[QCrit] YA romantasy, THE BLOOD OF ZELLANDINE (97k/4th attempt)
Hi all, It's been a few months, but I'm back with a reworked query letter, trying to focus more on the romance. I feel good about my metadata and bio, but would love feedback on my summary. Thanks!
[metadata sets this up as a sleeping beauty reimagining]
Seventeen-year-old Zella pricked her finger, and her prince never showed. After a century-long sleep, she's determined to take back her throne from Malvenia, the fae queen who cursed her. Armed with a heart full of hope, an adorable rat, and a magical singing voice, she searches the treacherous woods for the fae allies she hopes will help her reclaim her crown.
Callum has obeyed Malvenia’s orders for a decade, striving to avoid the fate his parents met when they rebelled against her. Sent to capture Zella, his comrades flee at the command of her bewitching voice. But her magic has no effect on Callum. He apprehends the princess and begins their trek to Malvenia, hoping his success will stave off her ire–at least for today.
Zella schemes to turn her abductor into an ally, but her efforts are frustrated by Callum's refusal to speak to her. However, when a chance encounter reveals that Callum is deaf, an unexpected explanation for her magic’s failure, Zella realizes she must use notes and sign language to communicate with her captor. As the perils of the wood grow deadlier, the two work together to survive. Against his better judgment, Callum finds himself swept up in Zella’s dream for better days, and she can’t help but fall for the heart she uncovers beneath his stony exterior.
Before they can have their happily ever after, Zella and Callum must kill Malvenia and right a century of wrongs, but if they fail, a curse far worse than sleep awaits them.