How to Seal a Curse
And Other Ways to Ruin Your Reputation
Gwen O’Dorchaidhe has a legacy to protect—and saving a chaotic “Chosen One” is about to ruin it.
Perfect for fans of dark academia romance, magical university, and sharp-witted rivals-to-lovers stories.
Synopsis
At the prestigious Cairn-Gait Conservatory, magic is a matter of bloodline, and ‘Ink’ is the only currency that matters.
Gwen O’Dorchaidhe’s life was mapped out perfectly as the heir to a pureblood legacy—until Will Mason arrives. An ordinary, untaught American ‘Vapor’ who possesses the raw, unrefined power of a hurricane and a target on his back as the world’s most inconvenient Chosen One.
From the moment they meet, it’s an electric rivalry. Tasked with tutoring a boy raised in the normie world she was taught to look down upon, Gwen finds herself caught in a dangerous game of resonance and secrets.
But when a terrifying, centuries-old death-curse breaches the campus grounds—leaving the headless silhouette of the legendary Rider to hunt students across the midnight moors—everything Gwen thought she knew changes. Breaking curses and challenging the outdated rules of sorcerer society is just another year at Cairn-Gait. Yet, as Gwen risks everything to anchor a boy who is as much a curse as he is a savior, a ruinous, forbidden attraction ignites between their cores.
Gwen is about to learn that some reputations are better off ruined.
Gwen (Gwenhwyfar) O’Dorchaidhe
An ambitious pureblood (Ink) sorcerer, Gwen is determined to become her generation’s greatest curse-breaker. Her path to glory is perfectly mapped out—until she's "volun-told" to tutor Cairn-Gait’s no-name Chosen One. Suddenly, she isn't just battling the suffocating expectations of her elitist parents and the powerful Aurelian Circle; she's fighting to keep her immaculate plans from unraveling entirely. Curses, campus politics, and family legacies are supposed to be her biggest obstacles. Instead, her greatest threat is the infuriating boy from the normie world who refuses to stay out of her head.
Aurelius, Ink
Will (William) Mason
Will always knew he was different, but he didn't realize he was "Chosen One" different until he was dragged across the Atlantic and dropped into a university for the magical elite. As a lower-class Vapor, being an outsider is nothing new. What is new is navigating a hyper-privileged society that judges potential strictly by bloodline—even though Will packs more raw, unrefined power than all their ancient legacies combined. He has zero interest in playing by their rules, a target on his back, and one very specific, ridiculously talented, impossibly stuck-up tutor he can’t seem to stay away from.
Cairngorm, Vapor (?), Chosen One
Characters
Cairngorm, Ink
Cal (Callum) Whitley
Born into a pureblood (Ink) family that the rest of the high-born families look down on, Cal knows firsthand just how hypocritical the Ink elite can be. It’s exactly why he prefers the company of the university's "less potential" crowd. But, just his luck, his first year at Cairn-Gait coincides with the arrival of the Chosen One. Being best friends with a walking historical turning point is a massive safety hazard—but Cal is more than ready to help Will flip the bird to the pureblood hierarchy and prove them completely wrong about potential.
Sloan Sterling
Vespertine, Ink
Navigating the vipers’ nest of the Aurelian Circle requires a specific kind of genius, and Sloan knows exactly how to manipulate the campus atmosphere—and its elite. Sloan is Gwen’s lifelong best friend, fiercely dedicated to securing their joint future at the top of the conservatory’s hierarchy. But as Gwen becomes increasingly distracted by the chaotic arrival of the new Chosen One, Sloan watches her oldest ally slide into a dangerous, ruinous gamble. Sloan wants to protect her friend, even if she has to drag Gwen away from the wild variable threatening to destroy everything they’ve built.
Tristan O’Dorchaidhe
Aurelius, Ink
Life is nothing but a performance for Tristan, and he plays his part flawlessly. As the eldest son, he would be his father’s perfect choice for family heir—if he weren’t denying those expectations in every quiet, calculated way he can get away with. It’s a delicate game, made infinitely easier by his younger sister, Gwen, who practically begs for the family spotlight. With all eyes on her, Tristan can bide his time, waiting for graduation and the chance to finally break free. But playing a part for too long has a cost, and some secrets are getting harder to hide.
Sidereal, Vapor
Bryn Hall
Attending Cairn-Gait Conservatory should have been a dream come true. When Bryn received her acceptance letter, she thought she’d finally found her people. Instead, she discovered a hyper-stratified campus where half the student body looks down on anyone new to the sorcery life. Determined to carve out her own place, Bryn finds herself forming a fast, chaotic alliance with the world's most inconvenient Chosen One and a certain tactless, fiercely loyal Scotsman. She's ready to work twice as hard to prove she belongs—even if the school's outdated rules try to push her out.
Chancellor Perrin Eddow
Aurelius, Ink
In the grand political chess match of Cairn-Gait, it’s never entirely clear whose side Chancellor Eddow is playing on—though the smartest students wager it’s his own. He’s is the careful champion of institutional equality and the self-appointed guardian of the campus's volatile new Chosen One. Eddow holds the keys to the conservatory's darkest secrets, leaving everyone to wonder if he is the saviour the school needs, or the ultimate architect of its ruin.
Julian Vane
Vespertine, Ink
As the popular captain of Cairn-Gait’s Fen-Ball team, Julian prefers the brutal honesty of sports to the backstabbing nature of the Ink elite. He’s one of the rare few blessed with immense privilege and a genuinely loving family. Well, mostly. Beneath the nonchalant, golden-boy exterior lies a secret that could ruin his fragile peace. He’s counting down the days until graduation, holding onto a promise that once they leave Cairn-Gait, the hiding can end. He just has to grin and bear it until then.