April 2025 Camp NovMo: All that Glitters / EDITING MADNESSSS

“That’s enough!” Sergius snapped, standing up and stepping in between Cyrus and the girls. He turned to Cyrus, his face stern. “Leave the handmaid alone!”

Cyrus scowled and crossed his arms. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of ever bothering the handmaid again.”

Solea grew red. “You don’t mean that.”

Cyrus glared at her. “I’ve told you before. I have no patience for tyrants or those who enable them. If you wish to abandon reason and support your sister’s murderous path, I cannot stop you. But I will never support you, if that is the path you choose.”

Solea is the handmaid of the Lady reborn, though she would rather not be. Still, what else can she do? Defy her powerful Swan family and refuse to serve the very person prophesied to defeat the Conquerors and bring peace to the world? Even if that person is her domineering stepsister, Alainna. Unwilling to fight her family, Solea resigns herself to a life of servitude.

Until Cyrus arrives.

A young, charismatic language teacher, handpicked by her family to help the sisters master the prophecy’s language, Solea is initially suspicious of him. After all, the more trustworthy members of her family seem to hint that Cyrus might be a Conqueror. Yet, instead of focusing solely on the demands of the prophecy, Cyrus introduces himself by promising to help them find their voice, a sentiment that captivates Solea immediately.

Under Cyrus’s influence, the sisters form a tenuous alliance to face the prophecy Alainna must fulfill as the Lady reborn. But as they uncover the prophecy’s secrets, they discover the Conquerors may not be as evil as they once thought. Worse, the prophecy demands the death of a Conqueror — someone potentially innocent, condemned solely by their bloodline — an act Solea finds unconscionable. Yet, without that sacrifice, Alainna will die.

Desperate to survive, Alainna demands Solea’s total obedience to help her fulfill the prophecy, even if it means resorting to murder. Meanwhile, Cyrus, horrified by Alainna’s cold resolve, offers Solea a chance to escape and forge a new life with him in exile, away from the cruel demands of the prophecy. A path that risks killing Alainna and tearing her family apart. Torn between Alainna’s desperation and Cyrus’s promise of freedom, Solea must decide where her loyalties lie — and what she’s willing to sacrifice.

In other news, it's apparently the length of The Cruel Prince, which is totally a comp, so I am slightly excited!

Also, I've been looking more into word counts and fantasy tends to be a littttttle more forgiving for books that are set in a different setting compared to your generic medieval fantasy setting with a unique mythology. So, since my world is not medieval (it's kind of based on the Victorian age, so there's more of an industrialized setting) and there is a unique mythology involved, THERE IS HOPE FOR ME.

MAYBE. XD

I am still afraid about the ending. Like, the writing is sooooo good. And then you get to the ending and it's just... a lot.

Which I previously ignored because I would say, "WELL. THAT'S JUST THE END OF THE STORY."

But like. When I had my family read it, while they were absorbed, they were definitely anxious throughout it all. And then, when they got to the end, they immediately wanted the next book, just because they were like, "You cannot end it like this without letting us read the next part."

Which kind of signifies to me:

1) The ending is final, but not conclusive, and it leaves more questions than answers.
2) It is an anxiety attack.

Also, when I was writing the query and then reading over the ending... it's kind of passive for Solea? Which I don't like. She has her moments of doubt and hesitation, and it's completely understandable that she hesitates at the end because she is overwhelmed and that's what she does when she is overwhelmed. But she is also strong and, once she finds her voice, she can be bold and decisive.

Like, for example, when she initially meets Sergius, she is scared because he is antagonistic toward her. But she stands up to Sergius several times during the book!

Also, she has a rocky relationship with Alainna... really all throughout the story, haha. They sometimes make up and there's peace, but also they clash so much and Solea, while she occasionally hesitates and is overwhelmed, she also stands up to Alainna multiple times!

So when the climax comes and Solea is hit with the greatest challenge that she's ever faced, I think it's understandable that she is overwhelmed at first and hesitates, because that's completely in character for her! BUT ALSO. I want her to rise up to challenge with courage and really just... really transform into a better character. And so yeah, the ending will still remain the ending in what happens (so I'm not changing that), but when it happens, I also want you to be cheering for Solea because of her strength and grace.

So... yeah!