Side Quest: Genevieve and Gemma had been inseparable for nearly their entire lives. From childhood through their acceptance into Harvard, Genevieve constantly put Gemma first—sacrificing her time, energy, and well-being for her best friend, despite her own fragile health. Hard of hearing, anemic, and burdened with a laundry list of allergies yet Genevieve would do just about anything for Gemma. One night, after being chased by a group of psycho men, the two women stumble through a mysterious portal and land in a world straight out of a Steampunk-Jules Vernian dream. There, they encounter a cryptic figure known only as the Plague Doctor and narrowly escape to the Kingdom of Gregoria. Prince Kazmir Gregor, heir to the throne, whisks them away aboard his Flying Castle en route to an allied nation—one ruled solely by women: the Queendom of Draefyre.

This new land is steeped in magic, mechanical dragons called Drakethyr, and a war that has raged for years—led on one side by the enigmatic and dangerous Plague Doctor and on the other the Kingdom of Neknamyr. In this strange world, Gemma is revealed to be the prophesied Savior, blessed with newfound powers of Light and Stars and even bonded to her own Drakethyr.

Genevieve, on the other hand, was never meant to come through the portal, she wasn’t supposed to be there. Yet despite not being part of the prophecy, she refuses to be a bystander. Drawing on her background in biochemistry—having left behind a promising doctoral career in cellular regeneration—Genevieve begins aiding the kingdom’s soldiers on the battlefield. She partners with Noctem Gregor, the brilliant and brooding middle prince, who leads the charge in developing accelerated healing methods to help win the war. Meanwhile, Nori, the youngest of the royal brothers, forms a fast bond with Gemma, creating tension neither of the women expected.

As she’s drawn deeper into the war’s tangled politics, Genevieve finds herself falling for two people: Eilonwyn, the Crown Princess of Draefyre (and Kazmir’s fiancée), and Noctem, her research partner.Through a series of unexpected side quests, Genevieve begins to carve out her own purpose in this unfamiliar world.

Side Quest Available now: https://a.co/d/1yluJX6

TRIGGERS:

Side Quest contains sensitive subject matter, including:

• depictions and memories of both physical and verbal abuse
  • direct violence against a child from their father
  • mention of abuse from a mother to daughter
  • direct harm from friend against friend (being physically burned)
  • verbal abuse in the form of arguments (implying being a burden)
• references to sexual violence (including the implied intent and mention of a family member’s experience)
  • direct mention of rape to a mother, almost rape to the main characters
• scenes involving harmful weapon use that may be triggering for some readers.
  • daggers, swords, throwing-stars, being cut with a dagger across the chest, and sparring with weapons

Topics that might not be considered harmful but some might not particularly prefer in a book are the use of explicit language and scenes of sexual nature.

• explicit language use of bitch, fuck, shit, etc
• sexual nature of fingering, cunnilingus, and over the clothing groping