Sonia

I have been told that Sonia is less confident in "Aleksertac".  Perhaps, but I feel it is warranted.  My extended family and I have had discussions, but to me she is too relatable.   Yes, she is amazingly strong and confident in "Orbs of Fire", but it's because she believes she understands her world, her situation, who she is, and all that goes with that.  In times like these, who isn't a confident warrior.  Especially when you have a friend like Alex by your side.

In "Aleksertac", we already know that her world has changed so much already.  Now, there's even more that she discovers, and it takes its toll.   For this reason, she is more vulnerable.  She has so much to deal with, much of which she doesn't understand, and not because she was wearing rose-colored-glasses before, but because there's more at work than she could have ever imagined - that all mortal men and women no nothing about - and now she has to figure out how to survive.  She is so lost, and the one person who had always been her fortitude is gone.

Aleksertac tries to help her, but that causes more complications, adding even more difficulty to her life.  He has secrets, and despite his best efforts he cannot keep her from the truth.  Plus there's Marty and Phillip who clearly have plans for her that she doesn't not want any part of. And then add in the new creatures like the Troskla who can immobilize a person and use their victim's fears to torture them until the person dies.  And creatures we've already met like the Ortal, who have already done harm to her before.  Not to mention the Ancients.

Even when she finds a family to stay with.  A family who takes care of her and shows her kindnesss and the strength of family.  Sonia still cannot escape the path she is on.  She continues to have to battle against what she doesn't understand.  There are still dark creatures that cross her path, nightmare-ish dreams that disturb her sleep, and creatures that no one - or any story - has told her about that continue to end up in front of her.

So, yes, maybe Sonia's character is less confident, but I personally know: changes that rock your world in a bad way set you back, and no matter how hard you fight, another blow always seems ready to land.  And Sonia is dealing with more than mortal men and women problems.  

When writing Sonia, I didn't make her fictional, I kept her real.  And it is in her vulnerability, I see that she is stronger than people give her credit for.