This week’s reader question comes from Ember P. in Allentown, PA: 

I LOVE the preview of Book 2 in the back of Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies. Book 1 really feels like it’s ramping up into something much bigger. Will we see more of the world?

Thank you so much, Ember! For the compliments, the question, and for opting into the sneak preview. For anyone not currently in possession of Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies, both formats of the book include a link (or a QR code, if you have the paperback edition) to download a free sneak preview of Ophiuchus Flinched. 

I think your observation is apt. In a sense, Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies functions as an extended prologue to the Tales of Ciel. As many readers and critics have noted, it’s short, briskly paced, and ends on a significant cliffhanger. For those interested in exploring the wide world of Ciel, Ophiuchus Flinched expands the aperture considerably. It’s about 30% longer than Ardent Wings and includes twice as many POV characters. You do get to learn quite a bit more about the Celestials, the other islands, and a few secondary characters who only make a brief appearance in Book 1. That said, the Zephyr Archipelago remains the principle setting for the action of the novel.

I’ve written a bit about the vision for the greater saga of Ciel and the choice to tackle the story as a series of sequential trilogies. I’ve been thinking of this first trilogy informally as “The Zephyr Arc”. By the end of Book 3: The Mark of Cain, you’ll have a complete picture of the archipelago, its inhabitants, and the surrounding skies. But there’s so much more to see. The Eight Skies of Ciel are vast, brimming with exotic cultures and strange Gifts. I promised you all a pirate adventure with a spirit of exploration and discovery, and that’s what you’ll get if you stick around.

Effie’s journey will eventually take her far from home, but first she has to reckon with some unresolved domestic issues.

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