Cage of Starlight

Release Date: June 12, 2025

Tory, tattooed as the bastard child of a criminal in a country determined to use his magic on the front lines of a deadly war, is ashamed of his past. Sena, forced to serve the state that has used and scarred him, struggles to survive in the present. It's hate at first sight, but their only hope at a future lies in each other's hands.  Captive Prince meets Fullmetal Alchemist in this enemies-to-lovers queer romantic fantasy.

Arbeaux has crafted a moving tale about a world where falling in love is dangerous, and loving your enemy is nothing short of revolutionary.

    ― Sunya Mara, author of the Darkening duology

You might like Empty Isles...

  • If you like the sound of forced proximity (with soulbonds), ticking clocks, eerie prison moons, hate-to-queerplatonic love stories, resonant explorations of grief and healing, and/or stories that hurt you before they heal you.

  • If the phrase "Be Gay Do Crime (In Space)" brings you joy.

  • If you like the vibes of: Authors like Everina Maxwell and Foz Meadows; books like Nophek Gloss and Under the Whispering Door.

You might like Cage of Starlight...

  • If you like messy people doing their best (and sometimes their worst), gentle boys who could destroy the world, healers who want to tear out throats, a good dollop of hurt/comfort, indulgent original mythology, and/or (ace) enemies to lovers.

  • If you like the sound of X-Men but gay(er), with eldritch plants.

  • If you've enjoyed: Ocean's Echo, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Goblin Emperor, or C.S. Pacat's work.

NEWS  |  Special Edition

Goldsboro Books has published a gorgeous limited special edition of Lord of the Empty Isles. Their signed and numbered exclusive first-print hardcover edition features sprayed edges (block-sprayed top and bottom and a digitally printed fore-edge) and an absolutely gorgeous foil design under the dust jacket!

About

Longlistee for the 2022 Bath Novel Award and a 2020 Pitch Wars alum, Jules is a science fiction and fantasy author and inveterate enjoyer of visceral, wrenching poetry and prose, complex characters, and powerful relationships of every flavor.Cat parent, artist, learner of languages, and professional neglector of many thriving succulents, Jules subsists on sour gummy worms and far-fetched dreams.

Get in Touch

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to say hello on social media or drop me a line through the contact form!

Literary Agent

Jules is represented by Maddy Belton of the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency.

© Jules Arbeaux 2025. All rights reserved.

Thank you

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I appreciate every message I receive.

One curse.
Two sworn enemies.
Thousands of lives in the balance.

Winter's Orbit meets The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet in this stunning emotional yet action-packed adult science-fantasy debut, perfect for fans of found family and queerplatonic relationships.Ash, dried flowers, and a drop of blood. Remy has everything he needs to avenge his brother's death.Five years ago, interstellar pirate Idrian Delaciel ordered a withering—a death curse—cast on Remy's brother, costing him his life. Now, Remy has what he needs to return the favor, but when he casts the withering, it also rebounds onto him. The implications are unthinkable: Remy is fatebound to his brother's killer.The only way to slow the curse is to close the distance between them, so Remy infiltrates Idrian’s criminal crew, hiding his identity. But he soon learns that Idrian is the sole provider of life-saving supplies to thousands of innocents. If Idrian dies, they'll die with him.With more at stake now than just revenge, Remy must find a way to break the curse. Too bad for him—the only way to stop a withering is to kill the witherer.

ADD IT ON:

Content Notes (click to view): grief, loss of a sibling (off-page but prominent in the book), on-page depictions of death and injury (children, adults, the elderly) in a mass-casualty event, advancing illness (due to a death curse)

FAQ:

  • What's the genre? Simple answer: Sci-fi. More specific answer: Low, character-centric, feelings-forward space-fantasy (highly regulated post-climate-disaster world with three man-made pseudo moons in orbit around the planet) with tether/soulbond magic.

  • Is it standalone? Yes! At this time, I don't have plans for other work in this universe.

  • Is this a romance? For lack of more accurate marketing terminology, some websites have auto-categorized it as romance, and it does focus on an intense hate-to-love story (and many other forms of love) that I ambitiously hope might hold their own against other love stories. However, it's more of a queerplatonic relationship, and the book itself—including the tether system—focuses on and foregrounds platonic, fraternal, and found-familial bonds.

  • How do I get this in the US? At the moment, Lord of the Empty Isles has been licensed for publication in the UK with Hodderscape/Hachette, but I still have hope that it may one day find a US home. Until then, if US or international readers want to get their hands on it, I can highly recommend getting it through Blackwell's, which ships free internationally.

PRAISE FOR LORD OF THE EMPTY ISLES:

  • A laughing, crying, gut-punch of a ride... 10/10, totally worth the book hangover.
       — L.M. Sagas, author of Cascade Failure

  • Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming... A fantastic debut for fans of found family, queerplatonic relationships, and deeply human characters who are allowed to be monstrous: vulnerable and violent at once.
       — Essa Hansen, author of Nophek Gloss

  • Set in a vividly realized universe shaped by environmental devastation and soul-bonds, Lord of the Empty Isles brims with big, fascinating ideas... Amidst all the magic and space-faring adventure is a stunning, thoughtful treatise on grief and love in all its forms. A wonderfully cathartic experience.
       ― Julie Leong, internationally bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

  • A glorious cast of misfits that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure - even as they hold a gun to your head.
       ― Kate Dylan, Sunday Times Bestselling author of Until We Shatter

  • I sobbed, I laughed, I screamed.
       — Frances White, Sunday Times Bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned

  • Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down.
       — Hana Lee, Author of Road to Ruin

  • Guaranteed to break your heart and simultaneously mend it... an un-put-downable magical space adventure with a lovable found family cast as morally complex and clever as they are chaotic!
       — Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls

  • Deliciously, devastatingly entertaining.
       — Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance

  • Arbeaux has a voice so crisp and compassionate that you can't help but fall in love. Lord of the Empty Isles is an absolute delight.
       — Sunya Mara, author of The Darkening duology

  • If you love space pirates and heists, intricately-woven magic systems and found family, and most of all, books that make you laugh on one page and cry the next, you cannot miss picking up Lord of the Empty Isles.
       ― Christy Healy, author of Unbound

  • I am an emotional wreck after finishing this.
       ― Five-star Goodreads Review

  • Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux is a fast-paced yet thoughtful debut... perfect for those who love reading deeply human imaginings of future societies.
       ― Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Principle of Moments

See my media page for high-res cover assets.

PREORDER ON:

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A conscripted healer. His unfathomable captor. Their only hope lies in each other's hands...

A grumpy healer must work with his captor when a mission strands them in enemy territory in this action-packed, ace-romantic fantasy by the author of Lord of the Empty Isles.Don't make waves. Don't get attached. Don't let anyone see the tattoos.Those rules have kept Tory Arknett alive, alone, and on the run for years in a country eager to put his healing hands to work on the front lines of a brutal war. When a desperate display of magic outs him to the authorities, Tory flees—right into the hands of cold and competent Sena Vantaras. Caged in a cruel training facility and implanted with a magical tracker, Tory needs to get out before he gets dead. There’s just one thing to do before he goes: make Sena pay.But Sena is already paying more than Tory knows, and when a mission strands them in enemy territory, they must cooperate to survive. As they learn the truth about each other and the myth behind the magic that connects them, Tory and Sena find belonging with each other.Their trackers will kill them in three days if they don't return. Soon, Tory and Sena face a desperate decision: their freedom, or their lives?

Content Notes (click to view): graphic injury, imprisonment and conscription, death, illness, depiction of a battle/mentions of war, death of a parent (off-page), abusive/coercive behavior (non-sexual) from an authority figure

FAQ:

  • Is this standalone? Yes! There’s room for me to play around more in the universe if I’m ever allowed to, but this book stands alone.

  • Is this romantasy? The book is focused around what I hope is a compelling, slow-burn ace hate-to-love story, but it doesn’t hit romance notes beat-for-beat! It’s more love story than capital-R Romance.

  • How do I get this in the US? At the moment, Cage of Starlight has been licensed for publication in the UK with Hodderscape/Hachette, but I still have hope that it may one day find a US home. Until then, if US or international readers want to get their hands on it, I can highly recommend getting it through Blackwell's (linked above), which ships free internationally.

PRAISE FOR CAGE OF STARLIGHT:

  • An epic love story that’s fresh and devastating... Arbeaux has crafted a moving tale about a world where falling in love is dangerous, and loving your enemy is nothing short of revolutionary.
        ― Sunya Mara, author of the Darkening duology

  • As tender as it is fierce... Tory and Sena's story unfurls with beautiful vulnerability and will leave you feeling just a little more whole.
       — Julie Leong, internationally bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

  • A gorgeously poignant story that glows with lush prose, characters you can't help but fall in love with, and a stellar found family, Cage of Starlight will break your heart and tenderly put it back together.
       — M. Stevenson, author of Behooved

  • Jules Arbeaux weaves an emotional tale of persevering hope against all odds in Cage of Starlight. Sena and Tory are instantly iconic characters who I would die for.
       — Frances White, Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned

Media Kit

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  • Representation: Maddy Belton at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency

  • Photo credit: No credit needed. Images are 2000 x 2000px. Click to expand and save.

  • Find Me Online: On Twitter or Instagram @julesarbeaux or at my website, julesarbeaux.com

  • Pronouns: they/them, she/her, or just use my name.

Resources:

For further details, including content notes, please visit the project pages for Lord of the Empty Isles or Cage of Starlight.

Short Pitch, Lord of the Empty Isles: When his own death curse backfires onto him, a grieving young man must work together with the interstellar outlaw who killed his brother to save his own life—and thousands more he inadvertently doomed with his curse.Short Pitch, Cage of Starlight: Tory, tattooed as the bastard child of a criminal in a country determined to put his magic to use on the front lines of a deadly war, is ashamed of his past. Sena, forced to serve the state that has used and scarred him, struggles to survive in the present. It's hate at first sight, but their only hope at a future lies in each other's hands.

Bios of Varying Lengths:

Short Bio (50 words)

Born in the big city but raised reckless and barefoot deep in the woods, Jules Arbeaux is the author of debut science-fantasy Lord of the Empty Isles and forthcoming romantic fantasy Cage of Starlight. When not writing, Jules paints, folds increasingly tiny paper animals, and artfully neglects a throng of thriving succulents.

Shorter Bio (25 words)

Cat parent, artist, learner of languages, and professional neglector of many thriving succulents, Jules Arbeaux is the author of Lord of the Empty Isles and Cage of Starlight.

Long Bio (100 words)

A longlistee for the 2022 Bath Novel Award and 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, Jules Arbeaux graduated summa cum laude from a no-name college with a major in English, minors in creative writing and studio art, and the full knowledge that those areas of study would likely lead to starvation. As a writer and reader, Jules enjoys visceral, wrenching poetry and prose, multi-faceted characters, and powerful relationships of every sort. When not writing, Jules sells watercolor paintings and strange handmade jewelry at a local open-air market. LORD OF THE EMPTY ISLES is the author's debut novel.

Click cover for more.

Captive Prince meets Fullmetal Alchemist
in this enemies-to-lovers queer romantic fantasy.

Click cover for more.

A heartbreaking, healing science-fantasy
for fans of Everina Maxwell and Foz Meadows.