Elegant and restrained, with quiet emotional depth…
Tocher’s latest transforms a well-known fairy tale into a restrained meditation on compassion, pride, and the uneasy boundary between virtue and self-interest. Trapped in a life of cruelty, Aurelia never believed escape was possible—until she met Princess Kipira, a cursed royal weaving magic from the shadows. Dressed in silk drawn from moonlit webs, Aurelia enters the duke’s court and awakens the prince’s interest. But Kipira remains confined by the curse that reshaped her life, its release dependent on something more difficult than magic. As Aurelia’s circumstances shift, she must reckon with the cost of the intervention that made it possible.
Rather than emphasizing fantasy fulfillment, Tocher presents a quieter, more deliberate examination of endurance and moral agency. Aurelia is defined not by helplessness but by her refusal to allow cruelty to reshape her character. Her eventual elevation reflects the persistence of her inner stability rather than external rescue alone. Kipira is the story’s most complex presence, caught between genuine compassion and self-serving motive. Her curse operates as an ethical burden rather than simple punishment. The moonlit webs reflect the fragile nature of desire and intention. This retelling stands out for its psychological clarity and its refusal to offer redemption without moral cost.
Pub date January 5, 2026
ISBN 979-8261750680
Print Length 112 pages
Price $6.99 (USD) Paperback, $3.99 Kindle edition
