Black as Diamond
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Product Details
Publisher: Bindery Books x Ezeekat Press
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Formats: Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: PB: 978-1-967967-00-1; EB: 978-1-967967-01-8
Trim: 5.5 x 8.25
Page Count: 496
U. M. Agoawike
A cursed warrior. A reckless healer. A chance to save the world―or condemn it.
Like the rest of the winged eresh keyel, warrior Asaru has spent his life fighting the remnants of a long-dead enemy. When his brother’s squadron disappears from a border keep, Asaru travels into the human realm to investigate, only to become ensnared by a fatal—and unbreakable—curse that could wipe out his people.
When he inadvertently commits a terrible crime, Asaru is thrown into the path of Wren, an emotionally tortured former healer playing with dangerous magic. Bound to one another by a spell gone wrong, and on the run from freelance killers, they set out to find the Chronicler, keeper of the eresh keyel’s history who could bring them answers, redemption, and the cure to Asaru’s curse. But the truths they uncover about the past have the power to break the world into pieces, ending human civilization and settling its remnants into something entirely new.
From Nigerian Canadian author U. M. Agoawike, Black as Diamond is a fresh, dark, and thrilling debut that untangles questions of queer identity, history, and power, illuminating a society crushed by the lingering actions of a few.
About the Author
U. M. Agoawike is a Nigerian Canadian author from Calgary with a BFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. The spark for their love of reading―and eventually writing―was born in their first-grade class, where they preferred devouring their teacher’s corner bookshelves over the mortifying ordeal of being known. When not conjuring speculative new worlds, they dubiously enjoy stressing over lines of code and geeking out over fictional characters with their best friend.
About the Tastemaker
Jaysen Headley is a content creator on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube known as Ezeekat, who celebrates and curates diverse voices in books, games, and other media. Jaysen is listed in the top five BookTok influencers in the world, with over 760K followers on TikTok, over 320K on Instagram, and over 70K on YouTube, as well as over 13K members in the Ezeekat Book Club. He reads and enjoys a wide range of stories but focuses on fantasy and contemporary middle-grade to adult fiction, with a preference for queer storylines.
Reviews
“Black as Diamond is haunting and ethereal, balanced with the warmth of found family. This is a cast of characters you are bound to fall in love with as they fumble their way toward one another, seeking connection in a world that is falling apart.” —Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Shard Daughter
“U. M. Agoawike combines truly epic world building and breathtaking action to create a wholly original, harrowing dark fantasy. Black as Diamond is a gut punch of a debut novel.” —Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief
“With vivid prose, bone-rattling action, and a queer romance as tender as it is thunderous, Black as Diamond is a dark fantasy gem from the glittering heart of the genre.” —Sophia Slade, author of Nightstrider
“This is the sort of fantasy I love. Layered, detailed world building, lush prose, lovable but flawed found family, and a central magical mystery tying it all together. Black as Diamond is a triumph!” —M. H. Ayinde, author of A Song of Legends Lost
“A wickedly original epic fantasy bound by the familiar threads of friendship, family, and fate. Agoawike's masterful worldbuilding is in rare balance with characters who shine bright within a world where nobody quite fits, and nothing is as it seems. Dark but boldly hopeful, Black as Diamond is fantasy at its most brilliant!” —Fiona Fenn, author of The Crack at the Heart of Everything
“Cast against a dark, lush world of intricate magic and dynamic characters, Black as Diamond is a fantasy of epic proportions.” —C. S. Pacat, author of the Captive Prince Trilogy