Finally wrote the ending of my WIP and have it out to the beta readers - now for the hardest part, somehow summing it up in a tasty query. I'm currently reading the two listed comps, but think they'll be on point. As for Novick or Kingfisher- I think my tone is closer to Novick, but her fairy tales (Uprooted, Spinning Silver) are a little older than recommended.
[Personalized Intro]
The only thing worse than being offered like chattel to buy a dragon’s army is being refused as worth less than an ox. When her uncle offers her up in place of a missing tribute on behalf of his kingdom, the dragon’s arrogant emissary, Audun, says the dragon isn’t interested in thralls and only takes the worthy into his service. Sigrun won’t stand for that humiliation; she demands the emissary present her and let the dragon decide her worth.
On the journey, Sigrun’s spirit and latent gift of Siedr impresses Audun, who promises to put in a good word for her. The dragon, Vidmyrkr, agrees, offering Sigrun a position as his storyteller in exchange for protecting her people. To her surprise, both Audun and the dragon treat her as a valuable advisor rather than property. She also can’t help but fall for Audun, who isn’t so arrogant as she initially believed.
But her burgeoning hopes come crashing down when she accidentally touches the dragon’s treasure and discovers a terrifying truth: Audun and Vidmyrkr are two faces of one gold coin. And while those feelings were definitely mutual, the dragon views them as unnatural and says they cannot be.
Even worse, those mutual feelings threaten to turn Sigrun back into a bargaining chip. Odin is supporting her people’s enemy for his own ends and Sigrun provides the perfect hostage to use against both the dragon and her uncle. Now, to save her people and to claim an impossible love, Sigrun must harness her inner dragon and storytelling magic to write her own destiny.
This standalone romantasy with series potential is set in the Norse world of the 9th century. It combines the lush mythical setting of Demi Winter’s The Road of Bone and Danielle Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood with the competent heroines and respectful love interests of [T. Kingfisher/Naomie Novick?].
[Bio stuff]