{"id":218,"date":"2026-05-12T14:09:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/?post_type=product&p=218"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:19:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:19:41","slug":"beautiful-once-by-mia-dalia","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/product\/beautiful-once-by-mia-dalia\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful, Once by Mia Dalia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201cA story about cults and something that might include cosmic horror? YES, please! What follows is thrilling and unexpected, a fast but deep read that is all too prescient in today’s society.\u201d<\/em>\u2014<\/em><\/strong>David Simms, author of Dark Muse<\/em> and Pierce the Veil<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201cWhat a great story! Is it folk horror, a cult tale, religious, sci fi? Maybe all of those? Strong characters, excellent pacing, and a subversion of not one but two of my favorite subgenres. Highly recommend.\u201d<\/em>\u2014Kayleigh Dobbs, Happy Goat Horror<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201c<\/em>The characterization in this novel is so strong that it drives the narrative and makes everything work.\u201d<\/em>\u2014Michael J., Pop Culture Podium<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201cSo unique and with the right amount of unsettling elements. In my opinion, this is a sophisticated sci-fi horror that mesmerizes the reader at first, attacking them when they least expect it.\u201d<\/em>\u2014Chiara Cooper, aeatecla_the_bookrat<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605\u00a0\u201c<\/em>Are you ready for the apocalypse? If not, you\u2019d best be getting ready. Mia Dalia knows how the apocalypse will happen. She knows how it\u2019s going to go down. But this is not your typical apocalypse story. There is so much more. In a story of hopes and dreams\u2026 failures and inner turmoil, Dalia has a new version of how the world will end. It is nothing like anything I have read.\u201d<\/em>\u2014Tasha Schiedel, Undead Reader\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201cSo once again, I am here to tell you about how much I loved another Dalia book.\u00a0The undertones in this one with everything going on currently hit hard — honestly this might be up there with my favorites from Dalia, it tapped a horror that feels all too real and got under my skin.\u201d<\/em>\u2014Alexus Johnson, Purgatory Media<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u201cAre you ready for the apocalypse? If not, you\u2019d best be getting ready. Mia Dalia knows how the apocalypse will happen. She knows how it\u2019s going to go down. But this is not your typical apocalypse story. There is so much more.\u201d<\/em> \u2014Ginger Nuts of Horror<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A dark dystopian survival thriller set on a secluded island paradise.<\/p>\n

From\u00a0acclaimed\u00a0author Mia Dalia comes a propulsive, character-driven horror novel that\u2019s a chilling blend of high-tech utopia, isolation, and catastrophic consequences.<\/p>\n

When a controversial tech billionaire retreats from society, he constructs a private island designed to be the ultimate controlled experiment: a hand-selected population, sustainable systems, and a flawless model for humanity\u2019s future. A paradise engineered to perfection.<\/p>\n

But perfection breeds boredom.<\/p>\n

Seeking recognition\u2014and perhaps validation\u2014he sends a message into the cosmos, broadcasting The Island\u2019s triumph to the universe.\u00a0All hell breaks loose when something replies.<\/p>\n

Within hours, the community fractures. Neighbors turn on neighbors. A savage, insatiable hunger spreads. Civilization unravels.<\/p>\n

Told through three gripping perspectives\u2014the billionaire\u2019s loyal assistant, an island mechanic, and a visiting investigative reporter\u2014Beautiful, Once\u00a0explores survival, psychological collapse, unchecked ambition, and the terrifying consequences of playing god.<\/p>\n

Set in a near-future island enclave, this intense dystopian horror novel will appeal to fans of isolated community thrillers, outbreak fiction, and cinematically propulsive,\u00a0speculative survival stories in the vein of\u00a0The Island<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Crazies<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When paradise falls, who gets to live?<\/p>\n

To purchase the e-Book edition (of this or man of our other releases) visit our main .com website<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[20],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-218","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-paperbacks","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"featured","11":"shipping-taxable","12":"purchasable","13":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=218"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=218"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crystallakepub.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}