SOULCAST
YA Fantasy (Coming Summer 2027)
(From Peachtree Teen/ Distributed by Penguin Random House)
Dante’s Inferno meets The Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone, set in a lush fantasy world inspired by the Central African mythology of the underworld of Kalunga. From debut author Aaron Cole!
Order this deluxe edition today! Includes dazzling foil on the dust jacket, a stunning foil-stamped emblem on the case, and striking metallic edges.
In the kingdom of Anansi, chaos has reigned since the murder of the queen. Desperate to revive her, the grief-stricken king hunts for the fabled Soul Cast whose Blood Majik holds the key to resurrecting the dead from the Underworld. To find the Soul Cast, the king requires all individuals with Blood Majik to compete in the Soul Cast Trials—where failure to win means death.
Hidden in the kingdom’s slums, sixteen-year-old Krio conceals his powerful Blood Majik to avoid certain death. But when his majik unexpectantly triggers and destroys his village, the King’s Royal Guardians demand answers. Krio’s mother takes the blame—sacrificing her life for her son—and is taken to the palace to be entered in The Soul Cast Trials.
Determined to rescue his mother, Krio assumes a false identity and infiltrates the palace, volunteering to compete in the Soul Cast Trials. As the competition begins, Krio fights to stay alive while desperately searching for his mother’s whereabouts, ultimately forging an unlikely alliance with the Prince to survive.
As the Soul Cast Trials grow deadlier, so too do Krio’s feelings for the Prince. But dark secrets threaten them all; can Krio remain alive long enough to find and save his mother, or will love, betrayal, and dark majik prove to be not just his end… but the end to the entire kingdom?
SOULCAST is an epic YA Fantasy with strong romance elements steeped in the rich mythology and folklore of Sub-Saharan Africa. Brimming with magic and unique world-building, it weaves together themes of survival, love, sacrifice, and the power of resilience.
Art by Colin Verdi
Cover Designer Chelsea Hunter
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Art by Nanacchi
KRIO
Krio was born a crime. Cursed with blood majik, aka the same majik that killed the queen, he’s lived his life hiding who he really is, in fear that he’d be summoned to King Mustapha’s yearly SoulCast Trials—a deadly competition to find a fabled SoulCast whose blood majik is said to be powerful enough to open the Underworld of Kalunga and resurrect the fallen Queen. All those with blood majik are required to enter the trials, but Krio’s kept his gift secret to avoid a life of servitude. It’s afforded him a decent living, and he’s been training to become a warrior so that he can provide for his recently widowed mother and his young sista, Zoë. But everything changes when his majik is discovered and his mother takes the fall, sacrificing her life for his, and is entered in the SoulCast Trials. Determined to save her, Krio travels to the palace under a pseudonym, volunteering himself to the trials. But as he’s entrenched in the deadly games, something even more unexpected happens: he falls for the crown Prince Tillian, whose alliance may be the only thing to keep him alive long enough so he can save his mother and burn down the kingdom that betrayed his family.
PRINCE TILLIAN
Prince Tillian was born with a silver spoon he doesn’t want. His family of royals is ruthless, cutthroat, and malicious. In recent years, the King’s obsession with reviving his fallen Queen has left their kingdom’s resources drained and the subjects famished—a fact that has made the royals hated. Striving to be better than his family, Tillian doesn’t subscribe to their beliefs, choosing to carve out his future. He’s unapologetically queer and vehemently opposed of the SoulCast Trials, which he sees as a way to discriminate against and eliminate those with blood majik in the kingdom. When he crosses paths with Krio, the latest victim of the king’s twisted games, his tenacity sets him apart, and an attraction is formed. As the trials commence, they grow closer, forming an alliance to keep Krio alive. But, unbeknownst to everyone—including Krio—Tillian has a dark past, with secrets strong enough to get them both of them killed.