Answering Your Alchemight FAQs and Introducing Project Demons
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HELLO to all 600 of you! Over 200 new bookish friends subscribed to Wrathos Books this week, and I’m coming to you with a post epically STUFFED with all things Wrathos, my epic dark fantasy multiverse of feminine rage. With both For Blood and Flame and Project Demons to discuss, it’s that time of the week to settle in and catch up with me! So, set all the vibes and let’s dive into The Weekly Wrath.
Progress Update on the Sequel to a Realm Starved of Magic (Spoiler-Free)
If you missed last week’s post, then I highly recommend giving it a read to be fully up-to-date on the upcoming sequel to For Mist and Tar (and book five in my multiverse: see reading order) — For Blood and Flame.
We are getting very close to a finalized For Blood and Flame. While it’s with my critique partner, I’ve spent a lot of time making notes on the areas of the novel that still need a little bit of work. The good news is none of my notes are on issues that will take extensive time to fix. I am projecting getting this book in the hands of early reviewers by February 2024.
Thanks to the viral content warning and dedication to For Blood and Flame (FBAF) on BookTok, I have a ton of you checking out For Mist and Tar (FMAT) for the very first time. I’ve gotten a lot of questions this past week, so I want to answer the few I can here.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Alchemight Duology
Which book is the content warning for? This is the biggest question I’ve gotten which surprises me because the book title is in the content warning itself, but the said warning is specifically for FBAF, book 5 in Wrathos.
Is For Mist and Tar as dark as For Blood and Flame? Short answer: no. FMAT is like a sparkly butterfly next to FBAF. The chaos that ensues in the final chapters of FMAT will be full blown in FBAF. Plus, with it being book five, several pieces of multiverse lore introduced in Wars of Fate (Book 4) will be carried over to continue “darkening” the tone. I’m going to keep this area spoiler-free, but if you’re looking for a longer, spoiler-y answer, please check out last week’s post!
Is the Alchemight Duology a romantasy? On the publishing side of things, both books are considered grimdark epic romantic fantasies. Being a romantic fantasy means they both have romances that are instrumental but could theoretically be taken out of the books and the story could still stand on its own. Meanwhile, Fantasy Romance or Romantasy is romance first, fantasy second, when the book can’t stand on its own without the romance. So no, the Alchemight Duology is not romance-centric. That’s not to say it doesn’t have romance (it definitely does and book two even has a pinch of spice), but the romance isn’t the takeaway of the books. I hope that helps clear up the confusion!
Do I need to read the Fates of Mirror trilogy before FBAF? It’s recommended. There is particular lore introduced in the third Mirror book (Wars of Fate) that will be helpful to know going into FBAF. On top of that, there will be a special cameo from the Fates of Mirror trilogy.
What kind of feminine rage can be expected in FMAT? First, I have an entire deep dive of Vellene’s character and her rage if you’re interested. FMAT is the very first book. A lot of the multiverse lore isn’t even mentioned as we’re just getting started. Vellene was trapped in an abusive relationship most of her life. More importantly, she’s young and a bit naïve at only 17. FMAT has always been a slow, emotional read, and a lot of that is steeped in the way Vellene is written. It takes time for her character to flourish, to learn that having a voice is more important than remaining obedient to the men in her life. In FMAT, Soffesa describes Vellene as a “third of a person”, and it’s the most accurate description. Even by the end of the book, Vellene’s rage is only at its lowest level. That changes in the sequel, FBAF. With FBAF being the 5th book in my multiverse, it starts to integrate more of the larger, overarching lore that pertains to feminine rage/Wrathos, but it will be a few more books before the whole picture is painted. If you’ve read my about page or seen my marketing, you know Wrathos is based on the wrath of four suppressed goddesses. Those goddesses won’t be introduced for some time, but the echoes of their wrath can be found in all of my books!
Project Demons: The Realm of Never and the Queen of Time
If you’re a Wrathos original subscriber, then you know of Heart Eater, a book I released in January 2023. After a series of several aesthetically-pleasing Pinterest boards, enough coffee to run a thousand marathons at top speed, and finalizing For Blood and Flame, I realized there was so much more I wanted to do with that story. Thus, Heart Eater is unpublished (if you got a copy, congrats — you have the first edition) and now being referred to as Project Demons until further notice.
Here’s a breakdown about the book to get you acquainted if you never got your hands on Heart Eater:
The new version will be a standalone book set in the realm of Never.
The story was originally in first person, but the revision/expansion will include multi-POV. I am now writing it in the same tense as For Mist and Tar: third person, active present tense.
The realm of Never is loosely inspired by Dante’s Inferno and the 8 circles of Hell. Alchemight has chemi, Mirror has fates, and Never has demons.
Our female main character is the Queen of Time, Dareena Mave Nor Mantigith (Maven Dare). Bound to a curse prophesied to end the realm, her situation is…tricky, to say the least.
There are two other main characters: the Princes of Bloodthirst and Souls, Avior and Daine Otrix.
The main story revolves around the said prophecy. “When the heart eater awakens, the rift to Carnate will open…” If our FMC gets her talons on a heart, then all hell (pun-intended) will break loose, setting into motion a series of fight-to-the-death, mindf*ck trials with monsters and absolute mayhem.
It’s a blood magic system with a unique twist on vampiric tendencies.
It will have a tragic romance.
If you read Heart Eater in January, then I do want you to know its being completely rewritten. Several of the major events will remain the same, but I promise there will be so many new twists and turns that you’ll want to read this expanded version. PLUS, this expansion will include the events originally plotted for Heart Eater’s sequels. So, it will be like getting the entire trilogy all at once in a much prettier, much better version.
It’s getting a new title! Now, some of you noticed my little hiccup where I (*face palm*) accidentally put the new title in the reading order guide. If you saw it, then I guess the secret is out to a select few (let’s form a club). If you didn’t…Title reveal coming soon…
Along with a new title, Project Demons will have an updated cover, interior pages, and I’m hoping to work more with my artist on releasing a beautifully illustrated hardcover, too!
Just to tease you a bit more, I have some writing samples from Project Demons to share. If you follow me on Instagram (you can find my social links at the bottom of this post), then you may have seen a couple of these!
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The genre will be grimdark epic fantasy with a pinch of horror (due to the monsters element)
Said monsters element? The original version included Severil, a massive snake that ate the characters to get them places; Ornus and The Gormoths, a league of cloaked warriors that haunt The Blood Woods; and The Mirror of Carnate, a mirror that showed characters their truths, no matter how terrible. I’m happy to say all of these monsters are STAYING in the revision. I also have many more I will be including, and I can’t wait to share their development in future posts.
I am currently only three chapters in to Project Demons, but I can say it’s going to include both Zora (Mirror) and Vellene (Alchemight). They are instrumental to the story, which means Project Demons will not release until after For Blood and Flame.
I can’t say much without spoilers, but let’s just say there’s something that occurs in For Blood and Flame that will make Project Demons very, VERY intriguing. I will give you only one hint:
Multiverse Connection Hint: Daine Otrix.
If you figured it out now or in January, YESSSSS, QUEEN. If you’re still not sure, don’t you worry. It’s going to become very clear in For Blood and Flame.
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