Promise: A Tale of Sisterhood, Secrets, and the Shadows of Destiny

by Beth Ball

“My eyes will be the last thing you ever see.”

Unlike her sister Piper, who fantasized about Serrana’s elegance while growing up in the forest, Natalya never saw romance in the city’s stone walls. The fae sisters’ views on the life of a courtesan were similarly divided—Piper knew it was her destiny to attain such a distinguished role, while Natalya pursued other accomplishments, particularly those that could be earned at the end of a magical dagger.

Rising through the ranks of Serrana’s most dangerous thieves’ guild rather than those of society, Natalya has earned a reputation throughout the city. Merchants and sailors alike fear the sneaking, moonlit shadow of “the Blade.”

But when Piper’s Suzerain faces financial ruin, threatening Piper’s freedom, Natalya will stop at nothing to rescue her sister from the cruel, indifferent nobles of Serrana’s court.

After all, rescuing sisters is precisely what blades are for.

It will take all of Natalya’s cunning, her alliances, and the magical destiny she’s denied to free her sister. And even that may not be enough.

In this prequel epic romantic fantasy novella for the Heir of Lilith series, pain and blood mark the path to vengeance.

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

About the author

Beth Ball is a weaver of words and worlds spinning stories of druidic magic and the power of nature that span the epic fantasy realms of Azuria and Eldura. If you enjoy lyrical tales of action and adventure, dragons, werewolves, fae, wily foxes, and more, then grab your enchanted amulet, flaming longsword, poisoned dagger, or other mystical accessory of choice, and let’s start our adventure!

When she’s not writing fantasy fiction, Beth is a tabletop RPG designer creating adventures and campaigns with her husband Jonathan as part of their work at Grove Guardian Press. She’s also working on her first foray into the LitRPG space with an epic story based on their home duet game. As you might imagine, her ttRPG adventures incorporate lots of druids.

You can find more of Beth’s work and the legends of Azuria and Eldura at bethballbooks.com. And if you’re looking for playable, immersive adventures in Azuria, visit groveguardianpress.com.

Reviews

[KMart Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Little blade.” I’m a sucker for a good nickname.

Promise is a novella set in a dark world that somehow manages to pack more character growth into its pages than most full-length novels do. As a prequel, it’s absolutely doing its job: it sets the tone, teases the world, and left me itching to dive into Phantom.

The pacing is fast, as you'd expect from something this short, but it never felt shallow. Natalya is compelling from the jump; her inner conflict and her fierce love for her sister were palpable. It’s rare to find this much depth in so few pages. The emotional stakes are real, the world feels lived in, and the Ball clearly knows how to balance high-stakes tension with strong character moments.

If you're looking for a prequel that actually adds something rather than just padding lore, this one’s for you.

Thanks to the author for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

[Gary Baysinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don’t read fantasy, but this was a book club choice. It is a novella, so I could say it was short and sweet. Only, it wasn’t short and sweet. It’s filled with violence, treachery, and murder. A fast-paced action-adventure story involving one sister trying to save the other from an evil villain. It moves along at a brisk clip. The book is intended as a lead-in or prequel to another series. There was some background information that I might have missed, having not read the rest of the series. But there was enough information to keep me engaged with the stories and care about the characters. An enjoyable story. If you’re a fan of high fantasy, this book is for you.

[Fantasy Fables · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a quick and fun read! I’m a sucker for a prequel novella because I love getting a little bit of backstory to some of our characters from whatever the main series is. This was no exception!

I really loved getting the glimpse of who Natalya is and why she is the way she is before we get to the start of Phantom - Book 1 in the Heir of Lilith series.

I’m diving into my ARC of Phantom now before release day on June 10th! Thank you so much to Beth Ball for the gifted ARC of Promise as well! 💜

[Hopesmoonlitpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great prequel novella. I loved getting to read about Natalya and Piper’s story prior to meeting Natalya in Phantom. This was a great backstory and well written. This book has lots of action and great characters!

[Nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short little novella. Not enough time to really develop characters, but I'm invested enough that I'm going to read Phantom.