Blood Divided: The Felserpent Chronicles: Book Two

by Katie Keridan

Overview

Kyra Valorian and Sebastian Sayre have finally remembered their pasts as the former Felserpent Queen and King, and now it’s time for them to change the future—by reuniting the realms and bringing peace to Astrals and Daevals. But tensions between Aeles and Nocens have never been higher, and those of silver and gold blood are more divided than ever.

In addition to improving her recovrancy abilities and completing internship, Kyra is determined to uncover her father’s role in the evil Astral experimentation program, no matter the danger. As Sebastian learns to be in a relationship, he finds himself facing the traumas of two very different pasts, forcing him to make tough decisions about his chosen profession and who he wants to be. Meanwhile, Tallus, arch-enemy to the Felserpent monarchy, has also returned—and it will take help from Cyphers, as well as friends both old and new, to find and stop him.

As Kyra and Sebastian struggle to navigate the differences between their past and current relationship, one thing’s clear: part of fulfilling their destiny means accepting their fate. The choices they make will reach all the way into Death in this thrilling found family sequel to Reign Returned.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684632206
Publisher:	SparkPress
Publication date:	10/03/2023
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Katie Keridan made her literary debut at ten years of age when she won a writing contest by crafting a tale about her favorite childhood hero, Hank the Cowdog. After that, Katie continued to write, through college and graduate school and during her career as a pediatric neuropsychologist. But while Katie enjoyed being a doctor, scientific research didn’t bring her nearly as much joy as creating her own characters and worlds, so she slowly left the medical world behind to focus exclusively on writing. Her debut YA fantasy novel, Reign Returned, was published by SparkPress in 2022, and her work has been featured in Highlights Hello Magazine, The Blue Nib, Youth Imagination Magazine, Red Fez, The Red Penguin Review, Sand Canyon Review, and Every Day Fiction. She loves sharing her writing with others who feel different, misunderstood, or alone. Katie lives in San Jose, California with her husband and two very demanding cats.

Editorial Reviews

Keridan presents a vivid, teeming fantasy world. . . . Her narrative features sharply etched characters, a chilling portrait of social prejudice, and powerful, emotionally fraught prose. . . . The result is a complex, captivating yarn. An imaginative sword-and-sorcery tale with a winsome love story at its heart.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A fast-paced epic fantasy adventure with plenty of thrills and charm. Keridan's writing sparkles and provides the perfect blend of suspense, adventure, and romance that will keep you turning pages long into the night.”
—Lenore Borja, author of The Last Huntress

“This story of love, sacrifice, and truth makes for a truly transportive read that pulls at heartstrings and sets the imagination ablaze.”
—Sathya Achia, author of In My Hands

From the Publisher

2023-05-11
Star-crossed lovers rekindle their relationship from a previous life while struggling to bridge society’s ethnic divide in Keridan’s romantic fantasy novel.

The second installment of the author’s Felserpent Chronicles series follows the budding romance between Sebastian Sayre and Kyra Valorian. He’s a Daeval, living in the realm of Nocens as a professional assassin who can magically teleport and emit flames; she is an Astral, living in the neighboring realm of Aeles, who can magically heal people and resurrect the dead. Standing between them is the bigotry of the Astrals, who regard their golden blood as so superior to the Daevals’ silver blood that they have a Blood Alarm to keep Daevals out. The antagonism is personal for Kyra and Sebastian—as a child, the latter was imprisoned in the secret Astral laboratory at Rynstyn and subjected to torturous medical experiments in which Kyra’s father may have participated. Drawing them together are their bracelets, which enable them to communicate telepathically, and their memories of being King Schatten and Queen Kareth, rulers of the united realm of Aeles-Nocens 1,000 years ago. Sebastian and Kyra set about several tasks, including bringing the shade of Sebastian’s mother, Grace, who was murdered by his abusive father, Malum, out of the land of the dead; wiping out Rynstyn; and attempting to reunite the realms. Meanwhile, they navigate their awkward, yearning relationship: Kyra prods the taciturn Sebastian to express his feelings; Sebastian seethes with jealousy when Kyra talks to other men; they sleep together in Sebastian’s well-appointed cave, but chastely. Keridan presents a vivid, teeming fantasy world in which wizardry is ubiquitous and everyone has a talking animal to provide telepathic advice (Kyra’s is a lynx named Aurelius, Sebastian’s is a bat named Batty). Her narrative features sharply etched characters, a chilling portrait of social prejudice, and powerful, emotionally fraught prose (“Sebastian screamed as he ran forward, just as his father drove the blade into his mother’s chest. ‘You should have stayed mine, Grace,’ Malum said quietly, wrenching the knife free. ‘If you don’t belong to me, I have no use for you’ ”). The result is a complex, captivating yarn.

An imaginative sword-and-sorcery tale with a winsome love story at its heart.

Kirkus Reviews