Core by Ariel Sullivan: Release Date and Everything We Know About the Conform Sequel

Core by Ariel Sullivan releases on February 23, 2027, in the United States. The upcoming novel returns to Emeline’s storyline after Conform, bringing readers back to a world where romantic attachment, political power and personal freedom are dangerously entangled.

There is also an important reading-order distinction: Beneath, published between the two books, explores an earlier period in the same fictional universe. Core takes readers forward with Emeline again.

Here is what has been confirmed about the release, story, available editions and where the novel fits.

When does Core by Ariel Sullivan come out?

Core is scheduled for February 23, 2027, in the U.S., where Ballantine Books is publishing it. The hardcover, ebook, large-print edition and downloadable audiobook are currently listed for that date.

UK readers have a slightly different date: February 25, 2027, according to Pan Macmillan’s Tor Bramble listing.

Publication schedules can change, so check the edition sold in your country when ordering.

What is Core about?

Spoiler warning: The following section discusses the official sequel synopsis, which reveals developments following Conform.

Emeline begins Core facing the collapse of the rebellion. Hal is a prisoner, and the Illum’s leader has connected his fate to hers through a dangerous contest. Meanwhile, Emeline faces the procreation contract binding her to Collin.

She begins assembling allies while uncovering secrets about the resistance and the forces working against the Illum. The official description makes clear that the rebellion’s apparent defeat has not ended the struggle.

Sullivan’s official Core page confirms that Emeline, Collin and Hal remain central to this next chapter.

The premise raises a more interesting question than simply which romantic relationship will prevail: how can Emeline make a free choice when the people controlling her world also control the consequences?

That is the aspect of Core that interests me most. A love triangle becomes more compelling when affection and coercion are difficult to separate. The sequel has an opportunity to examine whether loyalty means the same thing when someone is choosing under threat. That is an interpretation of the setup, rather than a claim about the unpublished novel’s execution.

How does Core connect to Conform?

Conform introduces twenty-seven-year-old Emeline, an isolated woman whose work involves sorting old art for destruction. Her society exists centuries after a devastating war, under the authority of the technologically advanced Illum.

Her life changes when Collin chooses her as his Mate. The Courting draws her into a privileged but dangerous environment, while her growing connection with resistance leader Hal complicates everything she thinks she understands about her future.

Those foundations explain why Core is best approached after Conform. Readers need the first novel’s relationships and political context to understand the stakes of Emeline’s return.

The premise and original October 14, 2025, publication date are documented on Sullivan’s Conform page.

Where does Beneath fit in the reading order?

Beneath was published in the U.S. on March 24, 2026. It takes place hundreds of years before Emeline’s story and follows Sasha Cadell, who lives in an underground settlement after nuclear devastation.

Commander Tristian Hayes recruits Sasha for a mission to the surface, opening another perspective on the history behind this world. Penguin Random House explicitly describes the books as an interconnected story spanning centuries.

For a first read, I recommend publication order:

1. Conform — the introduction to Emeline’s world.
2. Beneath — the earlier historical storyline.
3. Core — the return to Emeline.

This is a practical recommendation, rather than a claim that the author requires this sequence. It preserves the order in which the published books introduce the setting and then expand its history.

Chronologically, Beneath comes first. However, chronological order and publication order serve different purposes: one follows the fictional timeline, while the other follows how readers originally encountered the revelations.

See the publisher’s Beneath description for its confirmed historical connection.

Is Core Conform Book 2 or Book 3?

The clearest description is the sequel to Conform and the third novel published in the interconnected world, after Beneath.

That wording explains both the continuation of Emeline’s story and the intervening prequel. Readers searching for “Conform Book 2” are often looking for the next stage of Emeline’s narrative, while broader series listings can count Beneath as well.

The useful distinction is the storyline: Core returns to Emeline; Beneath follows Sasha centuries earlier.

Will there be a special edition?

The U.S. publisher advertises a first-edition hardcover with sprayed edges, illustrated endpapers and a deluxe foil jacket, available while supplies last.

Collectors should check the specific product description before buying. The advertised first-edition treatment should not be assumed to apply to every later printing or international edition.

The current standard hardcover listing is 656 pages. Page counts can vary by format, especially for large print.

The official synopsis establishes the opening conflict, but it does not resolve Emeline’s romantic future, reveal every hidden allegiance or explain how the resistance’s secrets connect.

Those questions are part of the appeal of the release. Until the novel is available, theories about its ending should remain clearly labeled as speculation.

For now, readers can prepare by revisiting Conform and considering how Beneath changes their understanding of the society Emeline is trying to challenge.

Will you reread Conform before Core arrives, or read Beneath first? Let us know in the comments.

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