A hidden doorway. A fae masquerade. Three nights to uncover the truth.

The seven muses are dying.

Each night, they vanish through a hidden doorway into the Gloaming Realm—a place of dazzling music, endless dancing, and irresistible fae wine. By morning, they remember nothing.

Michael is only a humble incense maker struggling to care for his orphaned sisters. But when a mysterious fae woman reveals where the muses disappear each night, he becomes the last person willing to uncover the truth.

With only three nights before the Sun God’s grief scorches the land, Michael must enter a realm of glamour and forbidden magic, where beauty conceals a far darker purpose.

The Gloaming Realm began with a natural connection: I may not have twelve princesses, but I do have seven muse sisters. Their mysterious nightly disappearances gave me a way to adapt the central mystery of The Twelve Dancing Princesses while weaving it into Tessagonia’s divine history.

Michael’s name comes from Andrew Lang’s version of the tale, where he was also a peasant. I made him an incense maker so the ordinary skills he already possessed could become valuable in solving the mystery. Halenka comes from a variant called The Three Girls, in which a fairy aids the hero.

Together, Michael and Halenka allowed me to create a retelling centered on trust, observation, and recognizing the value of gifts that might initially seem ordinary.

I really enjoyed getting lost in this story. The fae world was imaginative and atmospheric, and Michael was a relatable hero whose journey kept me invested.

— Orla King

It is very easily recognizable as a take on the classic tale, with lots of familiar elements, but it is also a unique and engaging take on that familiar tale.

— Elizabeth Wilcox