Illusion's Reign ~ Available Now

I'm pleased to share that Illusion's Reign by Sarah Pennington is now available.

This is the second book in the Daughters of Atìrse series. I have not yet finished this book, but what I have read has been enjoyable. If you have not read the first book, Song of the Selkies, do so now.

About the Book:

A transformed princess is determined to reclaim what's hers — but can truth prevail when illusion wears the crown?

Crown Princess Onora of Atìrse is eager to prove herself as the heir to her parents' throne. Moving into one of her family's holdings away from the Royal Seat offers the chance to put into practice all she's learned and demonstrate what kind of queen she intends to one day be, and even the shadow of an uprising among Atìrse's faery neighbors can't dull her excitement. Yet her plans go awry when one of her attendants proves false and she's transformed and replaced by a faery imposter.

Though cursed and cast into the role of a lowly goose-keeper, with only her beloved cat as an ally, Onora refuses to admit defeat. She'll do whatever it takes to break the curse, expose the imposter, and take back the role that is rightfully hers. However, that's easier said than done when her opponent can so easily manipulate the truth — and the fickle feelings of the locals and the surliness of the miller's strange assistant don't make her task any less difficult.

Time is swiftly passing, and Onora must reclaim her place before the transformation becomes permanent. But can she do so when nothing is as it seems and even her allies have secrets?

Return to the kingdom of Atìrse and discover what happens when "The Goose Girl" meets "Puss in Boots" in this prequel to the award-winning Song of the Selkies.

Purchase from Amazon.

Fun Fact: Writing in Prayer

When I started Illusion’s Reign, I thought that, for once in my life, I’d figured out what themes the story was going to deal before I was halfway through. For context, most of the time when I write my first drafts, I just record what happens and how my characters feel about it, and then I look back and realize “Oh, that’s what the story’s about.” Illusion’s Reign, I felt certain, was about leadership, about truth and falsehood, about reliance on God, and a little bit about community. And I was correct . . . but what I didn’t know at the time is that it’s also a story about prayer.

In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Aside from the fact that any story about reliance on God has to be about prayer in some measure, prayer is frequently present on the page from the very first chapter. In one of the early scenes, Princess Onora seeks out a priest, asking him to advise her in future and to pray for her as she takes on a new set of responsibilities. Additional prayers appear prominently throughout the rest of the story as well, and what I would consider one of the the most pivotal scenes in the novel centers on a prayer of desperation.

These prayers aren’t meant to be preachy (and I don’t think they come off that way). They’re the natural response of characters who are trying to obey God while facing difficulties. They were, somewhat surprisingly, also really fun to write. For one thing, I enjoyed getting to write characters praying the way I wish I could and did. For another, thinking about how a character would pray turns out to be a great way to understand that character and their thoughts on their situation better. 

Prayer might not have been a theme I expected, but it’s certainly one I enjoyed exploring. Hopefully, others will also find pleasure and encouragement from it when they pick up Illusion’s Reign.