the book? WHY? Even in their own thoughts? So, why make that character a non-binary person then? I don't get it.

What I also didn't get was the world building. We are in a city that is directly underneath the open, saliva-dripping, teeth-filled jaw of some type of huge monster? And nothing else exists in this world? Just the space beneath that open mouth. And there are regular saliva-rains on the schedule for these people? Fucking come again?

I also hated Taro, she sucked ass. The most narcissistic person I think I've ever read about. Fuck her i hope she dies in the next instalment.

I won't be reading the sequel though.

[JensBookishWays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Bloomsbury Creator Circle for the gifted physical ARC of this book.

I’m giving 3.5 stars rounded up.

I am impressed with the creativity and texture in this book. Every square inch of the world is dripping, bleeding, rotting, or covered in blood and teeth. The cover of this book needs to include the Desecrae!

This book is LBGTQ+ inclusive, including the discussion and processing of body dysmorphia.

These characters!!! Deeply flawed, dramatic, self-absorbed, murderous, and traumatized. I didn’t like a single one of them, but darn it, they were funny and entertaining! I struggled to feel connected to this group of misfits with all their betrayals and actions. The Unholy Mothers and the Librarian were both super creepy!!! Mr Fingers was funny.

The plot was medium paced throughout, although the beginning of the story felt slow due to the setup of the four alternating POVs. I liked the writing style.

The world building in this book is cool, creative, immersive, and original. The relationships between the arcanists and familiars were layered with abuses and elitism. The magic system is interesting, with four designations, and magical wresting with physical objects. The setting is detailed and descriptive.

This book does not have on page spice, just steam.

So why 3.5 stars? Throughout the story, the buildup and countdown to the Slaughter is the main focus for ~85-90% of the book. But when the time came for this event and entering the tower, the actual events only occurred over the course of a few chapters. I felt the buildup did not match the final events/payoff. The ending felt rushed.

Overall, this book is entertaining and creative. I would continue with the series and try another book by this author.

[Leanne]

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and Bloomsbury YA for this advanced copy. You can pick up These Shattered Spires now.

When I started this book, I was immediately sucked into this terrifying, visceral world of towers and blood magic and zombie/monster nuns?? I love the approach of throwing the reader into the story with little to no exposition, allowing them to find their way through it on their own. It demands a certain level of curiosity and trust in the reader, and I fear we need more books like that to challenge us.

We're introduced to some wildly fascinating characters, spanning several POVs and coming from different magical backgrounds. Some are allies, some enemies, some use others without them knowing, but all are competing for the same prize.

While I wish I could say more, unfortunately, I did have to set it down for now because the world/magic system revolves around a manipulation of human bodies that left me feeling a bit queasy at times. This is totally personal preference, and while I'm fascinated by what the author has created, I think if I decide to continue, I'll have to be in a much different mood/headspace.

But for fantasy/horror fans who love messy relationships and diabolical betrayals, I fear this one is for you!

[Sophie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Shattered Spires is a queer gothic fantasy, verging on horror. The Locked Tomb’s little sister meets The Scholomance, with a heaping of bones, blood and viscera.
Fourspires is a city trapped under a cloche of teeth that occasionally rains saliva down upon its unfortunate inhabitants, where the apocalypse must be beaten into submission every morning. When the ruler is murdered, the countdown begins to the slaughter that will decide who is crowned the next Thaumaturge.
Our cast of characters are familiars, servants to arcanists who pay the physical toll of channelling magic for their masters. Each character POV has a very distinctive voice. All loveable in their own flawed and messy ways. Taro’s POV in particular feels like a love letter to The Locked Tomb.
The worldbuilding is gloriously revolting, with the chillingly evocative prose you would expect in a gothic. There is a healthy dose of wit, that at times verges on silly but those moments fit perfectly with the personalities of the POVs.
Book 1 feels like it has only just scratched the surface of the magic system, and I look forward to seeing how this develops in future books.
The ending was perfection. I can’t wait to see how Taro follows through on her numerous promises to go to hell for Nixie in book 2.

[Em Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little worried going into These Shattered Spires, because I know the author, and even though I figured the chances of me not liking this book were small, the concern that I may not finding it quite for me was still there at the back of my mind, chomping away at me. Well, I'm happy to say there was no need to worry. I had a lot of fun with this one.

I think the best way to describe this book is wonderfully weird, neon pink gothic chaos. And what a ride!

I enjoyed how all 4 POV characters felt different, it truly felt like being inside their minds, and hopping on this twisted, strange, gruesome adventure with them. Elliot and Alis/Alix both have my heart, I want to wrap them both in hugs and make them a cup of hot chocolate.

The second part of the book really, really hooked me. I like that I mostly wasn't able to see completely where this would go. Some things I was able to anticipate, but not all of them, and I enjoyed being surprised as I neared the end.

I'll now be eagerly awaiting book two...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an eARC of These Shattered Spires to read. I wasn’t paid to read and review this book, and any opinions expressed are solely my own.

What a weird book, I enjoyed it though. I found it quite funny in places and can definitely see the Gideon the Ninth comparisons. I feel like if you like messy characters with complicated relationships, this book will be for you. That said, this book is not without its flaws, I found the plot a bit confusing at times and got lost. I also felt that some of the wording used throughout the book was a bit strange, like the author was trying to use a thesaurus.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found myself laughing at times, so I’m rating this one 4 stars.

[Shani]

I really wanted to love this book but just couldn’t connect to the characters or the storyline at all. They are an unlikeable bunch of mis-matched antiheroes that must all work together to break a curse despite absolutely detesting each other. This means there is a lot of conflict between them with no cohesion and they almost succeed despite themselves.

The premise was fantastic with so much potential but it is very character driven with world building taking a bit of a back seat.

And if you cringe at bad similes and metaphors then give this one a miss - a couple of examples being ‘limp as a glob of porridge’ and ‘slowly melting like a Gothic ice lolly’.

[aroareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone is evil, deranged and gay… 5 stars

[Laurelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

I was hoping to like this book, but 3 things ruined it for me:

1. The pacing felt all over the place and there were scenes i felt went on for way too long

2. The overuse of similes and metaphors, like there were some pages with 2/3 within a single page. It’s almost as bad as Powerless with its overuse of alliterations.

3 (and this is the worst of them all) Taro:
Taro might actually be one of, if not THE, most insufferable, most unlikeable character i have ever read. She’s Chloe Price from life is strange but WORSE. Jace from Mortal Instruments was an insufferable character but Taro, by god, she’s Jace but cranked up to 11! I legitimately have never wanted to throw a book and scream STFU at a character before. Her jokes and one liners were so cringe it made the game Forspoken more forgiving. They were drier than a desert.
The other 3 characters were fine. But Taro, holy shit i fucking hated her so much. If that was intentional then congrats, but if not then in sorry but you wrote a god awful, cringy character. She also did a ‘your mom’s butt’ joke which was SO cringe!

The writing isn’t on the same level as Fourth Wing with its meta-millennial humour, but the writing in this had my eyes rolling on the same level. There were a couple of times where i wasnt sure if it was a character saying something or if it was the narrator, especially when describing something and then go ‘yup, those definitely are turkey legs!’

Any positives? The world building was its only redeemable quality.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Bloomsbury for the digital ARC, it hasn’t affected my honest review.

TW: body horror, death, blood, self harm, injury, references to suicide, violence

Underneath a sky filled with rotting teeth, the world is falling apart though, for now, the Fifth Tower is still standing. For the people who haven’t yet given in to the encroaching decay to survive, they have to live within Fourspires Castle where arcanists from four magical disciplines prevent the daily apocalypse; they represent blood, botany, stone and bone, while their human familiars are used as batteries for their power. Things are thrown into chaos when the ruler of Fourspires is assassinated and a new ruler must be chosen via the Slaughter, a bloody fight for succession that leads to the top of the Fifth Tower. Viewed as servants and expected to give up their life force to the arcanists, many familiars are forbidden from speaking- and the Slaughter means almost certain death. Taro is a servant to a bone magician and Nixie is the familiar to a botany arcanist, their short lives being used as a power source for their magic. Despite having ended their romantic relationship, Nixie and Taro still want to get away- only to have Fourspires’ ruler die the night they plan to escape. When Nixie discovers that the curse on Fourspires can be lifted if four magical keys can be found and the Fifth Tower climbed, her death might be avoided. She’ll stop at nothing to save herself, but that means allying with rivals from across the four different disciplines: Taro, her ex girlfriend, the former stone familiar Alis and Elliot, a blood familiar with a desperate mission of his own. Temporarily united with only forty eight hours to go until the Slaughter begins, the four are forced to face undead nuns, rampaging skeletons, poisonous plants and worst of all: each other.

Gothic, a little disgusting in places and incredibly enjoyable to read, ‘These Shattered Spires’ is one of the best books I’ve read this year. This is such a fun YA and perfect for someone like me who absolutely adored ‘The Locked Tomb’ books by Tamsyn Muir. I really loved the dark humour of Taro a lot, the intense focus of Nixie, the solemnity of Alis and the tragedy that is Elliot. My favourite character is Alis, I was obsessed with her from the first page and I could definitely see myself reading an entire book just about her. It’s chaotic, emotional and dramatic, filled with blood and skeletons while bringing together the weirdest, most teenage found family you’ve ever read.The humour and sarcasm was one of the highlights. I loved how queer normative it was, and although it’s very dark in themes, it never felt like a burden to read; this is my favourite kind of YA and I’m glad I enjoyed it so much. I’m excited to see where this series will go because Fourspires felt like its own little realm and the world has so much potential to it, just like the characters.

[visenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 stars

i did not like it at the beginning - it slightly pissed me off with how plain it seemed, language-wise, and how the story just seemed to unravel so perfectly with no complications - find out there’s a curse, get the keys. they just… did so. it was very anti-climactic to see that in a grimdark world somehow the characters are immediately given a governed secret nobody’s found, and they rather easily manage to get what nobody else has gotten to before. the setup and the stakes threw me off, even though i liked how well thought out the characters and their dynamics are. expected a 3 stars.

the second i started really enjoying it was when things got messier, and more complicated - by the second half, the plot really picked up - and i read it in 3 days. at some point things dropped the “handed to them” vibe and showed how they actually fought for what they’re trying to achieve, and the dynamics got messier. i liked how it wrapped up. i’ll read the 2nd part when it comes, but it’s like a 3,75 rounded up, because i have a lot of things that bugged me.

i cannot shit on the immaturity of the characters because i knew it was YA picking it up, but it’s a personal preference where it irks me to see how little awareness and reflection they have. i understand the author tried to go for “they’re all assholes”, but sometimes the hating each other and trying to murder each other felt forced.

that said, the worldbuilding and magic system was incredible - the plot was well-planned too, there were just writing/execution issues with it that made it seem flat. the characters felt full - especially including the background ones. morgan especially felt very well-fleshed to me as a villain. there were a lot of reveals that i did not expect and it was fun to experience twists all the time, but what i didn’t enjoy is how alix’ storyline was handled. referring to them with she/her in their own narrative and not explicitly giving them an internal conflict regarding their gender was strange - and i read didn’t like that their muteness was a plot twist to be overcome - i’d have much preferred some sort of representation and not a “gag” that oh, they were never mute.

but overall, it was a promising novel - my issues mostly stem from the fact that the author’s writing voice and ability to convey the plot was a bit immature. maybe i am used to much more complex styles of writing, but i think even in YA with teenage characters the weaving of the plot can be a bit better.

phew i had a lot to say this was my longest goodreads review i think

[ThianeJansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was creepy, chaotic, and honestly kind of unhinged… and I weirdly enjoyed parts of it.

That said, this one ultimately wasn’t fully for me. But I can absolutely see the exact reader who will love it.

In a grotesque, decaying world where magic is controlled by powerful elites, four young magical apprentices are suddenly thrown into a brutal competition for power after the ruler dies. The event, called the Slaughter essentially guarantees that most of them won’t survive.

Instead of accepting their fate, the four reluctantly team up to try and break the curse controlling their castle before the deadly countdown ends… which would be easier if they didn’t actively resent each other.

What worked for me:
The worldbuilding is wildly imaginative. Think bone magic, blood magic, rotting cities, dripping walls, and chandeliers made of literal bones. It’s grotesque, eerie, and completely unpredictable.

I also appreciated that the teenagers in this story actually felt like teenagers. They’re messy, jealous, selfish, and emotional and their relationships reflect that. THEY ACT like TEENAGERS. They don’t suddenly become best friends just because the plot demands it, which made the dynamic feel more realistic.

The Unholy Mothers (the nuns) were also a standout for me. Every scene with them was weird and entertaining.

😭Why It Didn’t Fully Work For Me
The writing style leans very heavily into metaphors, similes, and edgy phrasing, and after a while it slowed the pacing down for me. It sometimes felt like the prose was trying so hard to be clever that it overshadowed the story.

I also struggled to emotionally connect with the characters. They’re intentionally morally gray and often unlikeable, which works for the tone of the book but it made it harder for me to root for anyone.

💕🏉 Let’s play matchmaker:

While it wasn’t fully my thing, I think this will really work for readers who enjoy:

✨ Dark, grotesque fantasy worlds
✨ Morally gray or unlikeable characters (BUT great queer representation)
✨ Chaotic magic systems
✨ Weird, experimental writing styles
✨ Stories where the atmosphere is just as important as the plot

If you like fantasy that feels strange, eerie, and completely unpredictable, this one might be worth checking out.

I finished several chapters just sitting there thinking:

“…what did I just read?”
and for the right reader, that’s exactly the appeal.

This is marketed for lovers of Gideon The Ninth (haven’t read this) but consider me intrigued to read it now.

[Lixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i bought “these shattered spires” ten days ago I was unaware of the fact that i bought it on the day it came out and that the sequel wasnt out yet. I expected an interesting story with messy gays that would get me out of my reading slump. however i didnt expect to get invested so it took me a while to get started. but dare i say i havent been this invested in a book in ages. i am in literal tears as i am writing this review because i NEED the sequel.

this book was exactly what i’ve wanted for ages. i dont even know how to explain. everything about this book is amazing to me. It feels so genuine and i need MORE. also i need a hug…

okay i think i have to say something about the content…

the world building is absolutely incredible. like top tier.
the characters are super complex and equally lovable and hate-able. none of them are “good people” which i really love. also i’m just a sucker for bloody fantasy.

the way the reader is introduced into the story…youre just thrown in there with no preparation. no “documents” that explain the world building like in some books. except for the pages about mirrors but they didnt help me that much. when reading you keep piecing the lore together until it finally clicks which is so satisfying.

short: I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. SO. MUCH.

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.0.

So this was wild and dark and quite gruesome in ways. I don’t know what I expected from this book but i’ve been pleasantly surprised.

There’s a multitude of magic thats definitely messed up and cruel in it’s use, the nuns scare the hell out of me and no ones very likeable in this book.. especially Taro from how she seems to be perceived. It’s quite a weird and enjoyable read in my opinion, I actually like our odd ragtag group who are definitely all using one another, but their end goals seem to differ.

As the plot builds with our characters following a mysterious treasure hunt of sorts, we get to find out more about why the world is the way it is, what happened in the past and the motivations of a lot of different characters. The ending surprised me in some ways but also felt a little predictable in others, I would read a book 2 to see what happens next.

[Harry Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was quite a fun read! Which feels weird to say "fun" given all the blood and gore and suffering but the vibe for me was definitely more of a fun read!

It's a really interesting world build, a decaying world trapped under a tooth filled sky, a sinking castle, murderous skeletal nuns, a gruesome but intriguing magic system, it's chaotic in a good way!

The first thing that comes to mind for me is "The Atlas Six" combined with "The Library at Hellebore" with a touch of "A Deadly Education" thrown in. The characters all simultaneously hate and love each other and are constantly juggling whether to prioritise personal glory, self survival, or emotional feelings.

The ruler of the castle is assassinated and this prompts the Slaughter, a deadly competition to crown the next ruler. Alongside this there is a quest to finally end the curse. It's a race against time (and gruesome death and slaughter) and the stakes are constantly high at all times!