A call for beta readers!

*NOW CLOSED* I am OFFICIALLY looking for beta readers for the first book in my WIP fantasy series! Blood of Old (Graceborn #1) is a 195,000-word novel about two brothers, one a healer and the other a troublemaker, thrown into an ancient conflict where they both have a role to play. Keep reading for more information and details on how to apply! →

“The Old has returned…and what once was, will be again.”

For a thousand years none have dared to enter the Tainted Land, but when Asa O’Dair spills sacred blood on its once-sacred soil, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, an evil long-thought vanquished begins to stir.

Now, Asa and his adopted brother Kael must travel to the city-state of Asphodel, where treachery and dissent lurk within the ranks of the Graceborn, and they learn that a great and terrible destiny awaits them both.

Complete at 195k words, Blood of Old is the first book in an epic fantasy series about brothers and blood, swords and songs, and the struggle against the greatest evil of all.

Read the full blurb

About the characters

🎭 AUDIENCE

The Graceborn series is fantasy of the epic variety. While I’m not willing to put an exact age range on it at this stage, know that it is not YA, but may be appropriate for upper-YA readers. I’d love to get feedback from an audience familiar with the epic fantasy genre and popular titles by authors like Sanderson, Jordan, Rothfuss, Islington etc. (not that I’m comparing myself to them—just the genre of our stories! 😂).

📝 FEEDBACK PROCESS

Blood of Old is 195,000 words long (which sounds like a lot, but is pretty typical for the genre) and broken into three parts. For the beta reading process, I’ve split these parts in half again to create 6 x 6-7 chapter “volumes”, each of which is ~100 A4 pages. I will provide these one at a time in MS Word format, along with the supporting materials (maps etc.) and guiding questions that will direct the kind of feedback I’m after. Turnaround time is completely negotiable around your other commitments, as I’m fully aware this will likely be a long process!

⚠ CONTENT WARNINGS

In the interests of full disclosure, Blood of Old does contain some fairly “adult” themes and content. I have included below a list of key content warnings, so if any of these subjects are a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to comment or send me a message.

Themes – Representation of depression & dysphoria (on-page), mention of previous suicide attempts (not shown), mention of previous sexual assault of a minor (not shown)
Violence – Graphic violence in the context of skirmishes, battles, and murder (on-page), multiple physical altercations between characters (on-page), corporal punishment of a POV character (on-page)
Sexual content – Two scenes between two separate pairs of consenting adults (fade-to-black in nature)
Coarse language – Does include occasional coarse language, but mostly terms and phrases developed for this world

🔄 RECIPROCATING

If you have a WIP for which you are also looking for beta readers (or will be sometime in the next few months), I’m willing to reciprocate! I read a wide range of genres for both YA and adult audiences, so if you’re interested in getting some more feedback be sure to let me know!

If you’re interested in beta reading Blood of Old, please fill out your details in the form below (view in web browser) and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Alternatively, you can DM me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, or send through an email via my contact page.