When Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie came out, we ran to the shelves. This was a novel we’d been waiting for, thanks to Marie’s ability to raise awareness and build an audience on social media.
Then there came THAT cliffhanger (and yes, she knows how cruel it was), and while we know that we should expect it because Immortal Consequences was always set to be more than one book, it didn’t mean we liked it.
The good news is that the wait for the answers and the rest of the story, with Ruinous Ends coming out on July 14, 2026. To mark the release, Parade chatted with Marie about her novel, building an audience before the release, and another release that is coming in 2026!
I had to ask about Ruinous Ends being a duology at first. There are many stories of authors realizing that they have more to tell as they get into the story, and while Marie knew that “it would be more than one book,” she didn’t quite know exactly how many books there would be in the story at first.
“I had a very clear picture of the beginning of where these characters started, the climax of their story in the middle, and the ending. I know very clearly where all six would end up, and I think it became clear very quickly that I would need more than one book to be able to fit it all in.”
It ended up being a conversation with her editor and agent about how many extra books it would take. “I think there could have been a world in which it was a trilogy, but ultimately, I’m happy with how it all wrapped up. I feel like I was able to get the character arcs fully fleshed out in two books.”
At the time we chatted, I’d just received the advanced reader’s copy (ARC), and I quickly found myself mesmerized by the cover, which the artist, Abel Klaer, did an amazing job on. He has also done the cover for the prequel novella, which is coming out at the end of 2026!
“After the first book, I trusted him wholeheartedly with turning something in that I knew would be gorgeous. I remember being in a coffee shop when the first cover came through, and I got the email. A friend and I both collectively gasped out loud. It was so much better than I thought it was going to be.”
Yes, there is a prequel story, which will focus on Wren and August 18 years before the events of Immortal Consequences. It gives us more backstory on Wren’s first week at Blackwood, so we know just why she and August had such a “tumultuous and twisted rivalry and relationship” that they do at the beginning of the first book in the duology.
Could we end up seeing prequels of the other characters? It’s certainly possible, with Marie sharing, “That’s always something that I feel like maybe later down the line can be revisited.”
For now, it’s just Wren and August, which isn’t that surprising considering the “intense fan base” that there is out there. Marie saw you and shared, “I thought it would be a great idea to get to know them a little bit more.”
There are six characters who take the lead throughout the duology, though, and you can always tell who is telling their story based on flow and language. They have distinct personalities that aren’t always easy to show in the writing, so I asked Marie more about that.
“I’m very much a discovery writer,” Marie explained, which isn’t the same as a panster. “I spend the first 15,000 to 20,000 words just writing. I don’t have any sort of outline or plan. I allow myself to get into the heads of these characters, and I naturally figure out their voices. Once I allow myself that room to free-write and meet these characters, then I go back and create an outline and finish the rest of the draft from there.”
Marie took advantage of social media to build an audience before she published Immortal Consequences, and it certainly helped the romantasy fly off the shelves.
“I wanted to find people who would resonate with these characters and feel connected to the story,” Marie admitted as we chatted about the new way to build traction, “And also just openly share my journey to get published. I know there are others Googling how to become an author, and I wanted to find those people, and it snowballed from there.”
Over time, people have found themselves drawn to particular characters. They’ve come to know the people who will tell them the stories, while also learning a little more about the highs and lows of publishing, but there was a little pressure after that, as it meant that people had already come to get an idea of what to expect.
“You never want to disappoint the readers,” Marie admitted to me as we talked about directions the novels could take based on fan expectations, “But the best book that you can write is the book that you want to write, so I trusted the gut feeling.”
She also knows that not everyone is going to love the ending, and that’s okay. It’s not a Game of Thrones ending, by the way! I can now say that for sure! Marie had a rule to follow and that’s to “not promise something that you’re not going to deliver.”
Marie has continued to remain active on social media while working on the second novel, which was originally set for a July 28 release date but is now coming out on July 14! It’s been less than a year since Immortal Consequences, although it feels like a lot longer with that cliffhanger.
“I continue to connect with my community online by posting on Instagram, giving them updates of what I’m doing, and have the aesthetic character videos that I post on Instagram and TikTok, which I think is a fun way to connect with pre-existing readers, but also find new ones.”
You won’t find spoilers, as Marie understands that not everyone wants a hardback book. Some people will only read paperbacks, and Immortal Consequences was only just recently released in paperback.
Marie has also been busy with other tasks, including planning for her wedding! She’s on tour for her book release; she’s working on another series that she hasn’t announced yet (we’ll be keeping an eye on things!); and she is also working on the release of Twisted Vows: An Immortal ConsequencesStory.
“There’s a lot to look forward to this year,” she beamed as we chatted about the upcoming tour. “I love meeting readers in person. It’s one of my favorite things about this job, being able to hear, in person, how much they connect with these characters and books. It makes it all worth it.”
So, if you do get to see her on tour, make sure you grab one of her books and get it signed! Don’t feel like a geek for telling her how much Wren, August, Masika, Irene, Olivier, and Emilo mean to you. She wants to hear all about it!
I will say that Ruinous Ends is packed with action, adventure, and emotion. You will go through every single emotion possible, so make sure you have the tissues for when you get to specific points. Marie sort of warned about this when she said, “I get a lot of people who ask me if they’ll cry, and you might! That doesn’t mean it’s a sad ending for everyone.”
Ruinous Ends is out on July 14, 2026. This is the end of a duology you will not want to miss.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Books section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
