Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

Archives for February 2026

Come with me round the Isle of Skye’s newest bookshop

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The team behind Waystone Books reeled me in long before I set foot in the shop. I’d followed their journey on social media, watching in admiration as they renovated what was previously a cake shop.

Yesterday, I paid the Waystone Books a visit and was immediately hit with the reassuring smell of new books (markedly different from the reassuring smell of old books, but both equally relaxing in my opinion).

Waystone Books has an incredibly welcoming feel to it. Quirky items, sprinkled among the wall-to-wall books, add intrigue. I was very impressed with the amount of different book genres, including YA. The team also had a wall dedicated to books they recommend, accompanied by typed notes on what they liked.

Dunvegan is on the Isle of Skye (and it features heavily in my upcoming dark YA romantasy series), so it’s always nice to explore the village and try and imagine what my characters make of it. I love the fact it now has its very own bookshop – especially one run by a team who are determined to give back to their local community and plan fun events.

And, of course, I came home with a new book.

I read Graeme MacRae Burnet’s other book, His Bloody Project, and loved it – so bought this purely on the fact that it was written by him (and, having a quick flick through the opening page) seemed at first glance to be roughly along the same lines. I’ll have to wait until I can dive in as I’m doing my #IndieReads2026 challenge.

Have you any plans to visit the Isle of Skye? What’s your favourite bookshop that you’ve ever been in? Leave a comment and let me know.

If you’re new to the blog, I’m Roz MacLaren – a Scottish romantasy author who writes books for readers who crave emotional devastation and love gut-punch endings. My Isle of Skye romantasy, Forgotten Skye, is out now.

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The real-life locations that inspired The Ruined Skye Trilogy

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My upcoming novel, Forgotten Skye, is the first in my Ruined Skye trilogy. Like the name suggests, all three books are set on the Isle of Skye – but it’s probably a little different to the island you know and love.

Skye is consistently romanticised in fiction – and why not? It’s visually stunning, geographically spectacular and incredibly beautiful. But I wanted to do something different. So my futuristic Isle of Skye? It’s been devasted by a radiation leak in a terrible time period known as the Changing. Humanity has split into two groups; Radions, mutated beings with powerful abilities; and Blands, normal humans who weren’t affected by the radiation.

Here are the real-life locations you can go and visit, all of which make an appearance in my books.

Portree

Visit Portree in peak tourist season, especially when a cruise ship is in, and it’ll feel like a world apart from life after the Changing. In my world, the streets are overgrown with weeds and trees. Rusty cars lie decaying. The houses and shops have all been looted, anything of value taken a long time ago.

Portree Forest

As far as I’m aware, this is the correct name for the lovely forest behind the Isle of Skye Candle Company. In Forgotten Skye, Vesper considers the forest to be hers. Her parents built a cabin, nestled close to the top of the treeline, and she is extremely territorial. As you would expect, given most people she comes across want to kill her.

Take a walk in the forest and you’ll be immersed in Vesper’s world. She loves the feel of seclusion and safety, being surrounded by trees. This is her safe place. Will it stay that way? You’ll have to read the book and find out.

The Fingal Centre

Portree’s sports centre and library make an appearance in the first book. It’s the setting where Vesper and Hunter, two bookworms, first meet. Naturally, it’s been completed trashed and most things of valuable taken away years ago. But rumour has it you can still find the odd book more or less in tact if you look hard enough…

The Lump

Home to the Apothecary’s Tower (which really needs to appear in the trilogy at some stage!), The Lump comes to life every August for the Skye Highland Games. It also makes an appearance in my stories (but I really can’t say too much more as it would spoil the story!)

Dunvegan

Currently, Dunvegan attracts a ton of visitors – exploring Dunvegan Castle, travelling through en route to Neist Point or simply exploring the village. But in the year 2227, my reimagined Dunvegan is home to Creyta, Radion Queen and devoted destroyer of Blands.

Dunvegan Castle

When I was much younger, my uncle and aunt took me around Dunvegan Castle. My favourite part (I was a macabre child) was the dungeon, essentially a hole in a rocky floor. Back in the day, the hole wasn’t covered over, allowing young me to feel the icy cold air. The dungeon was located next to the kitchens, where the smell of food would waft through to the prisoners. The dungeon features heavily in my story.

I’ve since been to the castle multiple times and it forms the inspiration for Queen Creyta’s home and where Hunter and Pep grow up.

The gardens are beautiful and, in my head, are the setting where [SPOILER] something extremely traumatic happens to Hunter as a child.

Currently, as there are no evil Radion queens and vicious Blandhunters in the area, you’re free to visit the castle and take a ride on the seal boats.

Sligachan

Writing this trilogy made me see Skye through new eyes. It really is quite something that the island’s main road takes you past such incredible scenery.

The Cuillins

The Cuillins make quite a major appearance in the third book. They’re the setting for an epic showdown and the trilogy’s finale. And what a setting they are.

Forgotten Skye comes out this summer with Evernight Teen. I can’t wait to transport you to a futuristic version of Skye that you’ve never seen before.

Why you’re in the wrong place if you crave happy endings

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I get it. I really do. You read fiction for escapism, not realism. You yearn for justice and a world that rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. Where the good guys are guaranteed a win and the bad guys get their just desserts.

I don’t write that sort of book. You won’t turn the last page and find a happy ending, wrapped up neatly with a pretty bow, just for the sake of it. But nor do I write a sad ending just for the shock factor or to subvert expectations.

Welcome to my world. Here’s what you’ll find if you choose to stay.

“Oh, that’s dark.”

Forgotten Skye, my upcoming novel in my YA romantasy series, The Ruined Skye Trilogy, is an example of me unleashing my full darkness on the world.

It’s perfect if you love:

  • a FMC who stabs first and asks questions later
  • flawed, messy characters
  • an eerie setting where the Isle of Skye feels like a character in its own right
  • charismatic villains
  • an ending that hurts in the best way

It’s NOT perfect if you love:

  • a happy ever after
  • redemption for the villain
  • a comfort read

Case in point: Mirrordom

I don’t write cosy fantasy. I write books that challenge the perception of who is really good. In The Mirrordom Legends, I have the perfect playground to explore that question. In this world, everyone is born Good, with all the constraints and stereotypes that brings to mind. But everyone has a Mirror twin, with no limitations on how they can and cannot act. The entire series asks the question what really makes us good? Who decides the standard for goodness? What happens when a Good person does something terrible?

There are no easy answers. And no redemption. (Unless we’re talking about Cobalt. And even then I haven’t quite decided.)

Fable and Cobalt from Fable and Legend. Art by Anna Ry.

What will the future hold for Cobalt? Find out when Quiver and Arrow releases later this year.

Exceptions to every self-imposed rule

It’s quite hard to talk all things ending without giving away massive spoilers. However, I will say if you are looking for something a little gentler among my books, The Boy With Wings For Hands probably* won’t wreck you emotionally. It’s due out this year.

Something for everyone?

For me, creativity means experimentation. Having the privilege and the freedom to try new things.

One of my novels, Funeral For A Robot, comes out this year and, in it, I do something I’ve never done before. There are two different endings and it’s up to the reader whether they want to read the second one or not.

I also like this idea because it gives the reader a sense of agency. You get to decide whether you want to turn the page and gamble with your emotions. You get to decide if the lure of the unknown beckons you onwards.

I’m so grateful to Fire and Ice YA for giving me the creative freedom to do something bizarre.

So what will you get from my books?

I know I’m in the minority when I believe that some happy endings are an insult to the characters and the reader. Equally, so can be an ending where everyone dies. Unless handled carefully, both of those opposites can feel like a cop-out. (Note: I am in no way saying this kind of writing and the readers who enjoy it are “wrong”. These are my personal opinions and I’m sharing them with you so you can make an informed decision about the books I write.)

For me, the sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle. An ending where survival comes at a steep price. Where the main characters get what they wanted, but it wasn’t what they expected. Where the story surprises you with one final, lingering twist.

In other words, if you pick up one of my books, you can expect:

  • Endings that feel more like a gut-punch than a cosy hug
  • Relatable villains, who may or may not be alive and thriving at the end of the book
  • A rollercoaster of emotions, culminating in an ending that will make you feel something. (And if that something is that you want to hurl the book across the room, stamp on it eight times, burn it with fire and then come and have stern words with me, then I consider that a job well done.)

If you’re a reader, what do you prefer when it comes to endings? If you’re an author, what do you find most satisfying to write?

*Disclaimer: there are no absolute guarantees you won’t be wrecked emotionally by my books.

Further disclaimer: all thoughts above are my own opinions. I mean no disrespect to any other reader or author who loves happy endings – and my post is not intended as an attempt to convince you to read anything that makes you uncomfortable or unhappy. Look after yourself, first and foremost.

If you’re new to the blog, I’m Roz MacLaren – a Scottish romantasy author who writes books for readers who crave emotional devastation and love gut-punch endings. My Isle of Skye romantasy, Forgotten Skye, is out now.

ORDER A SIGNED COPY
SHOP FROM AMAZON
DOWNLOAD THE E-VERSION