About the Book:
From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.
Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?
Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…
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About the Author:
Catherine Doyle lives in the West of Ireland. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Publishing. Her award-winning and internationally bestselling work, which includes middle grade and young adult fiction, has been published in 30 languages. She has also co-written the TWIN CROWNS series with her sister-in-law Katherine Webber.
Interview:
THE REBEL AND THE ROSE is the follow up to the acclaimed THE DAGGER AND THE FLAME, could you introduce your new book to us?
THE REBEL AND THE ROSE picks up a few months after THE DAGGER AND THE FLAME*. Ransom is the new head of the Order of the Daggers, while Seraphine, now head of her own Order of Flames, is hiding in the mountains of Halbracht making lightfire, while also secretly trying to figure out the strange new magic that has taken root inside her.
Elsewhere, the king’s nephew, Prince Andreas Mondragon Rayere, has happened upon a strange new power too, and is using it to try and seize the throne for himself. When the king gets word of a stirring rebellion, he enlists the help of the Daggers and the Flames (on pain of death) to assassinate his nephew. And so, Ransom and Sera are drawn back together. Still enemies, they must try and put their ideals aside to complete the king’s task, but there’s only so long Sera can keep her new magic hidden from Ransom, and indeed her plans to betray the king and join up with the prince once they finally track him down. Their quest takes them across the rolling plains of Valterre, where they must once more fight that intoxicating push and pull between them, as the kingdom at large tips into a new, dangerous era of rampant magic and renegade saints.
Can you fill us in on some of the tropes the readers might find within the story? Do you have any favourites to write?
In THE DAGGER AND THE FLAME, enemies-to-lovers turned into enemies-and-lovers. Here, we see what I like to refer to as enemies-with-benefits… what could possibly go wrong?! Then, of course, my other favourite traits, Found Family and Unexpected Magic, are heavily featured too.
Can you tell us something new about the world we wouldn’t have seen before/ in the first book?
We see so much more of the Kingdom of Valterre in THE REBEL AND THE ROSE, including a beautiful provincial town called Marvale, where music thrums in the wind and the folk revel and dance all night long. Another exciting location is the Appoline University, an ancient ivy-clad stone building full of venerated scholars, beautiful artwork, towering stacks of books and… secrets! There’s a lot more lore to discover, particularly regarding the saints and the royal family.
If you could live in Fantome, would you? What would be the first thing you’d do? Who would you want to meet/ chat to?
I would definitely live in Fantome! For my own safety, I’d probably have to join one of the Orders, so I think I’d go for the Cloaks, so I could live in the lap of luxury at House Armand. I’d like to be friends with Val, and I could play Bridge with Madame Fontaine every Tuesday. I love a cranky, no-nonsense old lady!
Was there anything you wanted to include in this second book, but couldn’t find a way?
There are certain kinds of magic that were too big to explore in book two, which I have saved for book 3. And a budding new romance between two supporting characters that will hopefully have its moment then too! Although it’s hinted at in book 2…
Are your characters based (secretly, or not so secretly) on anyone you know? Or are any of them fancast in your imagination with any particular celebrities?
In my head, I imagine Sabrina Carpenter as Seraphine. Freddy Carter voices Ransom in THE DAGGER AND THE FLAME audiobook, and I think he does such a brilliant job with interpreting the character he could definitely play him in a film or TV show.
Found family is such an important trope in fantasy – did you build your cast of characters with this in mind, knowing the twists and turns, that would come, or does the writing of the book surprise you with the alliances made, and the bonds formed?
I work very deliberately on the cast of characters I want to write, but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how they come together. I let the plot and the dialogue lead me there. I had a lot of fun writing Seraphine and Nadia’s arc in this book. Not quite enemies-to-lovers, but enemies-to-reluctant-allies-and-maybe-almost-friends is fun too!
What is your favourite thing about romance/ romantasy – to read, and to write? Do you find it easy to write the fiery scenes?
I love the escapism of romantasy. Reading it, writing it… romantasy harkens back to the kind of sweeping fairytales I loved as a child, they just have a little bit more edge to them now! As an adult, I love a good fiery scene, but I think the tension leading up to those scenes is far more important, so that’s where I put more of my focus when writing, and I really, really try to get it as juicy and exciting as possible, so the pay-off will feel both earned and satisfying for the reader!
What’s next for you?
I’m hard at work on the third book in the City of Fantome trilogy!
Please could you recommend a UKYA book you think readers will love?
I’m currently reading and loving HEIR OF STORMS by Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Thank you Catherine!
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