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The Jewel of Corlivo
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26In a reimagined Byzantine empire, a runaway courtesan and her disgraced suitor are on the hunt for ancient treasure. But in Kathleen Carr Foster’s glittering debut, what they find will be far more troublesome . . .
Raised for the most luxurious pleasure house in mountain-ringed Corlivo, Anna has no illusions about her future. She’ll be a courtesan, as her mother was before she disappeared—and like her mother, gamble that her charms attract a patron rich enough to pay her debts.
But when a gruff explorer with connections at the capital notices Anna, it’s her sharp eye that draws him in. Sebastianus thinks Anna’s found a clue within the pages of an ancient book to the lost city of treasure he seeks, and she might well discover more.
Together they escape to the imperial court, where marvels are commonplace—and so is treachery. Anna’s courtesan training has hardly prepared her for the dangers of court life, let alone for delving into artifacts from the empire’s past. But when she uncovers a secret tied to her mother’s fate, Anna realizes more than her life is at stake. She holds the key to untold possibilities not only for herself, but for any of the women of Corlivo . . . if she can use it.
Raised for the most luxurious pleasure house in mountain-ringed Corlivo, Anna has no illusions about her future. She’ll be a courtesan, as her mother was before she disappeared—and like her mother, gamble that her charms attract a patron rich enough to pay her debts.
But when a gruff explorer with connections at the capital notices Anna, it’s her sharp eye that draws him in. Sebastianus thinks Anna’s found a clue within the pages of an ancient book to the lost city of treasure he seeks, and she might well discover more.
Together they escape to the imperial court, where marvels are commonplace—and so is treachery. Anna’s courtesan training has hardly prepared her for the dangers of court life, let alone for delving into artifacts from the empire’s past. But when she uncovers a secret tied to her mother’s fate, Anna realizes more than her life is at stake. She holds the key to untold possibilities not only for herself, but for any of the women of Corlivo . . . if she can use it.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 27, 2026
About the author
Kathleen Carr Foster
1 book38 followersHi! I'm so glad you've found your way to my Goodreads author page. My debut novel, The Jewel of Corlivo, comes out on October 27, 2026. It tells the story of Anna, a courtesan-in-training who discovers an ancient secret.
This debut was a long time coming. It took me years to learn to trust my own instincts about writing and to give myself permission to write the book I wanted to write. In some ways, this book is about those things: trusting ourselves and having the courage to become the people we want to be. It’s also a book about women’s work and wisdom, and what’s at stake if we forget our own history. Finally, it’s a love letter to books and the people who value them, which means it’s a love letter to you. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
This debut was a long time coming. It took me years to learn to trust my own instincts about writing and to give myself permission to write the book I wanted to write. In some ways, this book is about those things: trusting ourselves and having the courage to become the people we want to be. It’s also a book about women’s work and wisdom, and what’s at stake if we forget our own history. Finally, it’s a love letter to books and the people who value them, which means it’s a love letter to you. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 3, 2026
A softer book likely suitable for a classic YA audience (14-18 yrs), or for adults in the mood for a low-conflict, closed-door story. The plot is focused on the main character’s coming-of-age (“what are my goals in life?”, “what do I think is right and wrong?”) with mentions of conflicts in the wider setting but no actual stakes in that wider world. Although the main character comes close to some stressful situations, nothing particularly bad ever actually happens to her. Topics of sex work, consent, and assault are central to the story, but they were handled in a more oblique way than I was expecting from the marketing, low on physical detail, which makes it suitable for a wide age range. I think the marketing currently suggests a grittier story with more adventure/political intrigue, but a better time may be had by those expecting an internal character journey, relatively low-angst, with occasional sight-seeing in the highly aesthetic, Byzantine-inspired setting. A good read-alike for Donna Jo Napoli’s “Daughter of Venice” (2002).
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
⭐️ 3/5
🌶 0.5/5
I received a physical ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, many thanks to the author and publisher.
I'm conflicted with how to review this book because I think it has definitely been miscategorized. From the description and tags, I expected an adult historical romantasy. This book is only one of those. I'd categorized this as a YA historical fiction. There were no fantasy aspects that I could tell, and a very minimal romance. The only thing that could've made this adult was the age of the MCs and the (very very brief and closed door) sexual content (but in my opinion, this was still not enough to truly be considered adult). But the writing was very YA-esque, with simple sentence structure and a lot of telling rather than showing.
There were quite a few times when I found myself frustrated with Anna's choices, even though her choices were pretty in character for a very sheltered 20-year-old who knows nothing other than being groomed as a courtesan. I think the issue is that she's painted to be super clever and quick-witted, but continues to make very naive mistakes. She gets slightly better by the end of the book, but I didn't see the kind of character growth I would expect in an adult novel.
Anna's relationship with Seb felt very one-dimensional and his character fell kinda flat for me. Honestly I think they could've remained just friends (or I think even a sibling dynamic would've been interesting) and it would've been so much more believable and wouldn't have changed the story very much.
Overall, I actually did like this book. I read it in one sitting, and I think it's a unique and interesting story. I have a suspicion that the publisher was trying to jump on the adult romantasy hype train with this, while the author was trying to write a YA novel (there are even discussion questions at the end of the book, like I'd expect in a high school English class). I may have rated it higher if I had the correct expectations. Despite that, I think this was a good debut novel and I hope the author continues honing her skill!
🌶 0.5/5
I received a physical ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, many thanks to the author and publisher.
I'm conflicted with how to review this book because I think it has definitely been miscategorized. From the description and tags, I expected an adult historical romantasy. This book is only one of those. I'd categorized this as a YA historical fiction. There were no fantasy aspects that I could tell, and a very minimal romance. The only thing that could've made this adult was the age of the MCs and the (very very brief and closed door) sexual content (but in my opinion, this was still not enough to truly be considered adult). But the writing was very YA-esque, with simple sentence structure and a lot of telling rather than showing.
There were quite a few times when I found myself frustrated with Anna's choices, even though her choices were pretty in character for a very sheltered 20-year-old who knows nothing other than being groomed as a courtesan. I think the issue is that she's painted to be super clever and quick-witted, but continues to make very naive mistakes. She gets slightly better by the end of the book, but I didn't see the kind of character growth I would expect in an adult novel.
Anna's relationship with Seb felt very one-dimensional and his character fell kinda flat for me. Honestly I think they could've remained just friends (or I think even a sibling dynamic would've been interesting) and it would've been so much more believable and wouldn't have changed the story very much.
Overall, I actually did like this book. I read it in one sitting, and I think it's a unique and interesting story. I have a suspicion that the publisher was trying to jump on the adult romantasy hype train with this, while the author was trying to write a YA novel (there are even discussion questions at the end of the book, like I'd expect in a high school English class). I may have rated it higher if I had the correct expectations. Despite that, I think this was a good debut novel and I hope the author continues honing her skill!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I had a great time reading this book. It was interesting and engaging; additionally, the themes that support the plot invited me to reflect on them, since, in one way or another, they are relevant in today's world.
Anna was born into one of the most prestigious pleasure houses in the empire, and her only option is to find a patron to buy her debt and become his. She was never given a choice.
Like all the women in these pleasure houses, they have not been taught some of the most basic knowledge; therefore, making them dependent on men who will eventually buy them, or the women running the houses.
Knowledge is power, but when the preservation of that knowledge and who gets to access it relies on a few, it becomes a weapon to control others. In this case, women are being forced to be submissive in a patriarchal society.
Another interesting topic is how deep hypocrisy runs in the higher circles of society, particularly among men. While preaching the importance of family, decency, and good behaviour, they lie to their wives about spending days, or even weeks, in the pleasure houses.
Despite the complexity of these themes, the book is also about solidarity, sisterhood, and perseverance, creating a nice balance and preventing the story from getting too dark.
Last but not least, the side characters were amazing and incredibly lovable. So much so that I would've loved to read more about them. In fact, that is my only complaint: that this book is not a duology or trilogy. I want more.
I would love to read about Sebastianus' travels while Anna was waiting for him, about his past, about Anna's mom and Anna's life after the end of this amazing book. And don't get me started on Don and Pollux; I want more of them too.
Anna was born into one of the most prestigious pleasure houses in the empire, and her only option is to find a patron to buy her debt and become his. She was never given a choice.
Like all the women in these pleasure houses, they have not been taught some of the most basic knowledge; therefore, making them dependent on men who will eventually buy them, or the women running the houses.
Knowledge is power, but when the preservation of that knowledge and who gets to access it relies on a few, it becomes a weapon to control others. In this case, women are being forced to be submissive in a patriarchal society.
Another interesting topic is how deep hypocrisy runs in the higher circles of society, particularly among men. While preaching the importance of family, decency, and good behaviour, they lie to their wives about spending days, or even weeks, in the pleasure houses.
Despite the complexity of these themes, the book is also about solidarity, sisterhood, and perseverance, creating a nice balance and preventing the story from getting too dark.
Last but not least, the side characters were amazing and incredibly lovable. So much so that I would've loved to read more about them. In fact, that is my only complaint: that this book is not a duology or trilogy. I want more.
I would love to read about Sebastianus' travels while Anna was waiting for him, about his past, about Anna's mom and Anna's life after the end of this amazing book. And don't get me started on Don and Pollux; I want more of them too.
August 10, 2026
I really liked how this story started. The whole setup of being in a high-end brothel and then fleeing with a man you basically just met had me immediately invested. I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
But somewhere in the back half, it started to fall flat for me. It felt like the story kept moving in the same direction without ever fully getting somewhere, and by the end, I was left feeling like a lot of it hadn’t been completely realized but there was a lack of character building. Every side character felt disposable because they were so bland.
So I’m landing at 3 stars because the beginning was genuinely so exciting and kept me reading, but the back half was probably closer to a 2 for me.
If she writes another one, I’ll absolutely read it but I need more nuggets about her mom! There’s so much there that I wanted explored, and I really want to see their relationship fully realized with better chemistry.
But somewhere in the back half, it started to fall flat for me. It felt like the story kept moving in the same direction without ever fully getting somewhere, and by the end, I was left feeling like a lot of it hadn’t been completely realized but there was a lack of character building. Every side character felt disposable because they were so bland.
So I’m landing at 3 stars because the beginning was genuinely so exciting and kept me reading, but the back half was probably closer to a 2 for me.
If she writes another one, I’ll absolutely read it but I need more nuggets about her mom! There’s so much there that I wanted explored, and I really want to see their relationship fully realized with better chemistry.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I thought the description had promise. A book inspired by the Byzantine empire sounded intriguing, and there's plenty of scope there for a compelling story. Unfortunately, it fell very flat for me.
I love a book with political intrigue and complex characters. This book had none of that. It's very straightforward, the plot is not that interesting, and the characters are fairly bland. The main female character is supposedly super clever, but she was the most dimwitted person for much of the book, and incredibly immature. The main male character was, well, nothing. He had no real personality and there was zero chemistry there.
I love a book with political intrigue and complex characters. This book had none of that. It's very straightforward, the plot is not that interesting, and the characters are fairly bland. The main female character is supposedly super clever, but she was the most dimwitted person for much of the book, and incredibly immature. The main male character was, well, nothing. He had no real personality and there was zero chemistry there.
Read
June 16, 2026I wanted to love this and there was a lot of promise but it never quite got there. Enjoyable enough to finish, but increasingly irritating. Anna is an idiot for plot reasons several times, and her search for her mother is full of unreasonable conviction (the women at the palace will know something!) that also seems plot driven. Weak characterization. Also the first person narrative had some real Victoria holt energy which is a vibe I can be down with but wasn’t the vibe this book was trying to sell me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really enjoyed that this story is set in the Byzantine Empire, which is one of my favourite periods of history and isn't explored nearly enough in fantasy.
The political intrigue was easily my favourite part, and I loved how the author blended real historical influences with fantasy elements.
Anna was a bit frustrating at times, and I struggled with some of her decisions, which kept me from fully connecting with the story.
Overall, it's an interesting historical fantasy with a unique setting that I'm glad I picked up. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this arc.
The political intrigue was easily my favourite part, and I loved how the author blended real historical influences with fantasy elements.
Anna was a bit frustrating at times, and I struggled with some of her decisions, which kept me from fully connecting with the story.
Overall, it's an interesting historical fantasy with a unique setting that I'm glad I picked up. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Jewel of Corlivo is an immersive fantasy debut based on the history of the Byzantine Empire. I loved the interesting setting (a wonderful departure from the usual pseudo-medieval fantasy Britain) and read this book in a day, turning pages quickly to figure out what was going to happen. Though the book seems to be marketed as an adult fantasy, to me it felt more like a YA novel in the vein of Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief (to be clear, that’s a compliment). Though it deals with themes like prostitution, it ultimately felt more lighthearted than scary. The heroine’s youth and coming of age arc also contributed to this impression. I loved this book and will be recommending it to others.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book is an absolute delight. I'm tempted to describe it as a "jewel box of a book," which feels a little trite (and the word Jewel is in the title!) but it's so fitting in this case. The language is gorgeous and fully transports you to a sultry, alternate-Byzantine world; on that note, I love that the author chose to fictionalize her geography and Byzantine empire, because it allowed her to create a fictional culty religion that plays into the story in interesting and satisfying ways. It felt like something out of Game of Thrones, minus the gratuitous violence against girls and women.
The love story at the heart of this is deeply feminist and full of yearning, which I love, but above all it's a story of a women discovering her agency (and a man who respects that agency). Her journey is tied to the fate of books and learning in an authoritarian empire (timely!). The author retells the history of the lost library of Alexandria in a way that I think will be very satisfying for readers in 2026.
The love story at the heart of this is deeply feminist and full of yearning, which I love, but above all it's a story of a women discovering her agency (and a man who respects that agency). Her journey is tied to the fate of books and learning in an authoritarian empire (timely!). The author retells the history of the lost library of Alexandria in a way that I think will be very satisfying for readers in 2026.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews