by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
A five-book series done. Five storms lived through Áróra’s eyes. And now, her story ends.
She was never meant to stay forever. Áróra arrived like a knock on the door in the middle of the night – sudden, urgent, impossible to ignore. She carved her way into my imagination with her intelligence, her strength and her dangerous independence. For years she was a voice I could not silence, a presence that pulled me back to the keyboard, again and again.
Writing a long-running series is a different kind of commitment from writing a standalone. With a standalone, you tell the story, let it echo, and move on. But with a series, the character follows you from book to book, from year to year. Áróra grew alongside me – her scars deepening, her voice sharpening. Writing her story was less like invention and more like living alongside someone who refuses to leave your side.
Now, with her tale complete, I stand in the quiet aftermath. I will miss her and her fellow characters, of course. But there is also a release. The kind of freedom that comes when a case is closed, when the past is finally put to rest.
I want to thank the readers who followed me and Áróra through all the books, through the trouble, the adventures, the danger, the grief. Thank you for reading, reviewing, commenting, and giving me feedback. You gave Áróra life beyond the pages, carried her with you, and made the ride worth every twist and turn.
Áróra is gone, but my creative wells are far from empty. New stories stir within me, waiting. And I am ready to chase them.
Black as Death, by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated by Lorenza Garcia, is published by Orenda Books on 23rd October 2025.
