I love a good murder ballad, especially the old classics. And by old classics, I mean any murder ballad where a woman does the murder. I just think those are more fun, especially if they have a sense of fantasy to them.
When I first heard Old Blind Dogs’ version of The Cruel Sister, where the victim is turned into a harp and exposes her murderer through song, I knew I had to base a book around it. Jealousy? Necromancy? Musical instruments made out of human bones? It was like this song was custom made for me. I was amazed to find how few retellings there were of the song, and set about to rectifying this immediately.
My version of The Cruel Sister is still in the works, but while you wait, take this quiz to find out which murder ballad you are.
Twin sisters. A remote island kingdom. A treacherous destiny.
Tired of being seen as ornamental, Princess Aila dreams of slaying monsters like her father once did. While preparing to give up her title and flee to freedom, she meets a warrior who convinces her to embrace both duty and adventure. Unfortunately, he’s her sister’s betrothed…
While her golden sister cavorts about their kingdom, Princess Coira toils in the shadows, trying to find belonging within a family that never sees her value. Always the lesser twin, Coira’s world changes when she finds out that she’s not a twin at all. She isn’t even human. Better yet, she isn’t meant to serve her kingdom — she’s meant to destroy it.
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K. D. Hume 