Reposted by Cara Castro
Cara Castro
@caracastro.bsky.social
101 followers 109 following 11 posts
fantasy romance author sharing writing tips & fave reads 💕 tired bi Latina Rep: Weaver Literary
fantasy romance author sharing writing tips & fave reads 💕 tired bi Latina Rep: Weaver Literary
![[The background is a city at night. Red blood splatters decorate the upper right and lower left corners. In the center is the book's cover: a black inkblot in the shape of a skull against a red background.]
A Reader's Guide to THE DEVOURING
PITCH
Jason and Ayana are happily married in an arrangement that keeps their lives parallel but separate. In the wake of his brother's murder and her discovery of an impossible illness, however, they must work together to learn the truth behind these mysterious events. Along the way, they uncover an occult conspiracy at the heart of their city—and the malevolent god lurking beyond its veil.
Told from the perspectives of the story's villains, The Devouring is an adult cosmic horror and thriller novel about the monsters we choose.
TROPES
- married main characters
- villain protagonists
- dangerous criminal underworld
- mysterious cults
- terrifying body horror
- an incomprehensible eldritch god
COMPS
- THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE by H. P. Lovecraft
- JOHN WICK](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3mbiqnsd5kcchkt53vldmoan/bafkreib32g5ymjfhrh5eowzx2xdxbmvuzncmlwc3olzayw3qzxqiv7753u)
![[The background is an image of three pomegranates, one of which is cut in half, showing seeds. The image is tinted a dark pink fading into black.]
A Reader's Guide to THE HEART IS A WEAPON
TROPES
- toxic vampire lovers
- age gap romance
- found family (sort of)
- siblings on opposing sides
- unreliable narrator
- predator/prey imagery
- humanity vs. monstrosity
- conflicting identity
- love as a choice
PITCH
Ten years after her death and disappearance, a vampire must choose between the tender past she left behind and the seductive promises of the future. Both have her heart. Which one will she betray?
COMPS
- MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- HANNIBAL
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
- THE LESSER DEAD by Christopher Buehlman](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3mbiqnsd5kcchkt53vldmoan/bafkreielvsrqlvo62fjm2aj4pjatjybfr22ykpu6pkknuevwrulozxc2ny)
![[The background is an aerial image of a city at twilight with multiple skyscrapers in the center.]
A Reader's Guide to WHAT THE IRON GAVE US
TROPES
- dual POV
- bodyguard romance
- sweet FMC x bad boy MMC
- near-future, alternative Earth setting
- fantasy house politics
- magic inspired by Dune and Star Wars
- found family and the importance of male friendships
PITCH
After a fateful accident puts her father into a coma, a young noblewoman and her lowborn bodyguard must navigate a dangerous game of corporate espionage and city politics, or else lose everything they hold dear ... including each other.
COMPS
- DUNE by Frank Herbert
- JADE CITY by Fonda Lee
- the Shadowrun TTRPG](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3mbiqnsd5kcchkt53vldmoan/bafkreie3mfv4kuq26myzkm5j7fa4pzpjjqwjerg52pjsh63m67i7bsw3tm)