What Makes A Monster

By: Emily Cooper

Narrated by: to be announced

Heavenly Bodies meets Divine Rivals in this star-lit romantasy about a girl who, after trying to end the world, now has to save it.

In Velandor, where magic is ruled by the constellations, Celestine Savareau rots in prison after a failed attempt to end the world. All she wants is destruction and domination.

When she is offered a freedom deal, Celestine has little choice but to accept, even if it means going after her ex-lover and accomplice Aire. Alone, he is trying to complete their monstrous plan. So Celestine joins the Nightguard, the protectors of Velandor, even as she plots to reunite with Aire and finish what they started.

Nightguard Kivessin would rather die than work with Celestine. His mother was killed during her arrest, and he’s not about to forgive and forget. But when he learns that helping Celestine means taking her down if she goes rogue, he manages to set his razor-sharp morals aside.

As they commence training, Celestine must exploit her relationship with Aire to stay one step ahead. If she fails, the world will end—and she’d hate to die without exploring the undeniable tension which lingers between her and Kivessin.

In doing so, they discover something neither of them wants to acknowledge: she might not be the monster they thought…

©2027 Emily Cooper

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR EMILY COOPER

'A beguiling dark fantasy debut that smoulders like hearth-fire' AVA REID, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

'If you loved Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing, you will devour What Makes a Monster! Celestine and Kivessin’s enemies-to-lovers romance crackles with irresistible chemistry, razor-sharp banter, and emotional twists… a fantasy that’s as immersive as it is impossible to put down’ ROMINA GARBER, New York Times bestselling author of Castle of the Cursed

'Strikes the perfect balance between fairytale and terror' JAMISON SHEA, author of I Feed Her to the Beast

'Cooper's haunting prose practically drips off the page, weaving a tale of darkness, sacrifice, and what it means to be known' ALEXANDRIA WARWICK, author of The North Wind

'A mesmerizing, standout debut… At once lush and haunting, both beautiful and brutal' ADRIENNE TOOLEY, author of The Third Daughter

'A consuming tale of sacrifice and service that will haunt you long after its final page. Cooper's worldbuilding is exquisitely beautiful and horrific' ERIN A. CRAIG, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child

‘A vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality. The perfect blend of horror and romance, with a gasp out loud twist' KATHRYN FOXFIELD, author of Good Girls Die First

'Cooper’s dark debut gives us a heroine worth remembering. Love, sisterhood, and ritual blend together to create a timely and monstrous tale that will haunt readers until the very end' ELLE TESCH, author of What Wakes the Bells