These Shattered Spires

By Cassidy Ellis Salter

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

In a world of rot, under a sky of monstrous teeth, the castle Fourspires is divided into four houses of magic – Blood, Bone, Botany and Stone. Here, arcanists draw life from their human familiars, the Wyrdos, to perform their magic. When the castle ruler is assassinated and the Slaughter is announced, the small, grotesque world prepares for a battle to the death to crown one of the four Head Arcanists.

Taro and Nixie, two familiars from different houses, had a plan to escape, risking their lives in the foul depths outside the castle rather than dying within. When the Slaughter is called and plans change, Nixie discovers there may be a way to stop the proceedings and free not just her and Taro, but everyone in Fourspires. But it will mean a familiar from each of the houses need to join forces. Sorting through their situationship is confusing for Taro and Nixie, bringing together four rival Wyrdos in 48 hours is hard, but dying because their house didn’t win the crown will be infinitely harder.

These Shattered Spires is the first YA novel for British author Cassidy Ellis Salter (formerly Charlotte Salter, the name their two middle grade books were published under), and the first in the upcoming Wyrdos Trilogy. With a slippery timeline and questionable moral fortitude, Salter’s characters all feel untrustworthy while still drawing you in and having you quietly hoping they make it out alive. Amid classism and authoritarian rules, the teenagers face trust issues and various levels of self-deceit, but still manage creative independent thinking, and with each new discovery they question the rules of the adults more and more.

This dark gothic fantasy is an inspiring assault to the senses, wrapping readers in the gore of bleeding buildings, the horror of undead bone-creatures, and the decay of a cursed castle. Sights and odours are described with technicolour richness, miring readers in the sludge the Wyrdos are fighting to be free from. Be warned, this is not for the faint of heart or stomach – the imagery at times may be revolting.

For readers 15+

Bloomsbury YA September 2026

Cassidy Ellis Salter