u/Both_Delivery5005

Hello, I wanted to thank the sub for the advice I received last time, and for existing in general. There's so much information on here! Anyways, I have revised this a few times, so I wanted to get more feedback! Do the comps make sense? That was the hardest part to put together.

Dear [Agent Name],

I am seeking representation for La Sanguina, an Aztec and Nahua-inspired young adult fantasy novel with romance. Complete at 74,000 words, it combines the slow-burn romance and character-driven narrative of Tahereh Mafi’s This Woven Kingdom with the atmosphere and myth-inspired storytelling of Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea.

Sanguina's red hair and eyes are a shameful reminder of her mother’s death, a crime she has been punished for her whole life. She isn’t content to die an ostracized girl in a mountain village and plans to leave as soon as she can. When her village decides to sacrifice her to their cruel patron god, however, it seems her life will end before it has a chance to begin.

But Sanguina doesn’t die. And, when Sanguina meets that god, he is not what she expects. Ezzo is an isolated and studious boy trapped in a cycle of reincarnation. In him, Sanguina finds her first friend and, with his help, she discovers her affinity for magic. But Sanguina begins to experience dizzy spells, and they realize something terrible: Ezzo's predecessor gave up his remaining years to revive her, and that borrowed life is rapidly running out. As they search desperately for answers, they uncover another horrible truth: Ezzo’s divinity is actually a divine punishment for a crime nearly lost to time.

Their search for solutions leads them to Atenteyo, a sprawling city where scholars study the nature of magic. They are taken in by a pair of kind siblings who offer them access to critical knowledge, but Sanguina soon learns that the siblings have problems of their own. With her life on the line, Sanguina must fight her despair and save her and Ezzo’s future before the year is out.

[one sentence bio]. I adore the fantasy genre, and that love is reflected in all of my current projects. I never saw any Aztec-inspired fantasy novels when I was younger, so I wanted to fill that gap by writing one. I thank you sincerely for your time and consideration.

Hello! This is my first attempt at writing a query letter, so I would love some feedback. Also, I am struggling with comp titles. I would really appreciate any ideas or advice.

Dear Agent Name,

I am seeking representation for LA SANGUINA, an Aztec-inspired young adult fantasy novel with romance. Complete at 74,000 words, it [comp titles]

Sanguina’s short and miserable life is over. Her father and the elders have decided to sacrifice her to their village’s cruel patron god, the Torn One. She was stillborn and everyone says he did her a favor at birth by answering her prayer to sacrifice her mother’s life for her own. The priestesses think he’ll come to collect soon, so they kindly hasten the process by shoving her off a cliff.

But much to her surprise, her life doesn’t end there. And, even more strangely, the Torn One is a boy her age. Confined to his cave and trapped in an eternal cycle of reincarnation, Ezzo is even more isolated than Sanguina and seems more human than god. The pair bond over a shared interest in magic, and, for the first time, Sanguina has a friend who doesn’t judge her for her appearance. This brief period of happiness is all she is afforded, however, as she soon realizes that the previous Torn One had not simply revived her the night she was born. He had gifted his remaining years to her, and that time would soon run out.

Sanguina and Ezzo’s search for a solution leads them to the great city of Atenteyo, a hub of learning and magic. There, they meet a kind pair of siblings: Tico, a noble and power-hungry warrior and Xochitl, a sweet young girl whose dreams are as doomed as Sanguina’s. Sanguina relishes the experience of a warm, loving family, but the siblings’ lives aren’t as serene as they seem. Xochitl, only fourteen, will be married next year and Tico will do anything to stop it. And, as he learns more and more about Sanguina and Ezzo, he realizes their power might be the answer to his problems.

BIO

Thank you for your consideration and time.

First 300 words:

"You're a murderer," Father spat. He says that about as often as I imagine other fathers tell their daughters they love them.

"And you're a sorry old man," I muttered. I rolled my eyes as I scrubbed a stain out of the floor. It was the truth. Just like me being a murderer was the truth. Everyone in the village knows I killed my mother.

My mother labored for hours on the night of my birth, but I emerged pale, silent, and still. It was only after her soul had sluiced out of her and stained the birthing bed red that I let out a wail. Only after she had gone still. Everyone says I sacrificed her soul to live. That my selfish crying was a plea to the Bled One to siphon my mother's soul away and funnel her lifeblood into me. That’s why they knew I was a bad seed, self-centered and evil from the moment of my birth. And that's why the Bled One marked me.

My eyes had fluttered open an hour after birth, red as sin. Red like the blood that stained the snow my mother was laid to rest in. Father was outraged and wanted me killed then, but the midwife talked him down. Even as her bloodied hands shook, she protected me. But not out of any kindness. She feared the retribution that could result from killing a child marked by a god. So I lived. To make my sin even clearer, my hair grew in as red as my eyes. My father named me only after seeing it. He named me Sanguina, the color of the stains left by my mother's passing. I scrubbed the floor harder. A stain. That's all I am to him.