Julia Laurel
Julia Laurel
Julia Laurel (she/her) is a writer, graphic designer and illustrator based in Washington State. She writes speculative fiction that explores strange places, queer romances, and trauma-informed horror, always with a bit of humor. When she's not glued to three computer monitors, she's on a hiking trail with her dog and husband, or playing tourist on a road trip. You can summon her spirit with offerings of geeky enamel pins or cool rocks.
Website: julialaurel.com
Bluesky: @julialaurel
Instagram: @julia__laurel
An Embodiment of Souls
Union Square & Co.
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians meets Mortal Follies in a Handmaid's Tale society, Julia Laurel's adult fantasy debut An Embodiment of Souls follows a young woman from a culture of fundamentalist necromancers, who agrees to a marriage of convenience to magically inhabit her husband's body and save her father from a corrupt political conspiracy, is thrust headlong into a rebellion for bodily autonomy.
As the daughter of a foreign ambassador, Rissa Lanodar hoped living abroad would protect her from home’s puritanical customs. Memric women like Rissa are forbidden to walk at night or use magic, and while she pushes her curfew and practices impure charms, she dreads an inevitable marriage that will channel her strength into supporting a necromancer husband’s dual identity.
By tradition, Memric men inhabit two bodies. But Alek, the young prince of the Memric Isle, hasn’t yet taken his Second through necromancy, a process that splits his mind between an original form and a corpse stripped of its soul. Fearing he’ll be accused of sin and snatched up as a Second himself, Alek lives piously while studying abroad, even though he’s distracted by magic—and his attractive roommate.
But when Alek agrees to escort Rissa home as night falls, his strict life is thrown into chaos. Rissa’s dad has been abducted by Memric conspirators, and Alek is targeted as a witness. He narrowly escapes with his life, but to keep his soul tethered to his body, he needs the support of a Memric woman—and the magical bond of marriage.
Rissa marries Alek, giving up her freedom to keep him alive. But her dad is still missing, and authorities are ignoring the necromantic clue on Alek’s body that will lead to his attacker and Rissa’s dad. Alek is too weak to help, so Rissa cuts a deal: In exchange for supporting him, she can take control of his body at night. Their arrangement is a sin punishable by death. But Rissa must risk their secret if she wants to chase the clue through the city—and toward an enemy hungry to possess them both.
Publication is scheduled for November 2026.
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