Being a princess isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Apparently, things get even worse when your older brother is better than you in everything. Tired of remaining in another's shadow, Lorelei learns this lesson the hard way when she undertakes an epic adventure to win her father's affection—with disastrous results. It soon occurs to her that the outside world is entirely different from what she has been used to, and she is obliged to learn its workings in order to survive.
Violently thrust into hostile and alien surroundings, Lorelei needs to subvert its rules to her advantage. She is given the chance to do so when an accidental misunderstanding earns her the respect of the local juveniles, placing her in a position of power within their circles. Suddenly, everything seems to have changed for the better. Surely it can't hurt to maintain this illusion for a little while longer? Bending a few morals along the way isn't too high of a price to pay, given the alternatives. What could possibly go wrong?
Too bad she hasn't counted on how attractive the first taste of power can be. Or how difficult it is to hold on to it. Or how often it is that people only recognize the importance of something after that thing has been well and truly lost.
The narrative poem was released in hardcover and paperback format and is available at www.eludoran.com
This book provides examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: No one over the age of 14 seems capable of making important decisions or getting anything done. Somewhat Truth in Fiction since the adults tend to become mired in larger issues of state security and politics. It takes a year-long absence of his daughter before Arulaine even starts to take matters seriously, and even more time to spur himself to do something about it. Then again, he WAS battling depression at the time, so...
- Axe-Crazy: What most people consider Sheriden to be. Understandable, since he has a habit of scavenging from recently-dead corpses and talking to his tail. He's not
- Children Are Special: Cubs appear more capable at the racial trait of song-based magic than adults.
- Children Forced to Kill: Part of the bear empire's Training from Hell designed to produce Child Soldiers.
- Child Soldiers: Winterhold's troops include children.
- Doorstopper: 800+ pages of rhyming couplets make this a contender.
- Enfant Terrible: Lorelei. She leaves behind an impressive number of dead friends in her wake.
- Forbidden Friendship: Between Pendarynn and Lorelei, whose parents hate each other. May overlap with Star-Crossed Lovers.
- Inadequate Inheritor: What Lorelei believes she is. Subverted. Her dad doesn't think so at all.
- Incest Subtext: Happens occasionally. What else should you expect from foxes?
- Imaginary Friend: Rix to Sheriden. subverted
- Impossible Task: Lorelei's quest. Break into the heart of The Empire and steal back the remains of her brother. Which the Evil Overlord is wearing as a fur coat. Nothing to it, right?
- Kid Sidekick: Malachi and Tabaqui to Lorelei. Also Rixaldin to Sheriden— or is it the other way round?
- Knight Templar Parent: Arulaine is perfectly willing to risk the future of his kingdom to save his daughter. Everything he does is for her own good. Too bad he doesn't know how to express it.
- Little Stowaway: Lorelei stows away with some traders to begin her adventures.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: Tabaqui encounters one shortly after dying
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Towards the end of the poem, Lorelei reunites with her dad in similar fashion. It doesn't end well.
- Magic Feather: The ability of Nepenthe petals to ward off 'evil' depends on the user's own faith.
- Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: Anvira died giving birth to Lorelei. Her dad doesn't take it all that well.
- Mature Animal Story: Death, genocide, terrorism...
What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?? - Meaningful Name: 'Lorelei' is another name for sirens who lure sailors to their doom.
- Metaphorically True: Bloodfang's new armor is technically invincible against 'weapons of war'. Or is it?
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Bloodfang
- Narrative Poem: The entire story, all 800 pages of it.
- Precocious Crush: Malachi develops feelings for Marissa eventually.
- The Promise: Characters are in the habit of making vows, apparently. Often, oaths carelessly said can come back to haunt them later on in life—like Arulaine's enmity towards the Skaven race.
- Protected by a Child: Arulaine's last stand is thwarted by his enemy's newest lieutenant; Lorelei
- Red Baron: The Harlot Queen; The Hidden One
- Satire: Of its genre. Protagonist is a heroine instead of a hero, the strong/capable female turns out to be not so strong/capable in ways clear to the others, love triangles don't work out to the heroine's advantage, and there is no happily-ever-after.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Malachi and Lorelei. Well, foster-siblings anyway.
- So Proud of You: Lorelei learns this from her father eventually. Too bad that by then it's too late.
- Teens Are Monsters: Carnessian. Pendarynn, to some lesser extent. Also Lorelei—eventually
- The Un Favourite: Lorelei next to Llane
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Lorelei's epiphany
- Three-Act Structure: The story is a poem in three acts.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: All Lorelei wants is for her dad to acknowledge her.
- Why Are You Not My Son?: Arulaine seems to like his nephew Malachi more than his daughter and make comparisons between them
- Wizard Duel: Malachi vs. Aurin. Also between Malachi and Lorelei
- You Can Turn Back: Lorelei gives Tabaqui a chance to turn back. She is given her own chance to turn back later on. Both of them should have accepted, really.
- You Should Have Died Instead: Arulaine's implied attitude to Lorelei, after his wife and son's deaths. He doesn't actually mean it
- Younger Than They Look: The Skaven weasel race; who are mortal but don't appear to go through puberty. Even their adults and elders retain the appearances of young children.
