Kristen Brand

Five years ago, I published the Dark and Otherworldly series and called it “urban fantasy with a strong romantic subplot.”

That description never quite fit.

The story takes place in a fae Otherworld for the entire first book—the characters don’t venture to the modern human world until Book Two. And that “strong romantic subplot”? It’s actually the core of the story. But it’s not a true romance novel, either. Book One doesn’t end with a happily-ever-after; it ends with the heroine in the dungeons, her betrayal revealed to the male main character. (I can’t quite bring myself to call him the “hero.” He’s too villainous, lol.)

Of course, there’s a word for this genre today: romantasy.

What I Still Love About the Series

The romance is my favorite part of the books. Leigh and Dredarion’s relationship hits the enemies-to-lovers trope hard—though he doesn’t realize they’re enemies at first, since she’s a spy. They’re both hard people who don’t show their emotions easily. No grumpy/sunshine dynamic here; it’s more like grumpy/grumpier. But they each admire the other’s strength and intelligence and see something there that few other people appreciate.

While their romance is the main character relationship, I had so much fun writing the other dynamics too: Dredarion’s relationship with his dopey older brother he’s plotting to kill for the throne, the way Leigh’s team pulls together like a family when she’s in trouble, the reveal of Dredarion’s real father.

I’m proud of the worldbuilding, too. I kept the fae deliberately mysterious and unexplained. Some look like beautiful humans with pointed ears. Some are two feet tall and green-skinned. Others have a human body and the head of a giant owl. Otherworld is an enchanting realm of glimmering palaces and mystical forests, but everything there can basically kill you. It’s a fun place to visit—in a book, while you’re safely on your couch.

What I’d Change (But Won’t)

If you asked me what I would change about the series… I’d stop myself from thinking too hard about the answer. As an indie author, there’s nothing stopping me from going back and editing my books whenever I want. It would be an easy trap to fall into: constantly fiddling with old books instead of writing new ones. So while I won’t give an in-depth answer, I’ll just say that some reviews mentioned the books were a little too fast-paced. I might expand the first two into full novels instead of novellas if I could do it all over again.

But I won’t do it all over again. I think these books are wonderful as they are, though my opinion is admittedly biased. 😉

Thank You

To those of you who’ve read the books, thank you again for coming on this journey with me. I hope you look back on the story as fondly as I do. (And if you haven’t read the series yet, Book One is currently free here.) Drop a comment below with your favorite part of the series or a current romantasy book recommendation!