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The Floating Castle
From the author of Space, Collisions comes The Floating Castle, an explosive, adult dark fantasy with the vicious dragons of The Priory of the Orange Tree and the destructive family drama of The Women's War.
In a world where demons control the supply of magic and dragons are both feared and sentient, three women combine forces to oppose an evil prince and escape his floating castle.
To secure her position as the emperor's favorite daughter, Princess Fu Liling sails across a monster-infested sea to marry and subdue Elias of House Zartisval, crown prince of a rival kingdom. When she meets Elias, however, he unexpectedly refuses to marry her. At risk of being cut off from the imperial family, Liling tries to force the wedding, only to discover that Elias is a murderer and she is his disposable hostage. Liling resolves to expose this betrayal to her father and plots an escape, relying on a reluctant guard and a rebel witch to aid in her flight.
Elias, who'd rather see them all dead than free, gives chase.
The ensuing battle may cause the Floating Castle to literally fall, and Liling must surrender and die to keep the peace or dishonor her father in exchange for her own life and liberty.
The repercussions of her choice will ripple across a continent.
Fans of Game of Thrones and The Witcher will appreciate this epic fantasy for its morally gray women, dangerous political intrigue, and sinister magic.
In a world where demons control the supply of magic and dragons are both feared and sentient, three women combine forces to oppose an evil prince and escape his floating castle.
To secure her position as the emperor's favorite daughter, Princess Fu Liling sails across a monster-infested sea to marry and subdue Elias of House Zartisval, crown prince of a rival kingdom. When she meets Elias, however, he unexpectedly refuses to marry her. At risk of being cut off from the imperial family, Liling tries to force the wedding, only to discover that Elias is a murderer and she is his disposable hostage. Liling resolves to expose this betrayal to her father and plots an escape, relying on a reluctant guard and a rebel witch to aid in her flight.
Elias, who'd rather see them all dead than free, gives chase.
The ensuing battle may cause the Floating Castle to literally fall, and Liling must surrender and die to keep the peace or dishonor her father in exchange for her own life and liberty.
The repercussions of her choice will ripple across a continent.
Fans of Game of Thrones and The Witcher will appreciate this epic fantasy for its morally gray women, dangerous political intrigue, and sinister magic.
538 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
L.N. Holmes
4 books25 followersL. N. Holmes is the author of the micro-chapbook, Space, Collisions (Ghost City Press). Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, have appeared in Newfound, F(r)iction, Vestal Review, Crack the Spine, Barren Magazine, and other literary journals and magazines. She has won a handful of awards for her writing, including the 2018 Apparition Lit April Flash Fiction Contest. Her first novel, The Floating Castle, is forthcoming.
She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, dog, and cat.
Find out more: linktr.ee/lnholmeswriter
She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, dog, and cat.
Find out more: linktr.ee/lnholmeswriter
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 22, 2025
You are the embodiment of his guilt
October 5, 2025
Thank you to L.N. Holmes for the advanced reader copy.
L.N. Holmes’ The Floating Castle is an epic tale of fantasy that weaves the plot lines of multiple strong female protagonists with a gripping arc. I COULD NOT stop thinking about this book. All I wanted to do was to continue reading about these characters, wondering how their stories would intersect. Reading the book felt like hurtling towards this terrifying ending, and I couldn’t tell which was it was going to go. I am dying to read the next part of this story!
L.N. Holmes’ The Floating Castle is an epic tale of fantasy that weaves the plot lines of multiple strong female protagonists with a gripping arc. I COULD NOT stop thinking about this book. All I wanted to do was to continue reading about these characters, wondering how their stories would intersect. Reading the book felt like hurtling towards this terrifying ending, and I couldn’t tell which was it was going to go. I am dying to read the next part of this story!
July 11, 2025
5 stars, no notes.
Okay, I actually have some notes, but they're all good. First, a huge thank to L.N. Holmes for trusting me with the ARC of her novel and giving me the opportunity to read such a wonderful story.
The Floating Castle is an epic fantasy full of betrayals, strong and morally gray female characters, and fascinating magic. With its focus on character growth and politics, The Floating Castle delivers a captivating story with an intricate plot and characters we love to root for or hate (or both?). There are four points of view in this novel, and I loved every single one of them.
I found the author's choice to open the story with Elias's point of view (our main antagonist) bold and effective, setting the tone perfectly for the rest of the book. All his chapters are a delight to read, painting him as a realistic antagonist who is both unhinged and human. I loved to hate him and I hope we will get his point of view again in the next book.
Fu Liling is a well written, nuanced protagonist, making morally discutable decisions at some point, while doing her best to live up to her father's high expectations. She's torn between the desire to accomplish the emperor's will, survive, and find her own place in the politics she's now involved in. I liked that she wasn't a cliché bad-ass strong woman without flaws. While she is indeed a strong lead, she also feels fear and doubt, and gets close to dying multiple times. She plays a dangerous game and she knows it.
Emmeline and Valena are our two commoners thrown into this mess and I also loved their points of view. Of the four characters, they probably are the two with the biggest character growth, as they realize their existence has been dictated by others and is rooted in lies or exploitation.
The four points of view work seamlessly together, never confusing the reader, and connecting eventually in a meaningful way. Beyond our main characters, Holmes create a brilliant cast of memorable secondary characters that add substance to the story and their fair share of intrigue and mystery (Bai, who are you?!).
The last element I want to touch on in my review is the writing and the worldbuiding, both excellent. The prose flows without hiccups, immersing the reader in the world, never distracting us. The descriptions are smartly woven into the narrative so the world feels real and alive.
To conclude, The Floating Castle is a gripping epic fantasy that will keep you on the edge of your seat. No one is safe and everything can go wrong in the blink of an eye. I look forward to reading the next installment in this new exciting series!
Okay, I actually have some notes, but they're all good. First, a huge thank to L.N. Holmes for trusting me with the ARC of her novel and giving me the opportunity to read such a wonderful story.
The Floating Castle is an epic fantasy full of betrayals, strong and morally gray female characters, and fascinating magic. With its focus on character growth and politics, The Floating Castle delivers a captivating story with an intricate plot and characters we love to root for or hate (or both?). There are four points of view in this novel, and I loved every single one of them.
I found the author's choice to open the story with Elias's point of view (our main antagonist) bold and effective, setting the tone perfectly for the rest of the book. All his chapters are a delight to read, painting him as a realistic antagonist who is both unhinged and human. I loved to hate him and I hope we will get his point of view again in the next book.
Fu Liling is a well written, nuanced protagonist, making morally discutable decisions at some point, while doing her best to live up to her father's high expectations. She's torn between the desire to accomplish the emperor's will, survive, and find her own place in the politics she's now involved in. I liked that she wasn't a cliché bad-ass strong woman without flaws. While she is indeed a strong lead, she also feels fear and doubt, and gets close to dying multiple times. She plays a dangerous game and she knows it.
Emmeline and Valena are our two commoners thrown into this mess and I also loved their points of view. Of the four characters, they probably are the two with the biggest character growth, as they realize their existence has been dictated by others and is rooted in lies or exploitation.
The four points of view work seamlessly together, never confusing the reader, and connecting eventually in a meaningful way. Beyond our main characters, Holmes create a brilliant cast of memorable secondary characters that add substance to the story and their fair share of intrigue and mystery (Bai, who are you?!).
The last element I want to touch on in my review is the writing and the worldbuiding, both excellent. The prose flows without hiccups, immersing the reader in the world, never distracting us. The descriptions are smartly woven into the narrative so the world feels real and alive.
To conclude, The Floating Castle is a gripping epic fantasy that will keep you on the edge of your seat. No one is safe and everything can go wrong in the blink of an eye. I look forward to reading the next installment in this new exciting series!
October 18, 2025
A sincere thank you to the author, L.N. Holmes, for providing an ARC. This was an absolute delight!
Worldbuilding: 9/10. For a book that isn't very long at all, The Floating Castle features an intricately complex and layered worldbuilding that doesn't shy away from details. It's both east meets west, pagan magic meets structured religion, but then it tips everything on its head when you think you've figured it all out. At the start and at a glance, the worldbuilding feels deceptively familiar, but very quickly the narrative beings to introduce mysteries strongly suggesting that things aren't what they appear to be. To have the intrigue aspect of this fantasy intrigue thread through the plot all the way down to the very fabric of the worldbuilding is really impressive!
Plot: 8/10. This is hands-down a political intrigue through-and-through. It's extremely refreshing to see a fantasy with a political marriage trope turn the usual plotline on its head, instead of veering into romance territory. The political marriage device is really just a jumping board to dive into the actual machinations that drives the bulk of the book. This is very definitively a story about two people on two sides of a political divide, each with their own agendas, vying for control of the gameboard of power. The political marriage aspect is only one of the game pieces, and a whole lot of much bigger and more dire gambits are introduced quickly. The intrigue was great. Liling and Elias pull some absolutely cruel and brutal schemes on each other, and I'm absolutely here for it.
Characters: 10/10. There are four POV characters and each of them has very distinct voices, life experiences, and opinions. You get very different perspectives on the same events, which contributes to the complexity of the narrative. It's especially satisfying to see the machinations through both Liling's and Elias's eyes. Knowing what each of them are plotting against each other adds so much to the tension. Emmeline and Valena are both outsiders to the courtly schemes, but their POVs are a fresh twist on the age-old formulas of political intrigues because they chronicle how seemingly innocuous courtly schemes can seriously impact the lives of people who are dragged into the fray. The interconnected relationships between the characters takes a while to unfold but are well worth the investment.
Should you read this?
Yes, if you're a sucker for cutthroat schemes.
Yes, if you love to hate a certified asshole.
Yes, if large-scale worldbuilding is your cup of tea.
Yes, if dragons.
No, if you're expecting any sort of romance.
No, if you don't enjoy having to invest attention into keeping track of details.
No, if multi-POV that takes a while to come together isn't your thing.
Worldbuilding: 9/10. For a book that isn't very long at all, The Floating Castle features an intricately complex and layered worldbuilding that doesn't shy away from details. It's both east meets west, pagan magic meets structured religion, but then it tips everything on its head when you think you've figured it all out. At the start and at a glance, the worldbuilding feels deceptively familiar, but very quickly the narrative beings to introduce mysteries strongly suggesting that things aren't what they appear to be. To have the intrigue aspect of this fantasy intrigue thread through the plot all the way down to the very fabric of the worldbuilding is really impressive!
Plot: 8/10. This is hands-down a political intrigue through-and-through. It's extremely refreshing to see a fantasy with a political marriage trope turn the usual plotline on its head, instead of veering into romance territory. The political marriage device is really just a jumping board to dive into the actual machinations that drives the bulk of the book. This is very definitively a story about two people on two sides of a political divide, each with their own agendas, vying for control of the gameboard of power. The political marriage aspect is only one of the game pieces, and a whole lot of much bigger and more dire gambits are introduced quickly. The intrigue was great. Liling and Elias pull some absolutely cruel and brutal schemes on each other, and I'm absolutely here for it.
Characters: 10/10. There are four POV characters and each of them has very distinct voices, life experiences, and opinions. You get very different perspectives on the same events, which contributes to the complexity of the narrative. It's especially satisfying to see the machinations through both Liling's and Elias's eyes. Knowing what each of them are plotting against each other adds so much to the tension. Emmeline and Valena are both outsiders to the courtly schemes, but their POVs are a fresh twist on the age-old formulas of political intrigues because they chronicle how seemingly innocuous courtly schemes can seriously impact the lives of people who are dragged into the fray. The interconnected relationships between the characters takes a while to unfold but are well worth the investment.
Should you read this?
Yes, if you're a sucker for cutthroat schemes.
Yes, if you love to hate a certified asshole.
Yes, if large-scale worldbuilding is your cup of tea.
Yes, if dragons.
No, if you're expecting any sort of romance.
No, if you don't enjoy having to invest attention into keeping track of details.
No, if multi-POV that takes a while to come together isn't your thing.
October 31, 2025
I have read many drafts of this book. It was my ultimate pleasure to finally read the finished draft. It is the perfect blend of fantasy, adventure, and intrigue. When I say I cannot wait for the next installment, it is an absolute lie, because I can wait and I will wait. Because I 100% need to know more, bring on the Pirate Queens! And P. S. the acknowledgments also made me cry. Joy and happiness.
October 22, 2025
She's the one I want!
I read The Floating Castle as an ARC.
The fantasy realm from L.N. Holmes brings a refreshing take on western fantasy by blending euro-centric ideals with a Chinese or oriental setting. The language does not get overly colorful for those who usually stray away from Fantasy. Nor do archaic terms get overly used.
The draw here are your female characters, who come from different class stratum to assist in world building. Political intrigue splits the two leads, and you get to watch them duel it out via their decisions. You'll get your schemes and world building here.
Interesting first entry of a series.
I read The Floating Castle as an ARC.
The fantasy realm from L.N. Holmes brings a refreshing take on western fantasy by blending euro-centric ideals with a Chinese or oriental setting. The language does not get overly colorful for those who usually stray away from Fantasy. Nor do archaic terms get overly used.
The draw here are your female characters, who come from different class stratum to assist in world building. Political intrigue splits the two leads, and you get to watch them duel it out via their decisions. You'll get your schemes and world building here.
Interesting first entry of a series.
October 21, 2025
Indie. Fantasy. Excellence.
Excuse me. EXCUSE ME. Is this on your TBR yet? Have you pre-ordered it? You should.
I received The Floating Castle as an ARC and let me tell you what.... It is yet another indie fantasy book that has contributed to me totally changing my mind about the fantasy genre (I previously hadn't found any fantasy books I enjoyed until around a year ago).
I know you're thinking "Saff, why is The Floating Castle such a banger?"
Well, my curious friend. It was....
- The character development
- Gorgeous scenery
- The plot
- The pacing
- A heckin' DRAGON (yes there are multiple types of dragons, I'm excited to know more about them)
- The complexity of the lore
- Griselda (IYKYK)
- The excellent representation of woman in fantasy holding their own
- The fight scenes were a masterclass
To say I loved this book is an understatement. It was such a privilege to read. Thank you L.N. Holmes for sharing your talent with the world. I can't wait to see more from your work.
Excuse me. EXCUSE ME. Is this on your TBR yet? Have you pre-ordered it? You should.
I received The Floating Castle as an ARC and let me tell you what.... It is yet another indie fantasy book that has contributed to me totally changing my mind about the fantasy genre (I previously hadn't found any fantasy books I enjoyed until around a year ago).
I know you're thinking "Saff, why is The Floating Castle such a banger?"
Well, my curious friend. It was....
- The character development
- Gorgeous scenery
- The plot
- The pacing
- A heckin' DRAGON (yes there are multiple types of dragons, I'm excited to know more about them)
- The complexity of the lore
- Griselda (IYKYK)
- The excellent representation of woman in fantasy holding their own
- The fight scenes were a masterclass
To say I loved this book is an understatement. It was such a privilege to read. Thank you L.N. Holmes for sharing your talent with the world. I can't wait to see more from your work.
July 8, 2025
Who doesn't love a story about powerful women making questionable decisions?
I had the privilege of being an early reader for this book, and I loved every page. It's a captivating story that moves quickly. The series takes place in a high fantasy setting with multiple POV characters. It is nevertheless easy to keep track of everything, even for someone like me who is new to the genre.
This book, full of unlikely friends and hidden foes, takes readers on a journey across land and sea, and into the sinister belly of the titular Floating Castle. In these robust and atmospheric settings, the characters engage in struggles for power (or survival) that are sometimes calculated and other times spontaneous.
The book has a satisfying ending – no cliffhanger – but still left me hungry for more. Can't wait for book 2!
PS: Highly recommended for anyone who likes cats or dragons.
I had the privilege of being an early reader for this book, and I loved every page. It's a captivating story that moves quickly. The series takes place in a high fantasy setting with multiple POV characters. It is nevertheless easy to keep track of everything, even for someone like me who is new to the genre.
This book, full of unlikely friends and hidden foes, takes readers on a journey across land and sea, and into the sinister belly of the titular Floating Castle. In these robust and atmospheric settings, the characters engage in struggles for power (or survival) that are sometimes calculated and other times spontaneous.
The book has a satisfying ending – no cliffhanger – but still left me hungry for more. Can't wait for book 2!
PS: Highly recommended for anyone who likes cats or dragons.
July 9, 2025
This is a must read for fantasy book lovers. It is an epic, adult dark book. If you like Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones, you will like this! This is a debut writing by author L.N. Holmes. The book will be available November 1st.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews