Author Interview: No Better Than Beasts by Z.R. Ellor

Author Interview: No Better Than Beasts by Z.R. Ellor

No Better Than Beasts by Z.R. Ellor releases tomorrow and we are celebrating by bringing you all a short interview with author Z.R. Ellor! This is a dark queer reimagining of The Nutcracker, just in time for your holiday mood reading. For fans of retellings, romantic dark fairytales, cursed kingdoms, and beastfolk! Check this one out, it is available now October 15th!

Thank you to Fierce Reads for the finished copy!

No Better Than Beasts

by Z.R. Ellor
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
on October 15, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Retellings, Young Adult
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A dark and captivating new take on the beloved Nutcracker story, ZR Ellor's YA fantasy debut, No Better Than Beasts, is perfect standalone novel for fans of Russian folktales, cursed kingdoms, fraught romance, and fairy tale retellings with a bite.

The Gogitdan siblings had suffered much to fight for their place in Szpratzian Society. Immigrants from the cursed neighboring kingdom of Kolznechia, they spent their childhood on the street and in workhouses until Vdradir, the eldest, lifted from poverty with the help of a wealthy patron.

Now nineteen, Nabik is a conflicted soldier, forever in the shadow of his older brother. Vdradir has been appointed governor, ruling and grasping for power with a merciless iron fist. And Drakne, their little sister, is a dancer who dreams of peace and comfort and protection. Together, they are as broken and divided as the land they once called home.

When a powerful enemy rises, and signs of war between the Szpratzian empire and Kolznechia begin to spread, the siblings are forced to choose―cling to power and safety or save the remains of their tattered bond? When Rat Kings and Pinewood Princes force them into the Kolznechian woods, the siblings will be forced to fight for their home and humanity with teeth and claw...

Author Interview: Z.R. Ellor

No Better Than Beasts is a Nutcracker retelling. What retellings inspired you or were stories you loved before setting off to write this one?

I was really inspired by Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I love how she blended real-world issues and fantastical elements to give her story weight.

Your previous two books are contemporary and No Better Than Beasts is fantasy. How did your writing process differ in writing a fantasy versus a contemporary story?

I’ve actually always considered myself more of a fantasy author than a contemporary author—I find writing fantasy is where I’m happiest and where I produce my best work. My fantasy work is more in-depth, layered, and thematic, so it takes more time to really get it right.

Were there parts of the Nutcracker story you consider to be critical in getting a retelling right? Were the other parts that you decided not to include?

What I felt most important to include was the theme of transformation: how your connection to your body can be both limiting and also freeing. I think, as a trans writer, I have a unique perspective on this connection I brought to the book. In the ballet, there’s the character of Clara’s godfather, who does not quite appear in the way you might expect—in part, because there’s different interpretations of him based on how the ballet is staged. He’s either a benevolent or malevolent figure, and there are characters that embody these different aspects of him.