A Nation Born From Fire — and the Stories That Refuse to Die
By Rin Nocturne | April 25th, 2025
Aria was never meant to be a utopia.
It was meant to be a refuge.
And like any good refuge, it’s messy, overcrowded, passionate, noisy, and full of people who refuse to stay silent.
If you’ve been following the Ashen Veil series, then you already know Aria is the glowing, gritty heart where Eleanor Sorenden’s story unfolds. But with Book 3: Embers of the Lament coming out soon, we’re diving deeper—darker—and I wanted to take a moment to talk about the real-world flames that lit the first spark.
Salem Burned for a Reason
History likes to pretend the Salem Witch Trials were just a footnote of hysteria, a cautionary tale about mass paranoia. But for many of us—those who live with generational trauma, who carry the weight of being “too much,” “too queer,” “too different”—Salem is personal.
Eleanor’s connection to Margaret Hale isn’t just a cool plot device. It’s ancestral rage. It’s what happens when the past refuses to stay buried. The Hollowborn? They're not your garden-variety horror villains. They are historical trauma made monstrous—ghosts that don’t just haunt you, they become you.
Aria: Where Escapism Meets Resistance
I created Aria as a love letter to the readers who feel like outcasts in the real world. It’s a nation birthed from the ashes of broken promises—where the disenfranchised said “screw it” and built their own future. Inspired by Japanese arcades, U.S. civil rights history, and a deeply nerdy belief in literacy clubs, Aria is what happens when artists, queer folks, neurodivergent thinkers, and racial minorities stop asking to be accepted—and take up space.
Yes, there’s magic. Yes, there’s combat and curses and sky-born sigils.
But there’s also a library scene that made me cry.
And that’s where the magic hits hardest.
Short Books, Long Shadows
Embers of the Lament doesn’t meander. It’s punchy, emotionally loaded, and written for the reader who wants to be destroyed in 100 pages or less. If you’re tired of slow-burn fantasies that take 400 pages to make eye contact, this one’s for you.
This story isn’t just about saving the world. It’s about asking:
“Can I survive my own story?”
Why This One Matters
By Book 3, Eleanor isn’t just reliving Margaret's pain—she’s deciding whether to become it. She doesn’t want to be a vessel. She wants agency. Sound familiar?
In today’s world, especially for queer, Black, or neurodivergent folks, we are often handed histories we never asked for. And yet, we carry them. Sometimes with pride. Sometimes with resentment.
Sometimes in flames.
And Aria? Aria is the fictional country that says:
“You can carry all of that. And still be whole.”
TL;DR — Why You Should Read It
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✨ You love modern fantasy with teeth
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📚 You’re a fan of tight storytelling that doesn’t waste your time
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🔥 You want a Salem-inspired curse story that doesn’t play it safe
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🏳️🌈 You need a setting where queer, Black, brown, and neurodivergent characters exist without having to “explain” themselves
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🖤 You like your magic with a side of ancestral trauma and poetic rage
So if you’re in the mood for a story that reads like an exorcism and hugs you afterward—Embers of the Lament is waiting.
The Hollowborn are watching.
But so is Eleanor.
And trust me—she’s not going down without a scream.
With fire and ink,
🖤 Rin Nocturne
P.S. Leave a review if you can! Indie stories like this survive by word of mouth, and your voice—yep, yours—might just be the spark someone else needs to pick up the book.
Can't find the preorder for the third book? Check the universal link and the Pages tabs for my books as well: Universal Ebook Store and Ashen Veil Series Info
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