For the first printing only! This hardcover features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.

When a pit fighter needs cash for urgent, life-saving medicine, she reluctantly agrees to spy for the resistance—even as the governor’s son watches her every move—in this fast-paced young adult dystopian romance that’s Silver Elite meets Coldwire.

Proxima “Xi” Gaines was able to survive a deadly outbreak when antibiotics failed thanks to her genetically engineered immune system. Now she scrapes together a living for herself and her twin brother, Ry, as an underground fighter beneath Old Boston’s contaminated, crime-ridden streets. The healthy residents of New Boston pay big bucks to watch rival gangs fight, and notorious mobster Mama sees potential—and profit—in Xi.

Until Xi’s immune system turns against her.

Suddenly her fighting days are numbered. She’ll do anything to afford the pricey pills needed to save her life, so when the Revolutionaries approach her with an opportunity that might just change everything, she seizes it. Xi will have to fight in New Boston’s Centennial Celebrations as a front to spy on the Governor General—a task made all the more difficult with the governor’s roguish son, Logan, watching her every move, convinced Xi is up to no good.

If she succeeds, the Revolutionaries will give Xi and her brother a new life, one that includes access to medical care she desperately needs. Fail, and she’s as good as dead.

If she wants to survive, Xi will have to hide her symptoms—and her growing feelings for Logan—long enough to uncover the plot that could forever alter both Bostons…and her future.

About The Author

Photograph (c) Vail Fucci

Crystal Seitz

Crystal Seitz is the author of 89 Seconds to Midnight, Beast Becomes Her, and Inheritance of Scars. After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, she set out to write the representation she needed: fantasy and dystopian stories starring disabled heroines. She lives in Boston, where she spends most of her time designing websites, crafting stories, or consuming too much coffee. Visit her online at CrystalSeitz.com or on social media @CrystalsWriting.

Product Details

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (March 9, 2027)
Length: 384 pages
ISBN13: 9781665979627
Ages: 14 - 99

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Raves and Reviews

“Ambitious and addictive from the very first page. Whether she's navigating deadly fights, family, chronic illness, or romantic trysts, Proxima is a compelling protagonist, impossible to look away from. Fast-paced and emotionally resonant, 89 Seconds To Midnight is YA dystopian at its finest.”

– Tanvi Berwah, author of Monsters Born and Made and Somewhere in the Deep

“Vivid and dazzlingly creative, 89 Seconds to Midnight is an explosive, high-octane ride through a crumbling world filled with illegal pit fights and mesmerising tech. Seitz is a thrilling new voice in YA dystopian romance!”

– Kate Dylan, internationally bestselling author of Mindwalker

"Cyberpunk is so back! Crystal Seitz's adrenaline-fueled storytelling and battle-tested heroine will have readers clamoring for more!"

– Emily Lloyd-Jones, author of Augusta Pine Does Not Exist

"I stayed up well past midnight reading this gritty Tale of Two Bostons where an immunocompromised teen fighter battles not for wealth but her health. Jam-packed with sizzling romance and high-stakes action, 89 Seconds to Midnight is sure to be a knockout win for dystopian fans everywhere!"

– Rebecca Danzenbaker, author of Soulmatch and Predestined

"Seitz was destined to write science fiction. In a dystopian Boston glowing with neon, her main character is a true fighter, willing to do what she must to defeat both her opponents and an unjust system. Jam-packed with action, rebellion, and romantic tension, 89 Seconds to Midnights will have readers counting down the minutes until they can read it again and again."

– Elle Tesch, author of The Hanging Bones