Bane of Hounds, College Fae #3 by Byrd Nash

Today is the release day for Bane of Hounds, book #3 in the College Fae series. I’m really excited to share this story with you! It has some of the funniest bits I’ve written while also dealing with some serious issues.

It’s the biggest of the three books so far published – coming in at 371 pages in the print edition! For comparison, Never Date a Siren #1 was 257, and A Study in Spirits #2 was 313. There’s a lot more to cover, such as the relationship between Brigit and Logan, as well as the complicated ones between family members.

The College Fae series is marketed as YA fantasy, but the books can be enjoyed by adult readers, especially the last two. Spirits and Bane has more complex themes and draws from a rich background of legend and European history.

black cat pooka

What is Bane of Hounds about?

It’s been about 10 months since the events in A Study in Spirits where our heroes dealt with a serious pest in the library that was eating books. Life has returned to a new normal for during the remaining of Logan and Brigit’s sophomore year at Leopold Otto, Chancellor Bandemer has assigned them as mediators for problems between human and fae students.

When Bane of Hounds begins in the fall of their Junior year, Brigit is rather sick and tired of being Bandemer’s lackey.

Brigit Cullen was cold. She should be home studying for a test, not hunkered behind a hedge waiting for a wailing wraith to scream an omen of death.
“You’d think the banshee would adhere to some sort of schedule. It’s a full moon. Why can’t she show herself before we freeze to death?” Brigit grumbled to her companion, Logan Dannon.
As a dryad, the fall and winter seasons of the Human Lands made Brigit feel sluggish. Her home in the Perilous Realm had a more temperate climate than the city of Geheimetür.
Bewachterberg was south of Germany and Switzerland. Surrounded by mountains, it could get chilly even in the fall. Dealing with the cold was one of the many adjustments she had to make these last two years as a student at Leopold-Ottos-Universität Geheimetür.
She gave a sulky sideways glare at Logan. His human metabolism made him better at handling the frosty climate of mid-October. Or maybe it was the heavier coat?
When Logan didn’t respond, she muttered again, her breath making fog clouds in front of her nose, “After all, it’s not like we’re being paid by the chancellor to solve his little problems.”
“Chancellor Bandemer is good at delegating things that annoy him,” agreed Logan, who was behind the bushes with her.

Bane of Hounds

More serious problems arise when Queen Elixia, Brigit’s mother, attends a week-long symposium being sponsored by the university. Troubles double when Logan’s mother, Sarah Dannon, also arrives for a surprise visit. Logan has kept his family in the dark about his roommate and what he’s been up to at LOTTOS.

Sarah knocked again. Perhaps Logan was in class? He was such a hardworking boy.
When the door finally opened, it didn’t reveal her tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed son with the lop-sided smile. Instead, Sarah faced a short, skinny black girl wearing a challenging attitude.
“What do you want?”
Sarah was unpleasantly bewildered. While she liked keeping others off balance, Sarah was not a woman who reacted well to surprises, preferring her life to be ordered and predictable. Logan’s mother checked the number on the door again, wondering if she had made a mistake in the apartment.
“I’m looking for Logan Dannon. This is his apartment?”
“Yes, but he isn’t here at the moment. Do you want to leave a message for him?”
With her son’s residence confirmed, Sarah crossed the threshold, rolling her suitcase behind her. The girl moved hastily aside, so they wouldn’t touch each other.
“Excuse me!” snapped the black girl. She had the type of manner which Sarah immediately found distasteful. Just the type of sarcastic, smart-mouthed girl Sarah had little use for. It reminded her a lot of her niece Evelyn, and not only because both girls had dark skin.

Bane of Hounds

However, the core of the entire book revolves around the mysterious Bane, a prophesied Doom, given by the Black Dog that Logan and Brigit rescued and adopted. Who is the target for the Bane? And if it is Queen Elixia, how can Brigit save her?

Relationships between mother and their children, children and their mothers, as well as Logan and Brigit are all explored in Book 3. While Bane of Hounds does not end in a cliffhanger, there are some unanswered questions that will only be resolved in Book 4.

Hints for readers

As each book published, it’s been fascinating to read the feedback on how readers feel about the characters and what they think might happen. As an author, here are some hints:

Chancellor Bandemer has a long-term plan for both Logan and Brigit. As soon as he realized that Logan was a bard, and that Brigit was willing to be a Bond partner with a human, they interested him. That influence grows steadily throughout the series.

The Morrighan, Logan’s grandmother, also has a grand plan for Logan. It is not an accident that Logan is at Leopold Otto.

If Logan was to have a long-term relationship with Brigit, he needs a way to protect himself against the fae who would want to destroy that relationship. That will be dealt with in Book 4.

There are two more bards, and someone with talent to be a bard, at Leopold Otto.

Brigit, whether she wants the role or not, is the point of the spear to save her people.

The villain of Book 4 was introduced in Book 1.

Okay, I better stop typing! I don’t want to give any more away!

Designing a fantasy world for readers

As a reader, I find the more complex a fantasy world is for me to comprehend, the harder it is for me just to relax and enjoy the story.

When writing these books, I wanted to slowly introduce readers to the world and keep building the complexity so readers wouldn’t get lost. This allows the reader to absorb the world in smaller chunks and makes it easier for them to enjoy. I also post a comprehensive glossary in the books for anyone who wants more information.

Hence why it was always my intention for the books to gain in complexity and length as you made your way through the series, similar in the way the Harry Potter series did.

It is also why I decided to write about a university that is based in our world. It sidesteps the whole issue of understanding the basic things such as transportation, food, housing, and lays a foundation for the society (on the human side) that helps readers along.

Where can you find my fantasy books for sale?

It is now available at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Apple books.

Book One in the series, Never Date a Siren can be found free across multiple online retailers, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo.

Book Two, A Study in Spirits, is free to subscribers to my newsletter or you can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo.

In the past, I did ads for a book release and I had plans for the same here until I looked at my budget. That’s one of the realities of being self-employed, the money you spend is your own! So I think Bane of Hounds will be a stealth release until the coffers can be replenished.

I hope you enjoy!

P.S. A note about book pricing. Never Date a Siren is FREE, A Study in Spirits is $1.99 USD (of FREE if you subscribe to my newsletter), and Bane of Hounds is $2.99. At this point in the series, I hope you feel that the stories are worth paying for. It’s important that my work receive payment, and I’ve discussed the reality of pricing here.

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