What if magic was a curse, not a gift?

Shaylin has spent her whole life at sea, raised aboard Trader One by its gruff captain and steady first officer. At sixteen, she serves as the ship’s Swordfish, a role so dangerous she’s already seen too many before her fall. The crew her family. The ocean, her only home.

She’s never lived on land. Never faced the real world. And lately, the sea isn’t the only thing whispering to her.

A voice has taken root in her mind, ancient, strange, maybe even divine. At first she thinks it’s madness. But when flickers of uncontrolled magic begin to surface, even the crew start to look at her differently.

But the real fight may be the one inside. Shaylin has never trusted her own strength. She doesn’t believe she’s special, not like the Talented children the king’s recruiters are searching for across the isles. With war stirring in distant Barria, those with power are being gathered for a conflict that hasn’t yet reached her… but it will.

And when it does, she’ll have to decide who she is, and what she’s willing to become.

A Spell at Sea is a sweeping YA fantasy about courage, self-doubt, and finding your voice when the tide turns against you.

A deadly secret. A forbidden magic. A bond that may cost them everything.

At Cralia’s elite university, Shaylin is already an outsider. Raised on a trading ship and gifted by a god with a rare form of Talent, she’s drawn into a world of privilege and politics she barely understands. The only person she trusts is Resha, a student from enemy lands whose presence has made her a target.

 But Talented people are turning up dead across the city, their magic drained and their lives stolen. Shaylin and Resha are the first to ask why, and the only ones brave enough to uncover the truth.

 As the danger circles closer, their search for answers will lead them deep into forbidden knowledge and toward a discovery that could change everything.

How far would you go to save the one person who matters most?

Shaylin has faced pirates, sea devils, and ruthless assassins, but nothing prepared her for what happened to her closest friend. After a devastating encounter, Resha is left changed, perhaps forever, and Shaylin is willing to risk everything to set things right, even if it means breaking the law.

 Across the lands, Talented are vanishing without a trace. An unseen war is being waged, and Shaylin and Resha are done waiting. If they want answers, they’ll have to find them before the killers find them first.

 With the King’s reluctant blessing and a mysterious new ally by their side, the girls set off on their most dangerous mission yet. The fate of the Talented and Resha’s life may depend on what they uncover.