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@katy-walker I’m halfway through The Dragon Prince. So far, the plot seems solid. I’ve noticed clear, defined plot beats– Bethia’s arrival, Robert’s arrival, Altaio deciding to go to the pool and make an attempt to un-curse himself. However, something huge is missing: Altaio’s emotions. This character could be fascinating. He’s in a dark place: abandoned by everyone he’s ever known, stripped of the princely authority that seems to have made up his very identity, cursed to transform into a murderous beast on a nightly basis. But… his emotional reactions to all these hardships he experiences are muted. Some ideas for bringing them to life:

-Focus on his relationship with his mother. Choose one memory that encapsulates all she represents to him, then have him dredge at some significant moment. Maybe she cared for him after he was mauled by a bear, and now every time he sees a bear prowling about the edges of Puliel Wood, the reality of her absence is driven home. How has the loss of his mother changed him?

-Have him at least be somewhat attracted to Bethia. He’s been living in complete solitude for years. When he finally sees another person, he’s going to be interested. Doubly so if it’s a beautiful young woman.

-Give him much, much stronger reactions to killing that little girl while in his dragon-form. Torment him. Tear him apart with guilt. When something goes his way, have the ghost of that girl haunt him, reminding him of the evil deeds that he has done and probably continues to do. Drive him to the brink of insanity, so that he will be willing to do anything to escape this curse for once and for all.

Are people in Altair’s world alternate versions of Earthlings? I’m asking this mainly because Bethia and Robert seem like almost exactly the same characters as Lady Katherine and Gilbert.

I will read the rest of the story. I probably should have already, but I got distracted by Brent Week’s Lightbringer series.