Original Image by Kevin Escate on Unsplash
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SynopsisThe crown prince has been kidnapped by the djinn, and his mother will stop at nothing to find him and bring him home, even if it means marching into the realm of the Unseen on what everyone insists is a hopeless mission. He's gone, she is told. Grieve him, for he is as good as dead. If he is returned to you, he will not be the same child you knew.
But he isn't dead, and Queen Sirin refuses to accept his loss, refuses to grieve him, even if she is called mad for her insistence that he is alive, for her determination to rescue him. She cares not that no one has ever returned from such a venture. She's going to save her son or die trying. Enter Halah; the only person taken by the djinn who claims to have escaped them, rather than been returned. Only she can lead Queen Sirin and her cousin, Raoul, into the Unseen realm and guide them through the kingdom of the djinn...so when Sirin pleads for her help, she agrees. She can't abandon a child, even one she doesn't know. Even if it does mean returning to the last place in all the realms she ever wants to see again... |
Stats
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status: drafting
genre: new adult, high fantasy started: may 2022 - (original version: ~2007) |
pov: multiple, mainly Halah
draft: first wordcount: 13.3k |
Inspirations
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• The Wonders of Creation by Al Qazwini
• One Thousand and One Nights/Arabian Nights • Fairy tales about kidnapped/lost humans |
• Muslim beliefs
• Various Arabian, Persian, and Egyptian legends • Stories of people kidnapped by djinn |
Themes
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• mutual pining
• mysterious pasts • magical road trip • female friendship • adventure |
• slow-burn romance
• loneliness & belonging • unrequited love • female leads • creatures & myths |
Characters
Sirin | a desperate, determined mother willing to commit treason in an effort to save her son.
Qusaiy | Sirin's son, a five year old boy, renowned for his beautiful voice and excellent memory.
Raoul | cousin to Sirin's husband as well as her childhood friend, he is secretly yet hopelessly in love with her and utterly devoted to her.
Halah | an escapee from the djinn, living as an outcast at the edge of a village with her best friend and a shirdal for company.
Ilyas | Raoul's best friend and a fierce warrior of Sirin's tribe who nevertheless is a gentle soul, he is Nilam's twin brother, and a former slave.
Nilam | a Ranger who travels with a black panther of more intelligence than the average cat, she is Halah's best and only friend, Ilyas' twin sister, and a former slave.
Qusaiy | Sirin's son, a five year old boy, renowned for his beautiful voice and excellent memory.
Raoul | cousin to Sirin's husband as well as her childhood friend, he is secretly yet hopelessly in love with her and utterly devoted to her.
Halah | an escapee from the djinn, living as an outcast at the edge of a village with her best friend and a shirdal for company.
Ilyas | Raoul's best friend and a fierce warrior of Sirin's tribe who nevertheless is a gentle soul, he is Nilam's twin brother, and a former slave.
Nilam | a Ranger who travels with a black panther of more intelligence than the average cat, she is Halah's best and only friend, Ilyas' twin sister, and a former slave.