House of Dusk

By Deva Fagan

A romantic epic fantasy featuring a fire-wielding nun grappling with her dark past and a young spy caught between her mission and a growing attraction to an enemy princess

With complex relationships, a rich and mythic world, and brisk pacing, this standalone novel is perfect for fans of Tasha Suri, Samantha Shannon, and Shannon Chakraborty

Ten years ago, Sephre left behind her life as a war hero and took holy vows to seek redemption for her crimes, wielding the flames of the Phoenix to purify the dead. But as corpses rise, a long-dead god stirs, and shadowy serpents creep from the underworld, she has no choice but to draw on the very past she's been trying so hard to forget.

Orphaned by the same war Sephre helped win, Yeneris has trained half her life to be the perfect spy, a blade slipped deep into the palace of her enemies. Undercover as bodyguard to Sinoe, a princess whose tears unleash prophecy, Yeneris is searching for the stolen bones of a saint. Her growing attraction to the princess, however, is proving dangerous, and Yeneris struggles to balance her feelings for Sinoe with her duty to her people.

As gods are reborn and spirits destroyed, the world trembles on the edge of a second cataclysm. Sephre must decide whether to be bound by her past or to forge a better future, even if it means renouncing her vows and accepting a new and terrible power. Meanwhile, when the real enemy makes their bid for power, Yeneris must find a way to remain true to her full self and save both her mission and her heart.

As dead gods rise and corruption creeps across the world, this sweeping standalone fantasy tale of forbidden sapphic love and dark betrayal will set your heart ablaze.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756420105
• ISBN13: 9780756420109
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Fantasy

A solid fantasy story. Great world building and a fascinating religion with people inducted into orders like the House of Dawn (with the Phoenix) or House of Dusk (with the Serpent). It gets more intricate with reincarnations after dead souls have traveled through the labyrinth and a prophecy foretelling the return of the Ember King but not all is as it seems. Told through the eyes of two women, Sephre, an ash dancer wielding the holy flame, and Yeneris, bodyguard to the Sybil of Tears, princess Sinoe (who definitely needs one since she cannot stay out of trouble!). I loved both Yeneris and Sephre and if they had had the chance to meet up earlier than the end of the story, they could have done amazing things and nothing could have stopped them! That being said, it was fun still to read and see them inching together as the pieces of an evil scheme fall into place and it is up to them to save the world from another world calamity that affects both the mortal plane and the underworld. This was such a fun book to listen to! The narrator, Raquel Beattie, does an excellent job in bring the characters and this world to life. And even though it is satisfyingly wrapped up as a standalone, I definitely would love to read more about this world with its children of chaos, ash dancers, prophesying princesses, and the underworld with its labyrinth and reincarnations of souls. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to listen to this audiobook.