Title: Realm of the Banished
Author: Jennifer M. Waldrop
Series: Skyborne Series Book One
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Publisher: July House Publishing
Pages: 252
Vera was anointed as the Chosen One at the onset of her training.
She would be their hero, the one who would retrieve the ancient relic capable of ending their banishment and returning the Skyborne to their beloved home realm, Idia.
Yet ten years later, her powers never fully developed as expected.
And to them she was a tool, she was expendable.
But Vera’s fortitude proves to be undefeatable.
Once free from the confines of a life shrouded with secrets and manipulation — she faces a new challenge — one with consequences that are far more lethal.
Unrest permeates the territories. Regent Karish’s handsome son is out for revenge and a new enemy is breeding an aerial army capable of blocking the Skyborne from their source of power.
Vera is torn between accepting her fate as the hero and losing the freedom she fought so valiantly to attain.
Find out what path she takes in Realm of the Banished, a captivating new adult fantasy adventure!
Content/Trigger Warning: Includes strong language, physical violence, consensual sex, and sexual assault.
Excerpt:
Next to a steaming pool just a few feet ahead lay a crossbolt. I tilted my head to the side, examining it as if it were a piece of art. The feather fletchings were Darius’s colors. Red for blood and black for the ember. I only understood after I’d seen it.
I was supposed to be focusing on something.
Reality slammed back into me. I shook off my haze. I almost laughed as I snapped my eyes up to look at them.
What were they going to do if they killed me? Enter the Swath to retrieve the ember?
Quest Post:
What inspired you to write this book?
I was actually on a major book hangover from reading Throne of Glass series and ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas and I was also experiencing major burnout from running a small business, needing some creativity in my life. See, I have a fine arts degree and thrive in a creative space, but I’d ever only written for college/masters level course work, though I did oddly enjoy that. It took me realizing that I’d always told myself stories – I know that sounds cheesy, but one day it occurred to me to start writing them down. I decided that writers became writers by writing. I woke up with Nayla’s story marinating in my head. I felt really connected with her character and her realm, and saw a really expansive character arc that I could create a new adult fantasy story around while sprinkling in themes and subverting tropes I felt were much needed in the genre. Anyway, that is how the Skyborne and Realm of the Banished was born.
About the Author:
Jennifer M. Waldrop Jennifer is an artist, small business owner and author of the new novel Realm of the Banished. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Art History from the University of Central Oklahoma. Jennifer enjoys creating and paints with that same imaginative stroke throughout her writing. When she’s not writing, you might find her whipping together her favorite dark chocolate mousse, power walking a beach in a tropical destination, or lost in the minutia of one of her excel spreadsheets. Jennifer lives with her husband and two dog children in Oklahoma City.
