Hello again! SPFBO 9 officially begins in just a couple days (if you want to learn about that, check out the official home page of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off here). Today we have Felix Taylor and his book, Crown of Rebellion, with us.
Crown of Rebellion
An apprentice healer. An exiled noblewoman. To defy tyranny, they’ll need to even the odds. They’ll need to grow stronger.
Every year, the youth of the North are tested for a Reyad—a magical bond with an animal with the potential to grant immense power. Pirin is ripped away from his village, and from his healer’s duty. As far as he’s concerned, he’ll be tested like everyone else. He doesn’t expect anything to come from it. He certainly doesn’t expect to meet Myraden, a noblewoman whose hunt for revenge draws him into a destructive war.
Desperate to fulfill his mentor’s dying wish and stay alive, Pirin embarks on a quest to earn a power greater than he could have ever imagined. Surrounded by enemies, all odds are against him. Worst of all, he can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong…
Magical animal bonds and rebels! Cool!
Now onto the Questions!
As a Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) Entrant, you’re not just independently published, but self-published. Can you start by explaining a bit about why you chose that route and how it’s been for you?
I chose to self-publish mainly because I wanted complete creative control. I didn’t want to have to change endings for a publisher or sacrifice any parts of my vision to suit what a publisher wanted (of course, editing to make the story better is different, but that still came along with self-publishing).
Of course! I can’t imagine having to change endings for someone else!
On a related note, why did you enter the SPFBO contest? How do you expect to find it? Refreshing your blog’s page every five minutes, or sit back and chill?
I entered the SPFBO contest to hopefully get a few more eyes on my book (sadly, no altruistic reasons for me), but I also like the spirit of the competition. All the other authors that I’ve met so far have been awesome, and amazing people to meet.
I was a little nervous at first, but I’ve decided that “sit back and chill” is the best strategy. I don’t have high expectations, so hopefully, I can’t be disappointed… though maybe I’d feel a little guilty for taking a spot from someone else.
I’ve heard there’s been some drama in past years, but all I’ve seen so far is a very nice community spirit. And don’t feel guilty! Your book deserves the chance, too! 😀
Book titles. Why did you choose the title Crown of Rebellion?
I had a bunch of potential titles for my novel, which I all really liked. They were the titles that best encapsulated what my novel was about (generally, themes of high, epic fantasy, with a rebellious twist). The choice came down to what worked best on the cover. So… I do have a bunch of covers with alternate titles sitting around on my computer somewhere. The title “Crown of Rebellion” was an option because, yes, there is a crown. And it plays an important part in the novel. Of course, the “Rebellion” part is thematically relevant as well (and related to a certain special crown), but I’m getting into some heavy spoiler territory if I go into that, I think.
I won’t ask for your favourite scene since I know some people don’t have those (like me; I never have favourites), but can you share a (non-spoiler) scene you really like and you just can’t believe how awesome it is every time you go back to re-read it?
They arrived at the training pit. Myraden felt the dissonant rumble in her mind return before they even entered the sandy bowl.
Nothing had been moved since yesterday. Even the wooden swords remained where they had been left. Their Familiars, however, weren’t restrained by cages; Aerdians servants stood behind them with their hands wrapped tight around the rope leashes. The beasts stood placid, even in the presence of their masters. Myraden chuckled at the thought—it should be especially in the presence of their masters, but she wasn’t certain she could make that claim.
The Red Hand stood a pace ahead of the servants, and surveyed his five students. They all had dark crescents under their eyes.
The edges of the Hand’s lips curled, and he said, “Don’t get comfortable. Rather than sitting still, we will be running a lap of the estate along with your Familiars. It will be crucial to keep your wits about you in their presence. You must maintain a brisk jog.” When no one moved, he ordered, “Take the leads. For now you may use them, but in the future, you will be expected to handle your Familiar without them.”
Myraden stepped forwards and snatched Kythen’s lead from the trembling Aerdian who held it. The rope looked pitifully thin when draped from Kythen’s neck, but Myraden took it in her hand anyways and tugged her bloodhorn away from the servant. Kythen obliged, although he moved slowly.
Myraden heard no voice, only a creeping sense of the beast’s presence. Her awareness dwindled and faded. But faded did not mean dulled; something seemed to stretch in her mind, as if she knew every inch in detail. She was peering through a lens that was slightly too curved, and scratched along its edges.
Her thoughts steeped in frustration. Kythen twitched. Once, twice, then thrice. Her hands clenched. The bloodhorn bleated. She barely noticed when they began to jog after the Red Hand.
They left the sand pit and entered the fields beyond, but travelled away from the castle. The task shouldn’t have been difficult. She had run before, many times.
But today was different. She lagged behind the others. While they never disappeared out of sight, she was always a couple of steps behind. It wasn’t her fault; it was Kythen. He trotted along at a walking speed.
“Hurry up,” she hissed, and pulled on the bloodhorn’s lead. He barely flinched, and kept to his pace. “You are going to draw attention to us!”
Kythen looked straight ahead with blank eyes. She growled, then marched in front of her Familiar and half-walked-half-ran backwards. “Run, or I will make you.”
Kythen stopped moving at all, no matter how hard Myraden tugged. She threw down the lead. There was no way she could make the bloodhorn move, not when he was so much stronger and heavier than her. But every second, the others drew further away.
She sucked in a breath of floral spring air. It stung her mouth. There were never any blossoms in Ískan, nor in Sirdia. Desperation welled up within her, and she pleaded, “Please, Kythen. For the sake of both of us. Please run.”
Suddenly, the bloodhorn seemed to grow. He straightened his legs and stood proud, then sprang forwards. Myraden had to sprint to keep pace with him. The lead skipped along the path behind Kythen, and she leapt for it. She fell hard against the dirt, but her fingers snagged the lead. Kythen dragged her along the path for a couple yards, until she managed to erect her legs beneath her and sprint beside him again.
While they ran, Myraden stretched out a hand and stroked the bloodhorn’s back. He bleated. This time, it sounded happy. They caught up with the Red Hand and the rest of the Kol-Ost, and Myraden pulled on Kythen’s lead, hoping to slow him to the pace of the others. He didn’t. Only when she pressed her hand against his back again and slowed her own pace did Kythen match.
“Very good, Leursyn,” the Red Hand said. Myraden nodded back.
They crossed the fields and rolling hills of the estate, then passed through an orchard. A flurry of white petals fell on them. Then, they looped back towards the sand pit, the long way around the castle. When they returned, the five Kol-Ost collapsed on their backs, panting.
“To your feet,” the Red Hand ordered, and begrudgingly, the Kol-Ost formed a line in front of him. Myraden expected him to speak, but he remained silent. She glanced around, hoping to spot anything out of the ordinary, but she couldn’t…
I really like that scene, as one of the non-spoiler scenes, because it shows the growing bond between Myraden (one of the main PoV characters) and her Familiar. Aside from that, most of the scenes I love are heavy spoilers, or are in the free sample.
I know about favourite scenes being spoilers, believe me I do! What I really noticed is the chance when she stops trying to force/lead him and how that turns into companionship. Thanks for sharing that with us!
What are some elements or themes, or combinations thereof, that really make your book stand out to you?
I’m really fond of the general aesthetic of this world that I’ve created for this book. It’s got a lot of recognizable, medieval elements (and I’d say, in many ways, feels like a classic western medieval high fantasy), but there are also resources that are different from what we have on earth, which allow for equivalents of modern inventions and conveniences while still being completely medieval. For example, there are showers (though I’ll leave how those work to be a surprise).
I also very much enjoy the idea that there are large birds that can be ridden like horses (which, yes, I know isn’t completely unique), but I’m very pleased with how they turned out, and the logistical accommodations I had to make for them.
When it comes to themes, I very much consider the theme of rebellion to be less-trodden in the realm of medieval fantasy.
There should be more rebellion medieval fantasies then! I think they’d breathe fresh air into the setting/subgenre.
What would you like to share? Take this in any direction you’d like.
Oh no… I’m not good at these self-directed questions at all. Alright, here goes…
First, especially for this blog (cause I know it’s called “Enthralled by Love”), I’d like to say that, yes, there is a romantic subplot, however, it’s a subplot, and my novel is in no way a fantasy romance. But there’s more than just romantic love. Platonic love between humans and their familiars, familial love, and other sorts of love and caring.
I’d also classify this as a half-progression-fantasy. One story line has been designed with a lot of the ideas of the progression subgenre in mind (power ranking, the desire to improve ones magical abilities, etc) but doesn’t yet fall into either the “cultivation” or litRPG realms. The other storyline has been designed to be an epic fantasy political storyline about leadership and taking charge of a dire situation. However, there’s a twist that I’m especially proud of—and it throws a wrench in this plot line as well.
Lastly, I’d say that the idea of “new adult” fiction is really appealing to me as a writer, and I see it growing a lot with readers, which is awesome to see. This book definitely falls into the new-adult age range, though I hope it can be enjoyed by readers younger and older.
I loved reading that. 😀 — Though I should do something to clarify I called it ‘Enthralled By Love’ for some different reasons, but none of them have to do with romance! Romance is fine, but I might be more into animal companion bonds, among other things! 🙂
That sounds really cool – though I personally always get confused about age audiences, because is it themes, or how explicit things are, or character ages? Thank you for sharing, and best of luck!
Felix Taylor is the author of CROWN OF REBELLION. Born in Alberta, Canada, he has always been obsessed with fantasy and escapism. One day, he decided to contribute to the genre. He has been writing professionally since 2020—and not just fiction. He has worked with small, renewable energy companies as an editor and content writer.
You can find Felix on his Website, Twitter, Instagram, or Royal Road.
You can check out his book, Crown of Rebellion, on Goodreads or get it now on Amazon.
Enthralled By Love 