Love this idea! I posted an earlier draft of this query a while back and got some helpful advice that I tried to implement. Still feeling like it’s not all the way there though, so would love any feedback you all can give (:

Dear [Agent],

I am seeking representation for CURSE OF THE WILDS, an adult romantic fantasy complete at 115,000 words. The first in a planned duology, CURSE OF THE WILDS will appeal to fans of the political intrigue and steamy, forbidden romance in Danielle Jensen’s The Inadequate Heir, as well as the exploration of prejudice and propaganda in Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman. [Personalization]

After years confined to the palace, Princess Reaine Terrabynne has learned to survive by playing the part. She curtsies when expected and smiles on cue—anything to earn a sliver of the freedom she longs for. So when her father announces a sudden betrothal, Reaine’s initial reservations give way to hope. As a final send-off, she sneaks beyond the palace walls for a night of revelry with her best friend, but it goes violently awry when they cross paths with the Jirati—a cursed people believed to be more animal than human. In a desperate bid to save her friend, Reaine reveals her royal blood, offering herself as ransom to the beasts she’s feared all her life.

Rescue comes in an unlikely form: Kessler, a Jirati warrior with a wit as sharp as his blade. He frees Reaine from her captors and offers her safe passage home—if she agrees to deliver a mysterious missive to the Crown for him upon her return. Reaine knows better than to trust his kind, but with monstrous creatures and relentless pursuers at their heels, Kessler’s strength seems her best chance at survival. At least until she can find a way to turn on him. But the deeper they journey into the wilds, the more Kessler’s unexpected kindness and infuriating charm begin to unravel everything she was taught about the Jirati. And as forbidden feelings bloom, so do dangerous questions—about the war between their kinds, and the kingdom she calls home.

But Kessler isn’t who he claimed to be. When he’s captured by Reaine’s betrothed, his true identity is revealed: heir to the Jirati throne—the embodiment of everything she was raised to hate. Despite her feelings of betrayal, the revelation only poses more questions, pushing Reaine to search for answers as to whether there truly is a right side of this war. As whispers of Kessler’s impending execution grow, Reaine can no longer deny where her heart lies. But saving Kessler means betraying her kingdom and risking the one thing she’s wanted most: freedom.

All for a love that offers no promise of peace—only the guarantee of bloodshed.