Good morning, book friends! I’m so excited to share today’s post with you. I have the immense pleasure of sharing with you an exclusive excerpt and cover reveal for a book that I am so excited about: A Song of Silver and Gold! This sapphic retelling of The Little Mermaid is going to blow us all away and I can’t wait! Please get excited with me and welcome Melissa Karibian to Bookish Brews!
Bookish Brews Snapshot
A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian
Princess Kae of Avalon is determined to get revenge on the sirens for the murder of her brother. Aqeara, of the siren kingdom of Meyrial, is on a quest to carve out Kae’s heart in exchange for a spell to bring Meyrial’s dead princess back to life. But no one could have prepared them for the whirlwind romance they fall into when their paths cross.
💖 Queer Romance 🗺️ Adventure Fiction ✂️ Retelling 🌳 Found Family
- Genre: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
Exclusive Book Excerpt
“You and your men are doomed.” The siren smiled as she spoke in an accent that I hoped did not sound too similar to mine.
Her eyes turned black as her pupils were immersed in the inky color. Green scales appeared on her cheekbones and I knew that she was about to strike. I crawled forward right as the siren clamped her mouth down on Kae’s arm. Before she could sink her teeth too far into Kae’s bicep, Kae ran her sword through the siren with her free hand.
“NO!” I shouted in protest as the siren’s eyes went wide. Her body dissolved rapidly until nothing but a small pile of sand remained.
Birch rushed forward and poured alcohol on Kae’s shallow wound. She shoved him back and then turned to me.
My eyes were livid. I did not need a mirror to show me that. I was filled with rage at the death of my own kin.
That could have been me, I thought to myself.
If I were in my true form right now, my cheeks would be covered in red scales. I did not think twice before I lunged at Kae, dagger in my hand. I tilted the blade under her chin, forcing the captain to meet my eyes. Several men stepped forward to intervene, but Kae held a hand up to halt them. Her eyes held an equal amount of rage when they met mine.
“You said you would let me speak, to teach you about the sirens. You have avoided me this entire time and killed one before I even had the chance to say a word to you!” I shouted and became aware of the crew slowly and silently inching forward, not wanting to startle me with their movements.
They had all taken their ear coverings out; the threat of the siren was no longer present. I dug my blade deeper until a singular drop of blood welled over the thin slice I made. A flicker of anguish crossed Kae’s eyes, but her expression did not betray her.
“And you said you would do nothing to interfere, yet here we are. Get your fucking blade off my neck before I throw you overboard!” Kae shouted in a voice so cruel that the small hairs on the back of my neck rose.
I lowered the dagger, knowing I was outnumbered. I kicked the pile of sand into the ocean, returning the siren’s body to the ocean. Her soul would be at peace. My feet carried me down the stairs that led below deck before my brain could give in to my temptations of gutting Kae.
Pure hatred radiated off of me like steam. Everything in my vision was red. I was so close to ending all of this. All I had to do was lower the blade several inches and plunge it into Kae’s heart. Her crew would have murdered me before I could escape. There would probably not be enough time to carve her heart out and throw it into the ocean. I shuddered.
Calm down.
I witnessed a siren being gutted right before my very eyes.
Be sensible.
Nothing made sense anymore. I threw my daggers into the wall with such force that the blades embedded themselves halfway into the wood. I walked over and retrieved them, pulling them out in a way that did the most damage. As I got my daggers, I noticed a small bedding in the corner below the holes I made. I plopped down and tried to steady my breathing, resting my head against the wall behind me.
The Book Cover
