u/Affectionate-Fly7404

The daughter of a disgraced paleogeneticist discovers that her mother's classified research was true - what humanity calls angels is an ancient hominid species that harvests human souls. And she's the one born to stop them. Or help them. She hasn't decided yet.

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Hello, Beta Community.

A teenage version of me wrote the first hundred pages of this story, then life happened. Three countries, two degrees, one immigration crisis later - I came back to it. The world I ran to as a kid is now a 116K-word novel. I would love your honest eyes on it.

GENRE: Speculative fiction with sci-fi and fantasy elements. Upper YA / NA crossover. IAA is for Harry Potter fans who grew up, became parents, and are ready for something fresh instead of re-reading Philosopher’s Stone with their kids.

THEMES: Identity, belonging, trauma, and the terrifying possibility that your flaws might actually be features.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The story opens grounded - foster family dynamics, psychiatric reports, rain-soaked Galiano Island, BC - and shifts into the supernatural when 12-year-old Livia discovers her nightmares aren't dreams. They're inter-dimensional commutes. With harpies. The manuscript is dense and layered; this is not a skim book.

CONTENT NOTES: Childhood trauma and PTSD (handled with care, informed by the author's professional background in child welfare), body horror (mild), family separation, references to self-harm misdiagnosis, violence.

SENSITIVITY READS ESPECIALLY WELCOME FOR:

• Indigenous characters and cultural representation
• Foster care / child welfare system portrayal
• Protagonist's disability (blind eye, PTSD)

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:

I want to know if it feels like something you'd pick up in a bookshop. How is the pacing? Do you care about the characters? Does the plot grip you? Also:

• Does the worldbuilding land, or does it feel like homework?
• Is the protagonist's age (12 at opening) consistent with how she reads?
• Anything that pulled you out of the story.

I'm looking for brutal direct feedback. Be honest, I can take it.

WHAT I'M NOT LOOKING FOR: Line edits. Grammar notes. I have a typesetter. I need a reader.

SWAP: Open to swaps. My preferred genres: speculative fiction, sci-fi, urban fantasy. I'm a thorough reader and give structured feedback.

FIRST THREE CHAPTERS: Available upon request via DM.

BONUS: There's a 6-minute AI Deep Dive podcast about the book if you want a taste before committing: [SoundCloud link — soundcloud.com/a-mercier-569205231/i-am-andromeda]

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DM me if you're interested. Tell me a little about yourself and what you're currently reading.