{"id":9349,"date":"2025-05-09T15:04:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/?p=9349"},"modified":"2025-05-09T16:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T20:29:06","slug":"dark-fantasy-tropes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/09\/dark-fantasy-tropes\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Dark Fantasy Tropes in The Bone Key"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" data-attachment-id=\"9350\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/09\/dark-fantasy-tropes\/bonekey_tropes\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,1500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"BoneKey_tropes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/wp-content\/images\/postphotos\/BoneKey_tropes-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>My book <a href=\"https:\/\/maryrajotte.com\/blog\/book\/the-bone-key\/\">The Bone Key<\/a> offers so many magical threads for readers to explore. In this book, I delve deep into dark fantasy tropes I love, where my mixed-ethnicity heroine grapples with more than just magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My Mixed Ethnicity MC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>My main character Valeria Salcedo is of mixed ethnicity. Her father, Alejandro, was Mexican American, and her mother Evelyne, is French Canadian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of her journey in The Bone Key is in exploring her heritage and what it means, both to her and in her witchcraft.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-dir-horizontal > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{max-width:unset;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-right:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-bottom:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-left:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-top-left-radius:30px;border-top-right-radius:30px;border-bottom-right-radius:30px;border-bottom-left-radius:30px;background:#dfd9e6;padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kadence-info-box-icon-container .kt-info-svg-icon, .kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-info-svg-icon-flip, .kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-number{font-size:50px;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-media{border-radius:200px;overflow:hidden;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;margin-top:0px;margin-right:20px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-media .kadence-info-box-image-intrisic img{border-radius:200px;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-infobox-textcontent h2.kt-blocks-info-box-title{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-top:5px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0px;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore{background:transparent;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding-top:4px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:4px;padding-left:8px;margin-top:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0px;}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{box-shadow:0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{box-shadow:0px 0px 14px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-right:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-bottom:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-left:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);box-shadow:0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{box-shadow:0px 0px 14px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap{border-top:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-right:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-bottom:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);border-left:0px dotted var(--global-palette7, #eeeeee);box-shadow:0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);}.kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover{box-shadow:0px 0px 14px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-infobox kt-info-box9349_f059aa-aa\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap info-box-link kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-left kt-info-halign-left\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media-container\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-icon-container kt-info-icon-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-icon-inner-container\"><span class=\"kb-svg-icon-wrap kb-svg-icon-fas_magic kt-info-svg-icon\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"  fill=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"  aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M224 96l16-32 32-16-32-16-16-32-16 32-32 16 32 16 16 32zM80 160l26.66-53.33L160 80l-53.34-26.67L80 0 53.34 53.33 0 80l53.34 26.67L80 160zm352 128l-26.66 53.33L352 368l53.34 26.67L432 448l26.66-53.33L512 368l-53.34-26.67L432 288zm70.62-193.77L417.77 9.38C411.53 3.12 403.34 0 395.15 0c-8.19 0-16.38 3.12-22.63 9.38L9.38 372.52c-12.5 12.5-12.5 32.76 0 45.25l84.85 84.85c6.25 6.25 14.44 9.37 22.62 9.37 8.19 0 16.38-3.12 22.63-9.37l363.14-363.15c12.5-12.48 12.5-32.75 0-45.24zM359.45 203.46l-50.91-50.91 86.6-86.6 50.91 50.91-86.6 86.6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kt-infobox-textcontent\"><h2 class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-title\">Did you know?<\/h2><p class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-text\">I mirrored my own ethnicity in Valeria! My dad Florent was French Canadian, and my mom Maria was Mexican American.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>A Reluctant Heroine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Would it be as much fun if Valeria was eager and willing to be the hero her coven needs? Maybe..and maybe not!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wanted to have that trepidation within herself, that initial hesitancy to step up to the trials and opposition that are before her. I think it makes for a more compelling (and sometimes frustrating!) journey, both for herself and for readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High Stakes Plot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be one thing if Valeria was fighting against forces that want to stop only her. But when those forces threaten her coven and their magic? Nothing could be more dire. And in The Bone Key, Valeria and her fellow witches realize that Los Cazadores, the hunters intent on rooting them out, are a threat to the very future of the Aquelarre Buho (owl coven).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traumatic Past<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the reasons Valeria is so reluctant? The harm Los Cazadores inflicted on her when she was just a child. With a bloodlust that started centuries ago, the hunters show they will stop at nothing to get what they want &#8211; even if that means killing Valeria\u2019s father, a traumatic event she witnesses as a child, one that shapes who she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Karmic Retribution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these facets make up the witch that Valeria Salcedo is. They haunt her, fuel her, and give her the drive to seek justice for every witch Los Cazadores has harmed. It makes for a compelling journey, one that changes Valeria and allows her to uncover truths about herself she never even dreamed of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discover The Bone Key<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From karmic retribution to complex identity struggles, the dark fantasy tropes within <strong>The Bone Key<\/strong> will take you on a thrilling journey rich in culture, mythology, and threaded with magic and mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s available now in <a href=\"https:\/\/thecrowshoppe.com\/products\/the-bone-key\">hardcover, paperback and ebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also encourage you to find your<strong> local indie bookstore<\/strong> to buy a copy! If they don\u2019t have it in-store, most shops are happy to special order a copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Canada, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiebookstores.ca\/\">Indie Bookstores<\/a> to find your local shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the USA, search for The Bone Key at <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/\">Bookshop.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My book The Bone Key offers so many magical threads for readers to explore. In this book, I delve deep into dark fantasy tropes I love, where my mixed-ethnicity heroine grapples with more than just magic. My Mixed Ethnicity MC My main character Valeria Salcedo is of mixed ethnicity. Her father, Alejandro, was Mexican American,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":9350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[452],"tags":[616],"class_list":["post-9349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inklings","tag-the-bone-key"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - 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