Cassidy Ellis Salter, the author of the acclaimed THESE SHATTERED SPIRES, was recently interviewed for Forbidden Planet TV! You can watch that, above.
THESE SHATTERED SPIRES is the first novel in the author’s Wyrdos series, published by Bloomsbury in the UK and North America. Here’s the synopsis…
In a rotten and bloody world, four magical rivals are forced to work together to avoid certain death in a deadly competition. Gothic, visceral and utterly compelling, These Shattered Spires is the first book in the Wyrdos trilogy.
Beneath a tooth-filled sky, the world rots.
At the heart of the decaying world is Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists from across the four magical disciplines: bone, blood, botany and stone.
When the king is assassinated, chaos erupts. To seize the crown, arcanists and their human familiars are dragged into the Slaughter – a deadly competition, where survival means killing and death is the only escape.
Amidst the bloodshed, four rival familiars must work together … Taro, a bone witch still obsessed with her ex. Nixie, a botanical familiar with a ghost living in her bedroom. Elliot, a cursed and vengeful blood familiar and Alix, banished from the stone arcania tower and shrouded in secrets.
Together, the four Wyrdos are not just fighting to survive, but to lift the curse upon their world. There must be more to the sky than a dome of teeth and spittle; there must be something beyond the decay of Fourspires …
And here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…
‘Gory yet sensuous, weird and addictively compelling, THESE SHATTERED SPIRES is a unique magical fantasy about four complicated people who must work together to survive.’ — Bookseller (Editor’s Choice, March 2026 Releases)
‘Rival teen witches unite to circumvent their doom in this heartrending trilogy opener from Salter… Salter deftly balances the intersectionally diverse characters’ grim existence with gleefully gruesome worldbuilding, snarky banter, and fraught queer romance. Candid close-third-person narration alternates between the quartet’s perspectives, revealing the pain and yearning that underlie the protagonists’ outsize personalities while fostering tension and drive.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘This darkly humorous fantasy trilogy opener, which will appeal to fans of Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Room trilogy, starts strong with a fast pace driven by imminent life-or-death stakes, irresistibly self-destructive characters, and absorbing worldbuilding… A cliffhanger ending creates high anticipation for the sequel. A grim, engrossing, and captivating fantasy.’ — Kirkus
‘This fantasy sets the stakes high immediately, and Salter never lets up on the urgency, setting up an inexorable march toward doom, salvation, or, most likely, some sort of uncomfortable, still miserable combination of the two. The four protagonists are deeply sympathetic, with staggering power that they have been forced to yield to others and distinct, relatable motivations to want to live, despite being imperfect in their shared core emotions—even the end of the world can’t derail desire, love, and spite. Fantasy fans who prefer lighter fare will likely blanch at the early descriptions of mists of blood or a gaping maw of teeth that looms just above the castle, but those who revel in a bit of gore mixed in with their magic will be right at home immediately, and they’ll be rewarded with strong worldbuilding and character development as well.’ — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
‘Absolutely perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth, THESE SHATTERED SPIRES pulses with the weird and wonderful macabre. Salter weaves a ragtag crew of lovable misfits with uniquely grim world-building that is impossible to forget. Witty, diverse characters and tongue-in-cheek humor makes this gothic YA fantasy both upbeat and chill inducing. I fear I’ll never look at nuns the same way again!’ — Catelyn Wilson
‘Utterly fabulous and darkly imaginative. Complicated, flawed characters shine in a world of grit and bloodshed, all brought to life through effortlessly evocative prose. I devoured every page.’ — Elise Kova, New York Times Bestselling Author of Arcana Academy
‘THESE SHATTERED SPIRES is a grotesque extravaganza of a book, with a labyrinthine quest and complex, morally grey characters you can’t help but root for – no matter how many times they make clear you shouldn’t. With utterly unique world-building, a brilliant magic system and writing that flips from fun and entertaining to heart-wrenching without a moment’s notice, this is such a unique, compelling book that kept me glued to the edge of my seat. Grotesque, disturbing and frankly unsanitary. I’ve never had so much fun.’ — Bea Fitzgerald