Red Tower Books’ new pirate **romantasy **novel, Ship of Spells, is getting buzz ahead of its November 4 release — and you can now read an exclusive excerpt of H. Leighton Dickson’s story here. If the promise of a sentient ship doesn’t sell you on the upcoming release (and it should), the fact that it’s rapidly becoming one of 2025’s most-anticipated new romantasy titles might do the trick.

From the author behind Dragon of Ash & Stars, Ship of Spells is an epic fantasy adventure that’s being pitched for fans of One Piece* *and *Shadow and Bone. *The book follows Renn, who’s thrown from the tragic shipwreck that starts her naval career into an even more high-stakes mission.

This mission places her in the midst of a group of outcasts, including an elven captain who’s deeply suspicious of her. And with Renn uncovering a magical secret in the wake of her first wreckage, he may have reason to be. With distrust and political intrigue balancing the inevitable romance, **Ship of Spells sounds like the ideal romantasy to dig into this fall. Read the book’s synopsis below:

A war-scarred mage. A sentient ship. A secret that could drown empires.

When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike. With a crew of misfits. A mysterious, elven captain. And a mission tied to the Dreadwall, the crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Nethersea from open war for a hundred years.

But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn’t just take lives―it left something behind.

Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants. A magik that’s chimeric, arcane...and slowly killing her. But the captain’s mission may be her only chance to survive, even if he still doesn’t trust her.

Caught between privateers, princes, and spies, Renn knows each choice could sink her future―or set the sea on fire.

*Ship of Spells *has gotten praise from Abigail Owen of *The Games Gods Play *fame, as well as Mai Corland (whose Three Shattered Souls shattered us earlier this year). It seems poised to become a hit following its fall release, and with sea-faring quests and a heroine likened to A Song of Ice and Fire’s Arya Stark, how could it not?

And *Screen Rant *is thrilled to present an exclusive excerpt of Ship of Spells chapter 6, “Dreadwalls,” which sees Renn meeting the elven captain of her crew for the first time. It also digs into the heart of their mission, explaining the purpose of the Dreadwall and how it keeps Dreadships at bay.

You can dive into *Ship of Spells *chapter 6 below!

Read An Excerpt Of Ship Of Spells By H. Leighton Dickson

I peered over the rail, cupping the rum in both hands, Buck and Echo on either side.

The* lights were Rhi’Ahr*, and I understood the need to stop the chimeric trail. If they saw the chimeric, they’d know we were coming, and they’d be prepared. While we were skilled and stealthy, we were sorely outgunned.

“The ships that attacked Hodgetown?” I asked.

“You were chasing their chimeric, yes?” said Echo.

I had been chasing the Rhi’Ahr ships, yes, but I hadn’t fully thought out what we’d do once we caught ’em.

“Captain thinks they may have formed a Dreadship,” said Echo. “Isn’t that right, Buck?”

“They do that,” the bosun said. “Fearsome big. Hard to sink.”

Now, that was definitely something I remembered from Berryburn Yard. A Dreadship was two or more ships joined together to form a larger vessel. The Emperial Navy had never been successful, but clearly, the Rhi’Ahr had mastered the skill. Another reason we needed the Dreadwall to keep them from our shores.

“Hand sail, Mr. Buck,” called Fahr over the winds. He was with the captain on the pup and holding a spyglass to his eye. “We have a Dreadship of two. There’s a third out here somewhere.”

The bosun grunted and left my side, shaking his horned head and barking commands to the crew. Hand over hand, they began to reef the sails, slowing our speed as we rode the choppy waves. The harpy, whose name I’d learned was Kithriit, or Kit, sprang between the masts, dousing the lanterns that swung from timber and beam.

I looked up to the high pupdeck, where captain and first mate stood. I had to admit they cut fine figures on the deck of this ship, like day and night, sun and moon. Thanavar wore mystery like a cloak, whereas Fahr was as bright as a coal fire. I watched the first mate lift the spyglass again, his dark hair whipping in the sea wind. He’d be a natural at the wheel of a Navy frigate or Emperial man-of-war. Why he would trade such a life to walk in the footsteps of an enemy captain, I’d never know.

I studied that enemy captain now. A* Rhi’Ahr* warrior in the coat of a Navy officer, and it set my blood to boil. Tall and lean, he was wrapped in moonslight and fury. Black hair escaping its queue behind those bloody elven ears, and cheekbones that could cut paper. Like a stormshear, he was, all riptide and clash, a whirlpool of shadow and sky. I found myself pulled into that riptide, whether I wanted to be or not.

He turned his face, and, for a brief moment, our eyes met. Lightning shot down my spine, and I fought the urge to look away. Instead, I steeled my jaw, refusing to stand down, daring him to see me. Me, the wretched girl from the lost frigate. Me, the vain, insignificant ensign Blue, the wayward woman adrift on the sea, filled with the chimeric that called to us both…

Chase, whispered that voice once again, echoing the excitement growing in my chest. Aro’el, child. Chase.

Swiftly, I glanced away, pretending to study the ocean, but my toes curled inside my boots, and I took breath after breath to still my racing heart. Chimeric, Rhi’Ahr, Ship of Spells, war. I was alive with something that I didn’t understand, so I buried it deep down beneath my iron will and the anger that was my lifeboat. These were stormy seas, and with a captain like that, I’d need all the anchors I could get.

Ship Of Spells Is Already Getting Great Reviews

Just the synopsis and one chapter have us sold on Ship of Spells, but the romantasy book is also receiving great reviews ahead of its release date**. Both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly have positive things to say about it, adding further incentive to pick it up.

It sounds like Dickson’s latest has exactly the right amount of action and drama — just as its premise suggests — and the romance side of the **romantasy **story seems just as promising. For fans of the author’s previous works, and anyone who loves an adventure on the high seas, this is going to be a must-read.

*Ship of Spells *debuts on November 4, 2025, wherever books are sold.