- Title: Fates Alight
- Author: A.M. Pennyfeather
- Genre: Romantasy
- Form: Novel
- Series: Fires of Faldon (Book 1)
- Reading Age: Young Adult
Summary
Life’s a funny thing. One day everything’s great, and the next it all goes wrong.
Really blazing wrong.
At least, that’s how it went for Kara and Riptha.
Kara will freely admit she had a pretty good life. She has a father who loves her, a promising career as a glassblower, and an island full of friends and people she can trust. The closest of those friends is Riptha — the duke’s son. Their gap in social status caused complications in the past, but they’ve been best friends since childhood and their friendship will surely last to the end.
Riptha grew up with every privilege of nobility, a people who respect him, and two parents who love him. Although his role as Morain’s future duke comes with a lot of responsibility — and, thus, sacrifice — he embraces his duty to the best of his ability. It helps that Kara is always there to lift his spirits through the more burdensome expectations.
Image Description: The front cover of Fates Alight. The title is in squiggly gold text with a blue, teardrop shaped sapphire in the center. The background is a navy blue with the blue and white flames coming in from the left and right.
Credit: c/o A.M. Pennyfeather
And even though war and wicked magic plague the mainland of Faldon, life on Morain is peaceful. And, no, life is never free of complications, but with loved ones by your side, there’s nothing you can’t handle. All you have to do is keep going no matter what.
Which seems simple enough until the war reaches its wicked talons into their lives and everything falls apart. Riptha’s responsibility to his people threatens to take away that which he cares for most. And Kara finds a gem in her fire which thrusts upon her a magic she never wanted and a calling she can’t ignore. The only way to save everything they hold dear is to leave their home and join a grumpy pirate on a quest to bring peace to Faldon.
Kara and Riptha fall into a constant battle for their lives and head for a confrontation that will determine the fate of their entire world. But at least they still have each other…as long as they can keep the shadows of their past from tearing them apart.
And avoid dying. They definitely need to avoid that.
About the Author
A.M. Pennyfeather is an author, mom, wife, and Montessori teacher living in the United States. Her life revolves around her family, especially her young daughter, but stories about the truest of loves energize her heart. When she’s not making up her own worlds – or enjoying someone else’s – she’s probably spending time with her family, often in the beauty of nature.
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Comments
Dear A.M. Pennyfeather,
I hope you're doing well.
My name is Frank, and I lead the Marketing Strategy team at Readers Route. I recently came across Fates Alight while exploring contemporary romantasy and young adult fantasy, and I wanted to reach out—not with a sales pitch, but simply to introduce myself and share what stood out to me about your work.
Some stories begin with an adventure. The most memorable ones begin with a question that young readers can quietly recognize in themselves. What happens when the life you thought you understood suddenly changes, and you are forced to choose between the people you love, the responsibilities placed upon you, and a destiny you never asked for? That is the question at the heart of Fates Alight, and it is what immediately distinguishes the novel from many contemporary young adult fantasy stories. Kara and Riptha's friendship, loyalty, and very different positions in society create characters who feel both larger than life and immediately relatable.
That concept gives your story emotional weight beyond its magic and adventure. Readers may initially arrive for the enchanted gem, wicked magic, pirates, war, and the fate of Faldon, but they stay because Kara and Riptha's experience is fundamentally about friendship, loyalty, responsibility, sacrifice, and the fear of losing the people who matter most. Their journey from a peaceful life on Morain into a dangerous quest creates an engaging exploration of growing up when circumstances suddenly demand more than either character expected to give.
One of the aspects I particularly appreciated is the way the story brings a sweeping fantasy conflict into a deeply personal relationship. Kara's unexpected magic and Riptha's responsibility as future duke place them on different paths, while their long-standing friendship gives them a reason to keep moving forward together. The contrast between duty and personal desire, combined with the threat of war and the shadows of their past, creates opportunities for both adventure and meaningful emotional growth.
Your book also reaches several distinct audiences simultaneously. Young adult fantasy readers can connect with the magic, adventure, danger, and world-building. Romantasy readers can connect with the emotional relationships and growing tensions between characters. Readers who enjoy stories about friendship, sacrifice, destiny, and coming-of-age journeys can connect with Kara and Riptha's personal struggles, while fans of quest-based fantasy may be drawn to the pirates, war, and larger conflict surrounding Faldon. These audiences overlap, but they are not identical, and each discovers books differently.
Ironically, that broad appeal can create one of the greatest discoverability challenges for romantasy and young adult fantasy novels. When a book speaks simultaneously to readers looking for romance, fantasy adventure, coming-of-age stories, magic, and character-driven relationships, online marketplaces do not always understand which audience should encounter it first. A book can possess exceptional storytelling while remaining underexposed simply because its strongest qualities are not being presented through the most effective entry points. From an outside perspective, I believe Fates Alight has significantly more long-term potential than its current visibility reflects.
At Readers Route, this is precisely the kind of opportunity we enjoy working with. Our work is not built around temporary promotional bursts or chasing short-lived attention. We help authors strengthen the long-term discoverability of their books by identifying the audiences most likely to value their work and developing strategies that allow those books to continue reaching readers long after release. We believe meaningful books deserve the opportunity to build lasting readership rather than experiencing only brief moments of visibility.
There is something else that has shaped the way I approach authors over the years. A book is rarely just another publication added to a marketplace. It represents years of imagination, writing, revision, and persistence. It becomes part of an author's creative legacy. Long after publication, it continues introducing new readers to an author's voice, opening doors to future works, and preserving stories that may continue shaping how young readers understand themselves and the world around them. Some of the most respected fantasy books are remembered not because they created immediate attention, but because generations of readers continued discovering them. Their stories became enduring contributions rather than temporary releases.
That is why I look at books like yours differently. I do not simply ask whether Fates Alight can attract readers today. I ask whether it possesses the qualities necessary to continue attracting young adult fantasy readers, romantasy audiences, and readers who connect deeply with stories about friendship.