Del Rey pre-empts 'breathtaking' fantasy duology from Laura E Weymouth

Del Rey has pre-empted The Castle and the Cloister, the adult fantasy debut from YA author Laura E Weymouth. 

Kate McHale, editorial director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Laura Crockett at Triada US in a two-book deal. The Castle and the Cloister, the first in the Daughters of Light duology, will be published in spring 2026 simultaneously with Saga Press in the US. The Starlight and the Flame will follow later. 

Pitched for readers of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy, The Castle and the Cloister follows three characters—a young mother, a pacifist queen and a priest—as they try to shape the fate of a continent. It is the start of "deeply compelling" political fantasy series. "The emotional and layered depth of [Weymouth’s] characters, the cultural and political complexity of the fantasy world so authentically portrayed—it is truly breathtaking," said Crockett. 

Weymouth commented: "The Castle and the Cloister and the Daughters of Light duology as a whole are by far my most personal works to date—they explore the emotional implications of motherhood, the postpartum experience and the complications of pacifism in ways I’ve never seen represented through fantasy before." 

McHale added: "From the opening pages, I was captivated by the depth and scope of Laura’s world. She is an immensely skilful storyteller who has woven a beautifully immersive story with characters of real complexity and themes which resonate long after the last page is turned."