In Deeper Waters

Prince Taliesin of Harth turns sixteen and finally leaves the palace walls he has hidden behind for years. His kingdom fears magic ever since a past king turned it into a weapon, so Tal has always kept his own power secret. His coming-of-age tour by ship is meant to be safe and uneventful.

Two days out, his crew finds a burning derelict ship carrying a strange treasure and a captive named Athlen. Tal frees him and feels an instant pull toward him. Athlen vanishes into the sea soon after, and Tal assumes he is dead until they meet again on land.

The connection between them deepens, and Tal has to decide whether to trust Athlen with the magic he has never told anyone about. Tal is bisexual, and the pull between them is immediate. Before that trust can settle, pirates seize him to force his power into the open and spark a war between kingdoms.

Athlen becomes the one person willing to risk everything to free him. In Deeper Waters is a young adult fantasy adventure with pirates, magic and a slow-building queer romance, closer to a fairy tale than to grim political intrigue. It stands on its own, with no sequel, and was named to the 2022 ALA Rainbow Book List.