For readers who want more details before diving in
Many readers hate spoilers (I do!), so I try to keep them out of the descriptions of my books. But many other readers like to know certain things about a book before they invest time in it. Like whether characters will go through traumatic experiences. Or just how romantic the main characters are going to get. Or whether anyone dies. Or if there’s a happy ending.
If you don’t want to know in advance, this page is not for you. Otherwise, read on, clicking “show answer” for any question that’s important to you. You’ll get basic details that do not name the characters involved.
Want an answer to a topic I didn’t cover? Message me, and I’d be happy to give it.
For The Opposite of Magic
Q: Violence or other traumatic experiences?
Protagonists’ lives are endangered, and the lives of one characters’ parents are verbally threatened, as they go up against the antagonists. Some protagonists are injured in a battle scene, one significantly so. Several antagonists are killed, some by another antagonist. And one protagonist discovers another character withheld key information.
No protagonists are killed.
Q: Character death?
No protagonists die. Several antagonists do, though, in a fight scene that’s traumatic for the protagonists.
Q: Hurt animals?
Nope!
Q: Romance?
Yup, this is in fact a fantasy romance. Two main characters get involved in a romantic relationship over the course of the book. Their relationship and the fantasy adventure story both drive the plot.
Q: Sex scenes?
One. It’s not particularly explicit and is the perfect excuse for more banter.
Q: Love triangle?
Q: Angst?
Everyone defines that a little bit differently, but I’d say it’s not angsty overall. It has some tense and emotionally challenging moments.
Q: Naughty language?
The characters don’t swear like sailors, but they’re adults in the midst of a fantasy adventure and that stress occasionally shows up in the words they use. Over the course of the book, characters say “fuck” (or variations on it) seven times.
Q: Virginal heroine trope?
Q: Speaking of tropes, tell me ALL of them that show up here.
OK, I’ll try! If you read it and realize I’ve missed something, let me know.
(For the trope skeptics out there: I’m not stuffing these in to check boxes. I just write and then figure out after the fact what popped up.)
▪ Enemies to lovers (though I think “antagonistic acquaintances to lovers,” as AJ Lancaster puts it in one of her great Stariel books, is more apt)
▪ Grumpy/sunshine
▪ Secrets and intrigue
▪ We’re off to see the wizard
▪ MMC won’t talk about his past
▪ Irony waiting to spring
Q: Happy ending?
Yes.
Q: C’mon, give me more than that.
OK, fine, the love interests end up together. That’s what you wanted to know, right? Sheesh.
For Subversive (Clandestine Magic #1)
Q: Violence or other traumatic experiences?
One protagonist narrowly avoids assassination, a traumatic experience that affects other characters’ emotions and actions for the rest of the book. And one protagonist narrowly escapes death after an encounter with an antagonist.
No one is killed, and there are no battle scenes.
Q: Yes, but what about non-violent trauma?
This is more of a spoiler. You’re sure you want to know?
OK: One protagonist is entrapped into signing a magical contract that gives another character a tremendous amount of power over them.
Q: Character death?
Q: Hurt animals?
Q: Romance?
Oh yes, this is a fantasy romance. Two characters develop feelings for each other against their better judgment. One of them suspects magic is playing an unanticipated role, and the other is anxious to avoid pressing that character into an unwanted relationship.
The evolving situation between these characters powers half the plot, with fantasy and political intrigue elements as other key drivers.
Q: Sex scenes?
Yes. There’s one scene of moderate length and explicitness, and several shorter and less explicit scenes. These occur in a dream state the characters refer to as “dreamside,” and they’re all consensual.
Q: Love triangle?
Nope. (There’s a point where you might think it’s headed that way, but nope, if you define “love triangle” the way I do: One character can’t make up their mind about two other characters with feelings for them.)
Q: Angst?
Yes, but it’s not melodramatic (I hope not, anyway!). Though the novel isn’t lighthearted and the characters deal with increasingly stressful situations, they always find ways to cope.
Q: Naughty language?
The characters don’t swear like sailors, but they’re adults in the midst of a fantasy adventure and that stress does sometimes slop over into the words they use. Over the course of the book, characters say “fuck” (or variations on it) nine times.
Q: Virginal heroine trope?
Q: Speaking of tropes, tell me ALL of them that show up here.
Uh … I’ll do my best! If you read it and realize I’ve missed something, let me know.
(For the trope skeptics out there: I’m not stuffing these in to check boxes. I just write and then figure out after the fact what popped up.)
▪ Enemies to lovers
▪ Forced proximity
▪ Wrong side of the tracks
▪ Hades/Persephone
▪ Us against the world
▪ Fighting the patriarchy
▪ Secrets and intrigue
▪ Magic spell gone wrong
▪ Small town
▪ Light dystopian (is “sort of cozy dystopian” a thing?)
If you squished the setting feels of All Creatures Great & Small and Anne of Green Gables together with the gender dystopia of Handmaid’s Tale, then turned it into a plotty fantasy romance, you’d pretty much have this series.
Q: Happy ending?
This is the first book in a trilogy, so it’s Act 1 of 3, and the ending reflects that. The novel wraps up some key plot threads, but others will continue to spool out over the second and third books. The romantic plot thread is not wrapped up here, and the main characters remain at odds with each other.
Q: I’m only investing my time in this if you promise the characters get a happy ending in book three. Do they?
You’re sure you want to know?
Certain?
OK, fine, yes. They do.
For Radical (Clandestine Magic #2)
Q: Violence or other traumatic experiences?
The narrow miss one character has in Subversive continues to affect other characters’ emotions and actions in this book. Several characters’ lives are endangered, one seriously. No main characters are killed; one secondary character dies off-screen.
The scene that could be the most distressing for readers involves a discussion of past trauma: One character recounts (not in extended detail) the sexual abuse they endured, starting at age twelve. The character’s brother was the abuser.
If you need to know more before deciding whether to give this book a try, message me and let me know what information would help.
Q: Character death?
One character dies. It’s not a main character, and it happens off-screen.
Q: Hurt animals?
Q: Romance?
The characters who developed feelings for each other against their better judgment in Subversive continue to struggle with those emotions in this book.
The evolving situation between these characters powers half the plot, with fantasy and political intrigue elements as other key drivers.
Q: Sex scenes?
Yes, a few scenes of moderate length and explicitness, and several shorter and less explicit scenes. They’re all consensual.
Q: Love triangle?
No, if you define “love triangle” the way I do: One character can’t make up their mind about two other characters with feelings for them.
Q: Angst?
Yes, but it’s not melodramatic (I hope not, anyway!). Though the novel isn’t lighthearted and the characters deal with increasingly stressful situations, they find ways to cope.
Q: Naughty language?
The characters don’t swear like sailors, but they’re adults in the midst of a fantasy adventure and that stress does sometimes slop over into the words they use. Over the course of the book, characters say “fuck” (or variations on it) seven times.
Q: Virginal heroine trope?
Q: Speaking of tropes, tell me ALL of them that show up here.
Will do my best! If you read it and realize I’ve missed something, let me know.
(For the trope skeptics out there: I’m not stuffing these in to check boxes. I just write and then figure out after the fact what popped up.)
▪ Enemies to lovers
▪ Forced proximity
▪ Wrong side of the tracks
▪ Hades/Persephone
▪ Us against the world
▪ Fighting the patriarchy
▪ Secrets and intrigue
▪ Magic spell gone wrong
▪ Small town
▪ Light dystopian (is “sort of cozy dystopian” a thing?)
Q: Happy ending?
This is the second book in a trilogy, so it’s Act 2 of 3, and the ending reflects that. The novel wraps up some key plot threads, but others will continue to spool out over the third book. There’s a semi-cliffhanger ending: Stop reading here if you don’t want to know anything about that.
You want to know?
No one is in immediate danger at the end, but the ultimate fate of one character does hang in the balance.
Q: I’m only investing my time in this if you promise the characters get a happy ending in book three. Do they?
You’re sure you want to know?
Certain?
OK, fine, yes. They do.
For Revolutionary (Clandestine Magic #3)
Q: Violence or other traumatic experiences?
Characters’ lives are endangered, in several cases seriously. (Knowing more about what happens to them is a spoiler, so don’t read past this paragraph unless you want those details upfront.)
Stop reading here if you don’t want those (partial) spoilers about characters’ fates.
Ready?
Some characters appear to die but actually survive.
Q: Character death?
That’s a definite spoiler. Are you sure you want to know?
Absolutely certain?
It’s not too late to turn back …
OK: Some characters appear to die but actually survive.
Q: Hurt animals?
Q: Romance?
Yep!
The evolving situation between these characters powers half the plot, with fantasy and political intrigue elements as other key drivers.
Q: Sex scenes?
Yes. There’s one scene of moderate length and explicitness, and several shorter and less explicit scenes. They’re all consensual.
Q: Love triangle?
Q: Angst?
If you’ve read the first two books, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect on that score. (In short: Yes. But not, I hope, over the top.)
Q: Naughty language?
The characters don’t swear like sailors, but they’re adults in the midst of a fantasy adventure and that stress does sometimes slop over into the words they use. Over the course of the book, characters say “fuck” (or variations on it) 12 times. (It’s the last book in the trilogy. They have a lot to curse about.)
Q: Virginal heroine trope?
Q: Speaking of tropes, tell me ALL of them that show up here.
Okey dokey! If you read it and realize I’ve missed something, let me know.
(For the trope skeptics out there: I’m not stuffing these in to check boxes. I just write and then figure out after the fact what popped up.)
▪ Hades/Persephone
▪ Us against the world
▪ Fighting the patriarchy
▪ Secrets and intrigue
▪ Spilling secrets
▪ Unexpectedly famous
▪ Wrong side of the tracks
▪ Small town
▪ Light dystopian (is “sort of cozy dystopian” a thing?)
Q: Happy ending?
Well, this is the last book in a trilogy.
You want me to spell it out?
You really don’t want to wait and see for yourself?
OK: Yes, of course there’s a happy ending. What do you take me for?
