Set in a kingdom ruled jointly by crown and scholarship, The Light of the Dawn unfolds as unrest, illness, and long-suppressed histories begin to surface. Three lives are drawn into conflict: Elettaria, heir to the Dytikon throne and raised within doctrine; Atha, a northern Daru leader whose culture has been recast as corruption; and Aixen, once Elettaria’s closest companion and lover, who understands how easily belief can be shaped into governance. In a world where heirs may be nominated rather than born, belief becomes a political instrument, loyalty a liability, and truth something negotiated rather than known. And as Aixen and Elettaria grapple for the succession–and their kingdom’s future–love and trust are the hardest tools to wield.

This is not a novel about the discovery of magic, but about the discovery that history has been rewritten. As institutional authority tightens its grip, a plague spreads, consuming humans and trees alike, and blurring the lines between protection and propaganda, excellence and exploitation. Each of the three protagonists carries knowledge capable of stabilising or unravelling their world, and none of them are innocent in what follows.

The Light of the Dawn is a multi-POV, slow-burn, adult epic fantasy concerned with the narratives societies construct to justify control. Themes of illness, environmental exploitation, romance, and the tension between scholarship and belief run throughout. The novel will appeal to readers drawn to the moral complexity of Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun, the institutional critique of R. F. Kuang’s Babel, and the worldbuilding and prose of Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night.

It is the first of a planned duology, though it can stand alone.

I came to long-form writing through storytelling in music and a love of reading. I have recently completed a PhD in early infant brain development at the University of Cambridge, and as a writer living with chronic illness, I’m drawn to stories and writing that explore how belief systems, care structures, and authority shape behaviour. I read widely across genres, but I especially enjoy sharp emotional stakes and lyrical prose.

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Finally, once available please do pre-order this book if you’d like to continue reading!