Summary

Everyone forgets Nova. Not in the way you forget a name at a party. In the way a tide forgets a footprint. For seven years, Nova Skye Tyrell has done the impossible by being unforgettable online and unmemorable in person. She's a champion gymnast with a loyal digital following of millions, a mouthy bounty hunter who gets paid in cash and snacks, and the only person in the world still searching for her best friend, Aurelia, who vanished the night they were children. Everything changes the night an ancient hunter named Garrick walks into a burning opera house and says her name. He remembers her. He shouldn't. Nobody does. And the same night, a brass compass in the hands of a cold-eyed commander starts to point at her like she's the last true north in the world. Now she's tangled up in a race for something called the Instrument: a circuit of seven gifts, built from seven women, with a missing piece at its heart that everyone wants and nobody can quite remember. Rogue Directorate commanders, Fae archivists, mirror-walking assassins, and a certain ridiculous, beloved wolf-shifter all stand between Nova and the truth. So do her own bruises, her own gaps, and the strange gold ache in her chest that keeps answering questions she hasn't asked. She will lose a fight. She will fall in love, slowly and badly. She will cry in a public restroom and then rob a vault. And if she's very lucky, she'll find out why a world that forgets her still keeps leaving the door open. Because here's the thing about forgetting: it's only a curse until somebody remembers. Features: Snarky first-person-flavored close third (Nova only), slow-burn romance, found family, ancient magic, humor with a heartbeat, and a ceramic chicken. Book Two follows Aurelia. Do not skip Book Two. Content notes: Fantasy violence, mild language, a fade-to-black romantic arc, and one extremely stressed donkey.

Genre: Fantasy

Author: Aurelialobo

Status: 11h ago

Chapters: 11

Rating: n/a

Age Rating: 18+

Welcome!! 🤗

Welcome to the World of Astrilds & Magic

(Please keep your arms and legs inside the book at all times. We are not responsible for lost sleep, emotional damage, or sudden urges to adopt a ceramic chicken.)

Hi. Hello. Welcome. You're probably wondering what you've gotten yourself into.

So am I, honestly. I've been wondering for twenty-four years.

Here's the short version. There's a whole world sitting right on top of yours, like a hot-pink sticky note on a very boring fridge. It's full of magic, monsters, politics, and men who say "I am not afraid of anything" right before stepping on a rake. Most humans never notice it. That's on purpose. Mostly.

I notice it. Constantly. It's a whole thing.

Your Cheat Sheet (No Quiz, I Promise)

Astrilds: Old magical bloodlines. Think royalty, but with more fire and fewer polite dinner parties. Each clan carries its own gift.

Earth: Where I live. Where I pay my electric bill. Where I have 12.8 million followers who think I'm hilarious and, statistically, will forget my name by Thursday.

Lyria: The other place. The magic one. Gorgeous, dangerous, extremely allergic to straight answers.

The Forgetting: Here's my deal. People forget me. Supernatural people, specifically. Names, faces, whole conversations. I could save your life on Monday and you'd ask me for directions on Tuesday. It's super great for my self-esteem.

Krishna: My partner. Ancient, sarcastic, carries a cane he absolutely does not need, and knows eleven things he will not tell me. I love him. I have never once been given a straight answer by him.

Garrick: Tall. Dark. Dangerous. Deeply annoying. Has a dimple he thinks nobody's noticed. (I noticed.) We don't discuss it.

Gerald: A ceramic chicken in sunglasses. He's the most stable relationship I've ever had. Do not make fun of Gerald.

The Pain: I wake up with bruises I didn't earn. Don't ask. I'm still working on it. (See: Krishna, straight answers.)

House Rules for Readers

1. Everything is a trap. Especially the friendly stuff.

2. If a man tells you he's "just a regular guy," check his hands for fangs.

3. Snacks are not optional. Neither is a backup plan.

4. Bring a sense of humor. You will need it. So will I.

5. Don't trust the mirror.

A few things you should know before we start. I'm going to be funny when I'm terrified. I'm going to be loud when I'm lost. I'm going to make terrible decisions and then make them work. And I am going to find the girl I lost, even if I have to burn down a few magic worlds to do it.

I'm told that's "not a healthy coping strategy."

I'm told a lot of things.

Welcome to the world of Astrilds. Hold on tight. Don't let go of the chicken.

Nova Skye Tyrell

P.S. If you meet someone who remembers me, tell them I said hi. It happens so rarely I'd like to keep count.