sldovecooper author

Sweetness Bled and Brindled by S.L. Dove Cooper

Jewel has spent his entire life making himself as small and invisible as possible. His healing magic is rare, powerful and dangerous. If he could, he’d spend his days caring for wounded animals or those unable to afford a physician. His older brother, the crown prince, has a far different use in mind for Jewel’s powers, however. He would much rather Jewel use his magic to extract information from captures spies, or simply torment whoever Henry chooses. Briar is here to rob the royal treasury. The youngest prince was little more than a mark, but she’s grown fond of Jewel’s gentle nature. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she’s nowhere near as good as he believes. When tragedy strikes and Henry makes his move, Jewel will finally have to face his brother, or lose himself forever.

Courage Is the Price by S.L. Dove Cooper

Seventeen-year-old Rue doesn’t need anyone other than Ghost, her not-so-imaginary best friend. They’ve been inseparable for as long as Rue can remember and she shares everything with Ghost. The day before Rue returns home from school for the long holiday, Ghost disappears. Ever-fretful Rue tries to tell herself it’s fine, but she knows something is horribly, terribly wrong. She’ll have to overcome her anxiety find her courage and push her boundaries further than she ever thought possible in order to save her best friend, and perhaps make some new ones as Rue finds herself drawn into the fringes of a secret battle for human survival. Soft science fiction meets fantasy in this exciting novella-length adventure of daring and friendship.

Among the Glimmering Flowers by S.L. Dove Cooper

Felicity feels stifled by her parents' protective nature. She's the crown princess, yet she's not even allowed to care for her own pony. Her life consists of nothing but rules and permissions. All she wants is a little more freedom. Horse-friend is happy to have a roof over his head, a job that he likes and food in his stomach every day. He never expected to run into the crown princess as she tries to sneak out of the castle. Or to get caught up in her clumsy attempts at having an adventure. It isn't long before trouble, rather than adventure, finds both of them, setting them on a course that will change their lives -- and the fate of the kingdom -- forever. Among the Glimmering Flowers is the story of how two lovers first became friends and the first book in a series exploring a demisexual/allosexual romantic relationship. Readers looking for a low-conflict, cosy story should enjoy this novel.

A Harmony of Water and Weald by Dove Cooper

Kraken Collective

She warned of the pain. She did. But no warning can prepare you. Nothing can. Maris has always been intrigued by humans, whether new among them or having lived with them for a year, her curiosity remains. A Harmony of Water and Weald is a collection exploring some of Maris’s darker moments as she learns what it means to be human and a glimpse at what her life and family is like after the Sea Witch’s deadline has passed. Though her desire to learn about humanity is insatiable, her new life isn’t all sweetness and love. She’s abandoned her sisters to live among a people she doesn’t understand, walking on feet like she was never meant to. Sometimes her life is homesickness, sometimes frustration, often confusion. Always, though, it is wonder and fierce delight at life. A Harmony of Water and Weald is a companion to Sea Foam and Silence and contains pieces set both during and after events in that verse novel.

A Promise Broken by S.L. Dove Cooper

Kraken Collective

It’s a rainy day when four-year-old Eiryn has to say goodbye to her mother. Scared, confused and unwilling to do so, Eiryn tries to summon water to stop the funeral from happening and her life falls apart. Her uncle is always sad and busy; she keeps hearing her mother’s voice asking her to follow; her best friend keeps getting into fights; and some of her classmates hate her for existing. Arèn never wanted children, but he’s desperate to protect his niece from his people’s extreme caution regarding magic and other races. Kerisaoina children aren’t capable of using it and his niece is no exception. Despite being only half-kerisaoina, Eiryn is already starting to show that she’ll be one of her generation’s most talented magic-singers and those who don’t approve of her existence are trying to take advantage of a young girl’s grief. Eiryn is determined to make her uncle happy, but it’s hard to make other people happy when you have to struggle through the day yourself. She’ll find a way, though. She’s promised. And even if her mother won’t keep her word Eiryn will keep hers. She’ll make everything right again. You’ll see.

The Shimmering Prayer of Sûkiurâq by S.L. Dove Cooper

Kraken Collective

A deliciously queer magical person story in a secondary world with floating cities and airships, perfect for fans of She-Ra and Steven Universe. All thaes life, Oibe Ekêmai has wanted to become a lêqnaemi, a travelling dancer skilled at nudging the world’s magic into making everyone’s lives a little easier. Thae has trained years for their chance at the Festival of Paths, where new apprentices will be chosen. But the lêqnaemi have secrets they only reveal to those chosen to join their ranks and Oibe Ekêmai and thaes new friends soon find themselves thrust into an age-old conflict. With almost no preparation and certainly no training, their group will have to face the horrors all lêqnaemi have sworn to face and triumph, or the entire world may be lost to darkness forever.

Sea Foam and Silence by Dove Cooper

Kraken Collective

She warned of the pain. She did. But no warning can prepare you. Nothing can. Long, long ago, a little mermaid became intrigued by the way tall-crabs don’t act at all like the prey she’s more comfortable chasing. Her quest to understand will take her places she had never dreamed possible—onto land and beyond the endless cold. But quests always come with a price and hers is no exception. If she cannot find love within a year, she’ll become sea foam. With only a month left and no closer to understanding ‘love’ at all, what is Maris to do? Tall-crabs—humans—are confusing and contradictory and love comes in so many forms, how can she ever know which one is right to win her life amidst friends and family on land? Fantastical worldbuilding meets verse novels in this queerplatonic retelling of The Little Mermaid, the first story in a series of queer fairytale retellings.

The Ice Princess's Fair Illusion by Dove Cooper

Kraken Collective

All Marian wants is for society to accept that she's just not interested in... whatever society thinks she ought to be interested in. A princess with a reputation for insults and snide remarks, she's afraid to show anyone who she would be if people would let her. In a fit of temper at her refusal to marry, her father creates her worst nightmare: she is to be wed to the first beggar who arrives at the gates. Edel was visiting purely for diplomatic reasons, aiming to ensure her daughter inherits a strong and peaceful kingdom. She sees something in Marian that is achingly familiar and when Edel hears the king's proclamation, only one thing is on her mind: to protect Marian from the fate that had befallen Edel herself. Their lives threaded together by magic, Edel and Marian will have to find their way in the world in this queerplatonic, sapphic verse novel retelling of King Thrushbeard.