rating: mature (non-explicit sex, violence and mature themes)
major relationships: f/f, f/m
graphic violence
child abuse, CSA, child death
attempted genocide
domestic abuse
BDSM (D/s dynamics, sadomasochism)
The Half-Dragon Series
In a world where dragons and half-dragons have been hiding in our midst for centuries, tensions between their factions are rising. The Movrekt crime families and their leader, Nash Harkesh, would like nothing better than to rise up and subjugate humanity. The Darkhnit are sworn to protect humans and stand in the way of the Movrekt's plans.
Many people end up caught in the middle. Among them are Isis Va of the neutral Red Glade and her daughter Ezri, young inexperienced warriors of the Darkhnit like Khislon Jantus, and a handful of resisters in the Movrekt families, ranging from the lowly servant Gabiya to the prince, Nash's youngest son, Mahkai Harkesh.
Even if they can all find each other and learn to work together, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to prevent the devastation of the impending war.
See the bottom of the page for a full glossary of terms used in this series.
Book 1: The Red Glade Peacemakers
Isis Va can taste the approach of violence in the river of time, and it is bitter. All she can do is her best to make sure the Darkhnit clans aren't caught totally unprepared for the first attack. But the elders of the clans are out of practice and set in their ways, and when it comes to the youngsters - well, it'll be a job of work to stop at least one of them from running afoul of Isis's hot-tempered daughter, Ezri.
They all have a lot to learn if they want to be able to rise to the occasion and help, rather than hurt, the state of the world.
Irene's Favorite Things
My favorite part of this book is Isis's journey. I love her personality and her strength. The book really started to come together when I decided to feature her as a main character.
I'm also happy about the depth of worldbuilding we put into this series, and how it really does feel like there might be a whole other world layered under this one, just out of sight.
Book 2: The Movrekt Warmongers
Three young people find themselves trapped in the tensions and traditions of the feud between the factions of dragonkind, and rebel against the expectations of their parents.
Jacan Jantus chafes at the discipline required of a Darkhan warrior, specifically one whose father is a priest.
Mahkai Harkesh begins to see the beauty in humanity and question the things his father has drilled into him about their inferiority.
Beth Aubertin doesn't know it, but her father is one of the Silene Knights, the order of humans who pass down the knowledge of dragons and are sworn to slay them. Beth tumbles into the world of dragons from a different perspective and finds herself entangled in the politics of a world she never imagined.
Will turning away from the traditions of their families in such a volatile time doom them all?
Irene's Favorite Things
If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be catharsis. There's so much darkness, so much of people feeling trapped, and in one way or another, there are a kaleidoscope of different resolutions, most of them tragic but ultimately, I think, really satisfying.
I got to explore a lot of dark places with this one and there's a depth of emotion in it I'm not sure if I've achieved with any other work.
rating: mature (violence and mature themes)
major relationships: f/m, platonic
graphic violence
major character death
child abuse, CSA, child death
attempted genocide
patricide
internalized homophobia
How to Train Your Mafia: A Half-Dragon Story
After the war, Chivaka is faced with an untenable choice. She could abandon her people, the half-dragons of House Reseda, to their self-destructive ways. She could kill her uncle Padric to prove herself to them, and challenge the current House head, Hale, for the position. Then, at least, she might be able to change their ways from the inside.
Or, she could continue to waffle, and watch what's left of her people slip away, regardless.
She's learning magic from the Red Glade healers, but that alone won't allow her to shape the world to be the way she wishes it was. Not this time.
It will take some unconventional ideas from a new friend, but there may be a way to save her uncle and her House, after all.
Irene's Favorite Things
Overall? It has to be Eben. I came out of writing The Red Glade Peacemakers really wanting to spend more time with Eben, and I loved being able to explore him further, and especially her queerness.
But there's also a few other scenes here that I just loved writing. They're so dramatic, so theatrical. There's a theatrical quality that runs through the Half-Dragon series that I find intoxicating. Some of my favorite examples are from this novella.
rating: mature (mature themes)
major relationship: f/nb
asexual character
ableism, eugenics, executions
cisnormativity, sex normativity
age difference
The Half-Dragon Universe Glossary
Abrahamic element: earth or air, one of the two elements used to create humans in Genesis and similar myths, in which humans were shaped from earth and had life breathed into them.
air magic: an ability present in humans and half-dragons which allows them to communicate over great distances and control the spread of sound, among other things. Methods for using it include music and wireless technology. It’s often used as a side element in group castings to synch up the abilities of multiple casters, or to help project a spell onto someone else.
House Albastru:
A Movrekt family specializing in gambling and drug distribution.
Bahamut: The first known dragon, worshiped by dragons as a god and the author of many of their most revered writings, including the Chronicle.
Bahamutic element: fire or water, one of the two elements used to create dragons in the myth in which Bahamut spit fire into the sea, and the eggs of his children washed ashore.
Blue Scroll Clan:
the Darkhan clan who devote their lives to the study of history.
The Chronicle: Bahamut’s most widely-distributed work, in which he relates stories of the past and his vision for the future of dragons.
Copper Eye Clan:
the Darkhan clan who devote their lives to the study of science and medicine.
Darkhan:
the faction of dragons opposed to the hunting of humans. Darkhnit are generally of Eastern descent, with wingless bodies and metallic scales in their true form. “Darkhan” is the most widely adopted translation of their original name for themselves, which is the Draconic word for “craftsman.”
Draconic: the original dragon language, perhaps the first language to be spoken.
dragon: although this originally referred to the reptilian sentient beings that descended from dinosaurs, it is also used as a shorthand for the category including dragons changed into humanoid form and any person with dragon ancestry.
drake: an adult male dragon or half dragon.
earth magic: an ability present in humans and half-dragons which allows them to craft minerals with precision, e.g. forging metal parts and creating silicon structures which can store information.
fire magic: an ability present in dragons and half-dragons which allows them to control combustion, which is used both to compensate for their cold-blooded biology and as an offensive weapon.
Golden Scroll Clan:
the Darkhan clan who devote their lives to the study of the writings of Bahamut.
great spell: a spell which includes more energy than that inherent in the caster or the receiver of the spell. This includes most spells other than healing or body modification such as sensory enhancement.
half-dragon/halfie: these may refer to a being with any combination of human and dragon ancestry.
Harkesh: a descendant of Velius, Bahamut’s oldest son. Nash Harkesh was the leader of the Movrekt.
House Harkesh:
The First House. The head of House Harkesh leads the Movrekt. Harkesh specializes in the purchase and smuggling of weapons and drugs.
hatchling: a dragon or half dragon who has not yet reached adulthood. Commonly used to refer to any dragon under the age of thirty.
Iron Scale Clan:
the Darkhan clan who specialize in the arts and crafts.
Movrekt:
Those who followed Nash Harkesh, traditionally of European stock, with featherless wings in their true form.
pureblood: a person descended from only dragons, who may appear humanoid merely because of a spell cast on their ancestors which has been passed on to them.
rakthah: an herb which enhances the natural healing abilities of dragons and half-dragons.
the Reaper: a name given to Nash Harkesh due to his activities in Medieval Europe.
the Red Glade:
a group of dragons formed after the last dragon war, dedicated to peace, healing, and defensive fighting.
House Reseda:
A Movrekt family. Having recently gained influence in a larger portion of both Europe and the US, House Reseda has made their mark on the loan shark and money laundering sides of the business.
Silene Knights: A human order of knights, dedicated to the eradication of dragons and associated with St. George.
Silver Horn Clan:
the Darkhan clan who devote their lives to the disciplines of combat.
true eyes: when a disguised dragon or a half-dragon wishes to either see better or to intimidate, the nictitating membranes which disguise their true eyes draw back and a colored glow is seen.
House Viresca:
A Movrekt family specializing in the sex trade and human trafficking.
water magic: an ability present in dragons and half-dragons which allows them to control water, and which, if properly trained, they can use to heal or otherwise change themselves and others.
wyrm: a term for the large carnivorous dinosaurs from which dragons are directly descended.
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