A lost civilization. A powerful curse. A race against time to rescue Atlantis.

Aria in the middle-grade book The Cursed Empress
Aria & Liam and The Cursed Empress book cover

Thirteen-year-old best friends Aria and Liam are no strangers to time travel. But when a mysterious cave swallows them during their sailing competition in Sommetville and transports them to the legendary island of Atlantis, they soon realize this adventure might be their most dangerous yet.

Their arrival comes with a mission they never asked for: the Crystal of Light, Poseidon’s sacred symbol of the island’s power, is fading and plunging Atlantis into chaos. As tragedy strikes and panic spreads, every Atlantean is in peril. Now Aria and Liam must find the source of the curse before Plato’s ancient warnings come true.

But with friendly faces becoming suspicious eyes, their greatest danger might come from the Atlanteans themselves. Can they break the curse in time, or will they vanish alongside Atlantis forever?

Blending fast-paced action with history, this book is perfect for readers aged 8 to 12 who love adventures, friendship, humor, and mystery.

Aria and Liam in Atlantis
Aria and Liam in their adventure in Atlantis.
Aria and Liam with their friends during their adventure in Atlantis.
Aria and Liam with their friends during their adventure in Atlantis from the book The Cursed Empress.
Aria and Liam during their adventure in Atlantis from the book The Cursed Empress.
Liam doing in the adventure The Cursed Empress
Aria and Liam during their adventure in Atlantis from the book The Cursed Empress.

Book Details

Author: Coline Monsarrat

Publisher: Apicem Publishing

Series: Aria & Liam

Age range: 8 to 12 years old

Genre: middle-grade, adventure, fantasy

Time-period: Legendary city (3,000 BCE)

ISBN: 978-1-959814-24-5

Format: paperback and e-book

Aria and Liam and The Cursed Empress book cover
Liam profile picture from the middle-grade book series "Aria & Liam"
Aria profile picture from the middle-grade book series "Aria & Liam"

❝ Thanks to this adventure, I realized that some people can become scared when you’re not exactly like them. At first, they treated us a bit coldly because we were so different, and they couldn’t really understand us, which made them feel suspicious. But guess what? We showed them what we’re made of, and they finally understood our differences weren’t scary at all. And then, boom! They were all friendly and nice again. It’s just that people need time to understand each other.❞

❝The most important thing I learned from this adventure is to never lose faith in ourselves! There was a moment when I was about to give up, but thanks to Liam’s incredibly motivating speech (seriously, it was amazing!), I found the strength to continue. I had almost lost confidence in our ability to succeed, which definitely would have led to failure. But, hey, we believed in ourselves, and that made all the difference!❞

More Books in the series

Coline Monsarrat showing Aria and Liam drawing

Coline Monsarrat grew up believing books were gateways to magical realms where anything was possible. Her love of history and boundless curiosity shaped her belief that life is an adventure waiting to be written.

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