The Game of Oaths

By S.C. Bandreddi

"Utterly captivating." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In this heart-pounding, richly imagined fantasy set in the Belle poque, a trapeze artist fights to win a deadly tournament amid the glamour and illusions of a magical circus. But survival isn't her only goal--she wants revenge.

It's 1896. Beneath a hotel in the heart of Paris is the famed le Cirque des Ombres, led by ringmaster and Enchanteur Jean-Pierre. But behind the dazzling spectacles, the circus performers are bound by magical contracts, also making them potential players in the annual Game of Oaths, an underground bloodthirsty tournament watched by the wealthy elite. Twelve will compete. Eleven will die.
Seventeen-year-old trapeze artist Falan Sunkara is out for revenge. After her sister ended up as one of the unlucky eleven last year, Falan wants nothing more than to make Jean-Pierre pay for her death. When she's chosen to compete in this year's tournament, Falan is not above playing dirty and forging unlikely alliances. But to be the last one standing, she has to determine whom to trust and whose motives to question. Vengeance on top of survival is a dangerous gamble--and in games like this, the house always wins.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1536252638
• ISBN13: 9781536252637
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher