The Elementalists: Book 2
Destiny. Danger. Destruction. Master magick against the odds in your second year at Penderghast College of Elemental Magicks! More secrets and adventures await in Book 2 of The Elementalists, out tomorrow. Now let's chat with our resident fantasy writers for a preview of what's to come:
(Readers beware, spoilers ahead!) Give us the lowdown on Book 2! What's next for the Penderghast crew?
Maya: Book 1 left us with the mystery of the girl in the locket, and that's only the tip of the iceberg for this year's adventures. Of course, you and your friends will be learning new spells and getting invites to the most exclusive parties... but watch out! There's a big storm headed your way.
Book 1 kicked off with a quiz to determine your elemental Attunement. What magickal new features have you been brewing up for Book 2?
Maya: Let's just say, some of the major choices you made in Book 1 will affect how your story progresses in Book 2, while the choices you make in this book will have even heavier consequences going forward.
Chelsa: There's definitely some new features in Book 2! One of my favorites is that we added spell icons to some of the choices so you know what kind of magic goes with each choice. All that we have in store for you guys wouldn't be possible without our awesome design and QA teams... so shout-out to them for putting up with all our crazy schemes and making the magick happen!
Will we be meeting anyone new at Penderghast? Will they be friends or foes?
Maya: Oh, we'll be meeting plenty of delightful new faces. Many would like to think of themselves as friends, but between you and me, I've got my eye on some of them. Or maybe I'm just eyeing that impeccable fashion sense...
Emi: There are so many new people you're going to meet, including some of your friends' families! Whether or not they end up as your friends or foes, well, that depends on you!
What's been the most fun part of working on Book 2? What are you looking forward to players reading?
Maya: I've loved getting to write a whole bunch of new, non-human characters! We've really expanded the scope of the magickal world in Book 2, and I can't wait for players to encounter these characters that our art team has brought to life so vividly.
Chelsa: The most fun part has been our team dynamic and our openness to new ideas. My favorite story moments from Book 1 (and Book 2) were things that we didn't initially plan for, but later came up with as we delved deeper into outlining and mapping out the world's lore. If you think Book 1 was intense, you haven't seen anything yet!
Emi: Bringing Aster and Atlas to Penderghast as students is something we've had planned from the very beginning, back when we were planning Book 1, and it's so satisfying to see it pan out in Book 2. I love writing Atlas and Aster's different reactions to experiencing school for the first time. We also finally get to meet a mermaid, which I've personally been dying for since we started The Elementalists.
John: It's been a lot of fun exploring your crew's personalities in more detail. There will be drama, laughter, tears, the works! Book 2 will really test the limits of your friendships, but I'm confident you and your friends will come out of it stronger than ever.
Jessica: I can't count the number of times we've seen new character art from our epic art team, or brainstormed a new character, and all of us collectively went "OMG YES" or "I WOULD DIE FOR HER." The new world lore, characters, and story we have planned for you is some next level stuff. Get ready!
Learning magick is no joke! Who's your ideal Penderghast study buddy?
Maya: Griffin! He's the perfect study buddy, if you ask me. We're both focused, so we'd get all our studying out of the way early, and then we'd chill out while listening to his new Muses and trying to kick each other's butts at virtual Thief.
Emi: Aster! She loves learning so much that I think studying with her would be really fun! Not to mention all the amazing stories she could share with you when you took a break.
John: My ideal Penderghast study buddies are Tim and Atlas, of course. Atlas is one of the most magickally talented members of your group (don't tell Beckett I said that), and I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to tell me what I was doing wrong. And if I ever got confused or frustrated, I could go to Tim for advice! He's got such wisdom, that gorgue.
Chelsa: Beckett! My smart lil bean. Not sure we'd get much studying done wink wink lol
Jessica: Shreya and Zeph! Shreya's one of the smartest, most talented people at Penderghast, and you know she'd have the best, color-coded study guides. Zeph would bring the jokes and the snacks, and we'd turn the whole thing into a study party!
The stakes are higher than ever in Book 2 of The Elementalists. Got any final words of advice?
Maya: Some choices are hard. Some seem to have no right answer. Trust your gut, and trust your magick. They'll show you the way.
Roger that! Stay attuned to your Choices game for The Elementalists: Book 2! And to those who have read this far: Thank you so much! There's more on the horizon: Travel to Europe in Passport to Romance, and stay on the lookout for sneak peeks of Wishful Thinking and Nightbound! Until next time...
-Shae