In response to last week’s solicitation, I’ve got a triptych of reader questions related to the Tales of Ciel. Thanks for participating and answering the call!

From Ryan in Brooklyn, NY:

Who are the new chapter characters in book 2?

Appreciate the curiosity, Ryan! I mentioned in a previous newsletter and blog that Ophiuchus Flinched adds two more POV characters into the mix. Ardent Wings rotated between Effie and Vanna. Both return as POV characters in the sequel, with Vanna picking up a heavier plot load than she carried in Book 1. Ophiuchus Flinched also introduces perspective chapters anchored by Kai Bowker and Sire Muldoon.

Kai is a young dragoon cadet serving under Vanna and Kendy. He’s also Effie’s childhood friend and first love, though they finish Book 1 a bit estranged. Muldoon is a Patrician servant of the Celestials and the former governor of Aeolus, dispossessed by Vanna in Book 1.

Whatever you think of both characters from Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies, I suspect you will uncover hidden multitudes once you see the story from their perspectives.

From Erica J. in London, UK:

Will Ophiuchus Flinched be available in paperback in Europe?

Yes! You should be able to order the Trade Paperback through any independent book store or major retailer. You can also order the TP through Amazon UK if you’re so inclined. 

If you’re having trouble getting your hands on a copy for some reason, shoot an email to [email protected] and we’ll try to help you troubleshoot.

***SPOILER WARNING: This last question and the answer contain major spoilers for the end of Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies.***

From Chris Moore in PIttsburgh, PA:

Where is Effie going after the ending of Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies?

That’s the big cliffhanger, isn’t it? I’d like to say that you will find out on February 3, but you reached out with a genuine question, and you deserve a genuine answer.

Effie finds herself in a precarious position at the beginning of Ophiuchus Flinched. She’s just violated an Ascension Ceremony that she was not called to participate in. Conversely, she’s proven that she should have been called by demonstrating her Gift with the wild dauphine.

Book 2 picks up Effie’s story immediately after Effie’s last scene in Book 1–like, seconds after. Effie steps off the back of the dauphine, and Kelestina whisks her away in her flying carriage pulled by six hippocampi.

It isn’t too much of a spoiler to tell you that Effie will not face any retribution for her impetuousness–not from Kelestina, at least. Her Gift is too valuable to squander. In the immediate aftermath of the Ascension, Kelestina takes Effie up to her palace on Aquilon Island and confines her to quarters in one of the palace’s decadent spires. There, Effie is trapped in a superposition between honored guest and prisoner while she awaits the judgment of the Celestial court.

You’ll excuse me if I leave Effie’s longterm fate a mystery for you to unravel in the pages of Ophiuchus Flinched.

Ophiuchus Flinched is now available wherever books are sold, and until February 9, you can score Book 1: Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies for just $0.99.

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