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The Scarlet Ball
- Author
- Nghi Vo
- Narrator
- Natalie Naudus
- Publisher
- Cornerstone
- Publish Date
- 6 October 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 21 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Enter a dark and magical world of ballrooms and bloodshed in the gripping new Gilded Age fantasy from the multi-award winning author of The City in Glass, perfect for fans of M L Wang's Blood Over Bright Haven and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Judith Ban – convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief – is looking for her next identity. She’s no stranger to wealth or danger, but the glitter of New York’s Gilded Age hides a darkness even she has never imagined. Here, the city’s elite maintain their grip through opulent balls, whispered rituals, and marriages with demons hungry for human devotion.
When she crosses paths with the formidable matriarch of the Howard family, Judith is offered an irresistible bargain: to take the place of a missing debutante in the coming season. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith becomes white, rich, and ready to risk it all. If she can hold onto her charm, her wits, and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power.
But in a world ruled by appetite and ambition, the most dangerous hunger of all might be her own.
‘Filled with demons and witchcraft, scheming and seduction... It's nothing short of wonderful.'
J.M. Miro, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ordinary Monsters
'Clever, vicious, and gorgeous'
Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of Innamorata
© Nghi Vo 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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Filled with demons and witchcraft, scheming and seduction, Nghi Vo's The Scarlet Ball is a dark, opulent descent into a Gilded Age that never was. This is a novel of immense power and imaginative force. It's nothing short of wonderful.
J.M. Miro, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ordinary Monsters
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Blending the realism and wit of Edith Wharton with the indulgence and romance of fantasy, Vo has created something wholly unique and wildly genius. Clever, vicious, and gorgeous – my favorite of hers yet.
Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of Innamorata and A Study In Drowning
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A faced-paced work of glittering, bloody imagination, delivered in scathing and luxurious prose. It pulled me in, held me captive, then spat me out changed and triumphant. Utterly fantastic.
Freya Marske, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Marvellous Light
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So utterly original, so spellbinding, so effortlessly plotted and so gorgeously written, it's hard to believe a mere mortal could write it, and yet she did, and I stand in awe of it and her.
Johanna Van Veen, USA Today bestselling author of Blood on Her Tongue
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My favorite read of the year so far. What a vicious, ambitious, HUNGRY book. I want to immediately read it again.
Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author of Neon Gods
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A whirlwind of a story, a tempest of imagination and full of the most dangerous magic, The Scarlet Ball is as breathtaking as it is entertaining. For wicked dreamers everywhere.
Alma Katsu, author of Incarnate
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Glittering, grotesque, and sharply seductive... a dark jewel of a novel: part Gothic fairy tale, part nightmare of manners, and entirely its own.
Shana Abé, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor and A Crown of Stars
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Nghi Vo
- Narrator
- Natalie Naudus
- Duration
- 11 hours 21 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 October 2026
- ISBN
- 9781804963296
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Cornerstone
- Genre
- Dark fantasy, Historical fantasy, Occult fiction / Paranormal Horror, Social classes
Synopsis
Enter a dark and magical world of ballrooms and bloodshed in the gripping new Gilded Age fantasy from the multi-award winning author of The City in Glass, perfect for fans of M L Wang's Blood Over Bright Haven and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.Judith Ban – convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief – is looking for her next identity. She’s no stranger to wealth or danger, but the glitter of New York’s Gilded Age hides a darkness even she has never imagined. Here, the city’s elite maintain their grip through opulent balls, whispered rituals, and marriages with demons hungry for human devotion.When she crosses paths with the formidable matriarch of the Howard family, Judith is offered an irresistible bargain: to take the place of a missing debutante in the coming season. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith becomes white, rich, and ready to risk it all. If she can hold onto her charm, her wits, and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power.But in a world ruled by appetite and ambition, the most dangerous hunger of all might be her own.‘Filled with demons and witchcraft, scheming and seduction... It's nothing short of wonderful.'J.M. Miro, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ordinary Monsters'Clever, vicious, and gorgeous'Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of Innamorata© Nghi Vo 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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