Bookstagrammer Tina Mars’ Romantasy “This Wretched Alchemy” Is “Throne of Glass ”Meets “Gladiator” — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Tina Mars’ debut novel promises intrigue, excitement and a devastating romance!

The debut author and book Instagrammer announced her new novel This Wretched Alchemy, published with Saturday Books — a dark romantasy that follows a young woman thrust into a deadly competition in order to save her family.

“This Wretched Alchemy is the culmination of years spent battling self-doubt, shaped into an achievement I once only dreamed of,” Mars tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

“Some of my fondest childhood memories are the weekly library or Borders trips with my mom, hunting for the latest Goosebumps or fantasy title. I’m still in disbelief that I found the courage to write my own, and that my work might one day inspire someone else in the same way.”

“At its heart, my debut explores the terrifying yet tender process of accepting all parts of yourself, the ache of wondering if you’ll ever be enough, and the desperate lengths we go to for love that was always ours,” the new author continued. “But don’t worry! You’ll still get world-ending stakes and a gladiator-inspired competition, as well as the equally devastating romance.”

“In all honesty, I am most looking forward to leaving my future readers emotionally shattered—I mean, give them an unforgettable experience,” she added.

The book will also feature pink sprayed edges with the snakes eating each other — another signifier for the plot, which follows protagonist Revel who seeks revenge on behalf of her brother who was murdered in pursuit of god-shards, or divine fragments that grant extraordinary abilities to those who possess them.

For avenging him, she is forced into a “treacherous bargain” to compete in “the Call  — a bloody contest of heirs vying for the throne — on behalf of her enemies, and assassinate the realm’s most formidable alchemist, the Warbringer,” according to a synopsis of the book.

“The Prime sets the heirs on a brutal race to find the god-shard that could shift the balance of the realms. Everyone wants the win, but Revel just wants the kill. Except, the Warbringer isn’t the monster she was promised. Bound by secrets of his own, he is as dangerous as he is disarming,” the synopsis continues. 

Revel “must decide who to trust in a game where even the gods have their favorites.” The novel is described as a “dark, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy where love and loyalty become the very weapons that could destroy everything.”

Mars is “a lifelong devourer of fantasy and has always related a little too much to the villains,” according to her author biography. “She crafts brutal worlds with sharp prose, shattering plot twists and epic stakes that interrogate power.”

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This Wretched Alchemy will be released on Nov. 10, 2026 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.