A Chain of Lights

A city of scholars. A stolen vial. A bakery case full of regrets.

Magic is power, and only the Kirosz Empire wields it-or so everyone thought, until a Nirsuathan professor engineered a magic of his own.

When the professor's aptitude test sparks ambitions, Tyatavar, a baker's daughter, promptly fails it. No surprise there-until her sister passes. Vilari becomes the first student of the professor's new magic, while Tyatavar remains stuck.

Stuck drowning in flour and currant loaves.

Stuck in an unwanted marriage-and lying about it constantly.

Plus, with her sister skipping bakery shifts to study magic, there's no space to claim a future of her own.

Then a new friendship with an odd glass merchant offers her a way out: printmaking. But tradition and obligation tighten around her-and threaten to keep her trapped when someone from her past returns.

Still, even for a magic test failure, the professor's magic may be the solution. As change ripples through her city, impulse collides with desperation, and Tyatavar faces upending everything she knows.

A Chain of Lights is the first book in a character-driven gaslamp fantasy series full of slice-of-life vibes, mysterious magic, and a looming imperial conflict.

If you enjoy...

* Cozy fantasy-with sharper edges
* Character-driven stories with rich worldbuilding
* Misfits, mayhem, and magical worlds
* Banter, baked goods, and bad decisions

...this is your book.