Lovers of scorching romance, adventure and fantasy, you’ll want to add this to your must-read list!
Best-selling author Karina Halle’s newest book, Realm of Thieves, officially hit the shelves on June 10th of this year, and has already been well received by her fans and new readers.
The story follows Brynla Aihr, a dragon cult escapee who has been forced into crime in order to survive.
Brynla and another thief fight for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade (the eggs being the source of magic), putting their lives and hearts on the line.
Victoria Buzz had the opportunity of interviewing Halle on this exciting release, diving into her inspirations, writing process and future projects.
“It has been well-received, which I’m really happy about,” she said.
She added that criticism is always inevitable and can be difficult to ignore, so as a rule she generally stays away from review-based platforms—opting to focus on the feedback that really matters to her.
When asked what readers can expect from Realm of Thieves, she gushed and mentioned that she’s always wanted to write a Jurassic Park-esque novel, so there are similar themes. The dragons, for example, are all isolated to a singular island, having been pushed there by humans a long time ago.
“In all of these fantasy books dragons are people’s best friends—and that’s fun—but for me, I was thinking, ‘If dragons really existed, they would be like dinosaurs, and wouldn’t they eviscerate humanity?’” said Halle.
So, her solution for coexistence included navigating human’s predictable behaviour, which would be to control—hence the secluded island that’s been warded so they can’t leave.
In terms of theme, Halle said it follows some familiar romantasy rules, and contains all of the beloved aspects of the genre.
“It’s pretty spicy, it’s not too dark…it’s for anyone that wants a romance that is also a fun adventure,” she said.
“It would make a great vacation read and for anyone looking for escapism…it has a broad appeal.”
In addition to writing novels, Halle is a screenwriter, as well as a former music and travel journalist. Victoria Buzz asked her if her work in these areas has influenced her current approach to novels, to which the answer was yes.
“Screenwriting taught me how to plot…I follow third-act structure and it allows me to outline and plot, and know what’s happening in each chapter. I need the blueprint to know where I’m going,” she said.
“Journalism has taught me how to parse it down a little…I almost under-write and have to pad later.”
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Halle shared that her experience writing this book was slightly different than the others, mainly due to mental health struggles that challenged her ability to write in unexpected ways.
“When I write, it’s better for me to get it all done at once, and I write fast. I’m all in, 16 hour days,” she said.
“But life happens, and I lost steam—in everything, not just writing. All of the worldbuilding really threw me for a loop…it’s so much research and then you have to figure out what goes in the book, and try not to info-dump. It prevented the flow I usually have.”
She’s had to do deep dives into research before, but this particular project held a lot more weight than others.
“Once I was finally done, it was a huge relief. It took a lot out of me.”
When asked if there was something that helped, she said she came across a quote in a book by Katriana Ward, Looking Glass Sound: ‘Writers block isn’t being unable to write, I discover, it’s being unable to feel.’
“I thought that was so helpful. It’s hard to feel anything about your world or characters when you’re unable to feel your way through [life],” added Halle.
She laughed and said that what keeps her going is spite, not against a person in particular, but generally as a way to prove to herself that she can do it.
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For anyone lucky enough to be in Vancouver this weekend, Halle will be attending BB4E from Thursday, July 24th to Saturday, July 26th.
Her books can be found in local bookstores in and around Victoria, such as Bolen Books and Munro’s Books.
Halle has written around 80 novels across all sub-genres, ranging from spicy rom coms to gothic horror and dark fantasy.
Some titles include River of Shadows, The Royals Next Door, Grave Matter, Hollow, Ocean of Sin and Starlight, and many more. If you wish to peep her full list of standalone novels, you can find them on her website.
Halle also dabbles in the creation of writing-related teas alongside her husband, called Writer’s Tea. The teas come in four different kinds: Word Count, Bad Review, Writer’s (un)Block and Save & Close.
Although they’re currently sold out online, Halle has confirmed you can still find them at Russell Books, Bolen Books and Books and Shenanigans.
Realm of Thieves is already anticipating a sequel, which will be released in summer 2026. Other projects include a vampire retelling of Wuthering Heights, which is slated for a fall 2026 release.
Take yourself on a new romantasy adventure, and keep an eye out for all things Halle!
