When the Islands Fall

In a world of floating islands, weigher Mariam Haddad discovers they're falling one by one, by weight, with the heaviest fated to crush the capital. Racing against a shrinking countdown, she teams with veteran ballast-worker Alma, island guide Ximeno, and skeptical official Horace to redirect each island's landing—only to uncover the capital has been secretly stripping ballast for profit, dooming smaller islands to save the rich. Sacrifice, betrayal, and a desperate ancient-ballast gambit follow, culminating in the biggest island's controlled crash into the sea.