🎨✂️A Great and Powerful Tyranny Art Inspired Day

Such an amazing cover. I couldn't stop myself from doing some Paper Art. Instead of drawing, I used the cover art by artist Grace Zhu and did some precise cuts to make it 3D-looking in layers. Thank you, Toopling Tours and publisher for this arc copy.

Note: I cut the art. The artwork is by the artist responsible for the cover.

Genre: YA Romance

Publishing date: June 23, 2026

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Rep: Gay, LGBT+, Sapphic

Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, this dark, queer reimagining of the classic Wizard of Oz tale centers a slow-burn, sapphic enemies to lovers romance in an electrifying portal fantasy.

Falling into a world of magic and oppression, Kansas-born Thia joins three cursed companions in a quest to free them and send herself home.

Orphaned from a young age, Thia has spent her life trying to live up to her mother’s legacy as a doctor. She’s on track to become a promising medical student, yet she feels like she was meant for something else. The life she thought she knew comes crashing down one stormy Kansas day when Thia inadvertently uncovers clues that reveal her grandma has been lying to her: Her mother was never a doctor; she was a scholar of the supernatural, and all she left behind was a strange mirror that Thia’s grandma is convinced is dangerous.

Angry with her grandma for her deception, Thia leaves in a rage and accidentally falls through the mirror, killing a witch and crashing into a terrifying land ruled by the cruel and powerful Mage King.

Joined by a heartless girl, a cowardly academic, and a boy who cannot remember his past, Thia seeks out the Mage King, the only man powerful enough to send her home and grant her companions’ desires. In their quest, Thia discovers her mother was a part of the rebellion to overthrow the Mage King, and she must reckon with her mother’s real legacy. With each new truth revealed, it becomes harder to ignore the undeniable connection between Thia and the cursed, heartless girl, and even harder to decide where, in the end, Thia ultimately belongs.

Content Warning: Violence, blood and gore, death and grief (especially regarding a parent), displacement, medical treatment and procedures, animal harm, homophobia, and discussion of grooming and sexual assault (not on page)

Victoria Carbol is a writer of books and composer of cinematic pop and fantasy soundtracks. She also may or may not be an actual cave troll. When not actively loathing sunlight, she can be found creating fictional worlds full of monsters and magic and singing her icy heart out.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads