A Spark in the Cinders

This fantasy retells a familiar fairy-tale world after the young woman once known as a peasant has married the prince and become queen. Her stepsister Aralyn, previously cast as a wicked supporting figure, begins a quest of her own. Meanwhile, Novador faces deepening hardship: drought has damaged the land, famine has spread, and disease adds to the kingdom’s troubles. Against this threatened backdrop, Aralyn’s story shifts from the margins toward her own role as a heroine.