TITLE: YA
GENRE: Surprise
I unlock my bedroom door with a hairpin and sneak out as soon as the hallway empties. Harp notes and laughter drift in the air from the night festivities downstairs. But that’s not where I’m heading. Mingling with the drunken nobility without my grandmother’s protection will only get me married to my cousin by morning.
Candlelight frames the door of Aryeea’s chamber, and I squeeze through the narrow opening to avoid announcing my presence with creaking hinges. Eyes closed and ocher hands folded over her chest, my grandmother seems at peace. She is only half the Baroness I knew in my childhood. But her dark hair is still as black as mine. Tribal blood pumps strong in our veins, no matter what we do to hide our descent.
As she lies, resting on a bed brought by my grandfather from across the sea, I try to believe Aryeea is dead.
Miss Snark's First Victim
Historical fiction?
ReplyDeleteI can see this turning into a romance, but at the moment I only have enough info to assume it's historical fiction.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe name, the references to nobility downstairs.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe mix of nobility, marrying a cousin and tribal blood hint fantasy.
Historical
ReplyDeleteThe nobility mentions.
FANTASY ADVENTURE
ReplyDeleteThe names and nobility, the harp, the candlelight suggest fantasy.
The MC's wanting (planning?) to flee an unwanted marriage and having lost the guidance of her favorite adult/parental figure suggest adventure.
Historical Fantasy
ReplyDeletecandlelight, harp music, Tribes
fantasy, but possibly historical as well.
ReplyDeleteHistorical fantasy
ReplyDeleteFantasy
ReplyDeleteAt first I guessed Fairytale Retelling because of the nobility and grandmother's protection (like a fairy godmother) but the other commenters have a point, it could be historical or period piece fantasy.
I'm going with historical -- though the names scream fantasy. Is historical fantasy a genre?
ReplyDeleteHistorical fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe names, nobility, tribal blood, chamber. These all feel historical and fantasy like.
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteWith royalty! There's a historical vibe, but I think there's magic, too--the grandmother's protection.
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteGrandmother's protection and her ocher hands and black hair, candlelight, unusual name, Aryeea, descendant tribal blood, all the lovely little details read fantasy.
Historical. Although my second guess would be Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI thought historical at first, but then the grandmother's name and reference to tribes made me think FANTASY!
ReplyDeleteHISTORICAL FICTION
ReplyDeleteWorried about being married off to a cousin, nobility, Baroness. I don't know if there will be any fantasy elements later on, but for now it reads as straight up historical.
(Side note: I'm not sure if Aryeea, the Baroness, and the grandmother are all the same person or not.)
Historical Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThat line about the cousin is the absolute best! ^_^
Historical because of nobility and baroness. Fantasy because of the tribal stuff.
Paranormal
ReplyDeleteThe death-like appearance of grandma and her hair that hasn't greyed with age makes me think both characters are vampires or a witches or some such.
Confused as to who Aryeea is. If it's the main character's late grandmother, then using present tense verbs to describe the woman doesn't fit. If Aryeea is NOT the character's grandmother, I'm not sure where the grandmother is.
ReplyDeleteEither way, I'm guessing period fantasy, because of the tribes and the married to her cousin bit. Could even be high fantasy.
Unless that harp in the other room is a Camac Big Blue or something. ;)
Historical - hairpin, harp, chamber, nobility, candlelight "married to my cousin by morning",
ReplyDeleteFANTASY
ReplyDelete"Nobility" was my first real clue.
This is intriguing. I'm curious where this will go.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteIt also seems like it could be historical fiction because of the harp, drunken nobility, etc. I decided on fantasy because I couldn't place the name Aryeea in a real historical setting, and "across the sea" sounds like something a fantasy character would say, rather than "from France" or something I'd expect from an historical character.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteHarps, nobility, Baronesses, candlelight, strange names and tribal blood. I'm thinking, if it was historical, they would have normal names.
Urban fantasy.
ReplyDeleteTry linking these two sentences together: "She is only half the Baroness I knew in my childhood, but her dark hair is still as black as mine.:
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteNames, reference to tribal blood, harps.
I love this. I would keep reading.
Historical fiction, though there is a hint of possibly a turn to fantasy. Good luck, Sarah
ReplyDeleteFantasy. The Baroness's name -- which doesn't sound like something historical, as far as I can tell -- combined with the setting strongly suggest fantasy.
ReplyDeleteAnswer: Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe world mirrors South America during the Portuguese colonization of the 16th century, which is why some people thought it was historical. I'm not naming any historical names, so I guess I can't say it's Historical Fantasy. But I'm glad the historical vibe is coming through in the opening.