Changes

RDS: A lot of people hate Princess Ava, so I don’t mind you saying that at all! I’ve always been a big supporter of villains in literature (my favourite character in Gormenghast is Steerpike, for example) and I often feel like villains are much more charismatic and interesting than the heroes. So I was curious if I could create a villain that wouldn’t inspire such sympathy in readers, and I think with Ava I succeeded. I like to think, though, that there is some good in her somewhere – maybe she would have become more self-aware when she grew up...though probably not! Writing someone that loathsome is incredibly fun, because she is so desperate for power that she’ll say or do almost anything. I also think Ava is interesting because even though she’s probably the most despicable character in the story, she still isn’t the primary villain, since she has no real power. The plot is very much moved along by people she would look down on as peasants, and she has very little control over anything. Which is probably why she tortures Acario so much, since that’s the only power she has.

* '''BB: I won't give anything away, but there's a hugely important episode near the beginning of the book that shapes Princess Ava and her cousin Prince Arcario's relationship from that moment but is skimmed briefly. Does this mean there'll be a prequel to look forward to when the event and the things that lead up to it will have their own novel?'''