Eventide Owl

Eventide Owl

'A contemporary coming-of-age gothic fantasy with an original identity-based magic system'

Who are you when every Gothic story ever told turns out to be real?

Lily is an ordinary first year university student with an extraordinary fascination for the strange, the obscure, and the Gothic. As Lily struggles to define herself while everyone else seems to know exactly who they are, a mysterious living tattoo known as an Umbral Mark suddenly appears across her skin. She soon discovers that the symbols etched into it are far more than beautiful artwork...

... They are the key to a hidden world existing just beyond our own.

The Gothic Veil is a hidden realm where spirits walk beside humanity, forgotten gods still whisper through moonlight, and the monsters, myths, legends, and literary icons that shaped the Gothic were never just stories at all! Guided by the enigmatic and rebellious spirit known as the Eventide Owl, Lily is drawn into a world of impossible beauty and lurking danger, where every encounter reveals another piece of who she is-and where powerful beings would rather claim her than allow her to discover herself and uncover what her Umbral Mark truly means.

As ancient monsters stir, ghosts stalk forgotten places, immortal Counts extend seductive invitations, scholars pursue dangerous truths, and mysterious guardians offer sanctuary, Lily must unravel the meaning of her Umbral Mark: a living magic unlike any other, where power is not earned through strength alone, but through understanding the person she is becoming.

Blending contemporary fantasy with Gothic mythology, folklore, public-domain literary icons, and an original identity-based magic system, Eventide Owl is a coming-of-age adventure that reimagines the Gothic not simply as darkness, but as beauty, belonging, wonder, and the courage to embrace what makes us different.

Perfect for readers who enjoy atmospheric fantasy, hidden worlds, philosophical coming-of-age stories, memorable characters, and fresh reimaginings of classic Gothic literature. Eventide Owl is an invitation to look beyond the shadows... and discover why they were beautiful all along, as these shadows bring to light that the most extraordinary magic is understanding who we are.