The Court of Venus - Bel Banta

Pre-order. Published 1 October 2026 — we'll send your copy on publication day. Order now and we'll put one aside for you. Free UK delivery on orders over £20, or collect from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market.

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Set in a fantasy world inspired by Tudor England and the real astrologers who advised kings, The Court of Venus is Bel Banta's romantic fantasy debut and a beautifully written historical novel about rival magicians. 'Our kind has many names. Planetborn. Sorcerer. Witch or wizard. Magician.'In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living. Bianca Mortlake is born at the moment the stars and planets align just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of. Alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland, Bianca spends her childhood training under the realm's most powerful magician. They live a quiet life far from court - until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning them back. A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner's blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to - the infuriatingly alluring Roland. There is terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court - and each other - from the dark fate they see written in the stars. 'Utterly unique and decadently romantic . . . I am beguiled - and obsessed' - Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning
'Decadent, gripping, and romantic' - Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark and Drowning TidePerfect for fans of The Knight and The Moth, The Familiar, and A Darker Shade of Magic. Tropes Include . . . *rivals to lovers*courtly intrigue*magic tournament*slow burn*murder mystery*she falls first, he falls harder