Flickerstate

Review Quotes:
"Fans of Ava Reid's A Study in Drowning or Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education will find much to love... Davidson's debut dark academia fantasy delivers a compelling mix of high-stakes competition, mystery, and emotional depth in a satisfying standalone." -- School Library Journal

Review Quotes:
"Davidson presents a unique and enthralling spin on magical school fantasy in her fresh debut... It's a top-notch blend of thrilling action, atmospheric worldbuilding, and keenly wrought prose that champions community and its ability to offer life-changing support." -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

Review Quotes:
" Singular... Full of originality, this high-stakes fantasy with complex characters is a memorable read." -- Kirkus, STARRED review

Publisher Marketing:

A Study In Drowning meets Neverworld Wake in this debut YA fantasy filled with lush world-building, heart stopping romance, and high-stakes competition that could be the key to everything.

Norah Sullivan has just discovered she's a navigator: a person who can manipulate probability. The same day Norah's navigation manifests, she and her father are swarmed by flickerbeasts. When a flickerbeast bites you, your risk of death skyrockets. And pretty soon, her father gets sick.

Desperate to find a cure, Norah applies to the Academy of Navigation, where there are rumors of restricted information on beast bites hidden in research archives. Once on campus, Norah learns that only senior research assistants are allowed in the archives--and you can only become one by winning a team trial designed to push your navigation abilities to the brink.

She'll need to rely on her roommates, as well as her peer mentor, the handsome Vik Souza, to win the competition. But trouble arises at every turn. There are tensions in the group, romantic complications, and unexplained student disappearances. As Norah gets deeper into the competition, she realizes not everything is as it seems, and the stakes are much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Review Citations:

• Publishers Weekly 05/04/2026 (EAN 9781464266195, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
• School Library Journal 05/15/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9781464266195, Hardcover)
• Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781464266195, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Contributor Bio:Davidson, F A

F.A. Davidson is a freelance writer based in North Carolina. She holds a B.A. in English from Yale University, where she studied creative writing. She was a 2022 Tin House YA scholar.