Nightshade (The Castra Project)

North America has fractured. Survival depends on trade—even if it’s human.

Nineteen-year-old Brie never expected to become part of the bargain.

Sent to the secretive nation of Castra in exchange for desperately needed supplies, she’s stripped of her identity and marked as property—a test subject in a classified project where young women are used for experiments, and few—if any—escape alive.

As the trials grow more dangerous, Brie finds herself singled out by a ruthless lieutenant who seems determined to break her. Every encounter pushes her closer to the edge, but surrender isn’t an option.

With only a handful of friends she dares to trust, Brie must uncover the truth behind the Castra Project before it destroys them all. In a nation built on secrets, betrayal is everywhere, survival is never guaranteed, and saving one life may mean sacrificing another.

Some experiments were never meant to succeed.

Some prisoners were never meant to survive.

Nightshade is the gripping first novel in The Castra Project, a haunting dystopian series about friendship, resilience, and the cost of staying human when the world no longer sees you as one.

Content warning: violence, abuse and sexual assault.