The blood-soaked grandeur of viral romantasy novel Dire Bound sinks its claws in from page one. Set in a world where only the worthy survive the brutal Bonding Trials, Sable Sorensen’s debut novel introduces readers to Meryn Cooper—a young woman thrust into a deadly competition that binds warriors to massive, intelligent direwolves. With echoes of Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games, this romantasy doesn’t just flirt with danger—it marries it, pairing its heart-stopping action with a slow burn of rage, resilience, and forbidden attraction.
At its core, Dire Bound is a story about power and survival, but it’s also about feminine fury, class divide, and what it means to fight for a world that’s never fought for you. Between the savage training grounds, the glittering court where every smile hides a knife, and a romance that teeters on the edge of ruin, the book builds a fantastical universe both haunting and hypnotic—where wolves aren’t the only predators.
On behalf of CelebMix, I sat down with the duo behind the pen name Sable Sorensen: Eliza and Annie, to talk about the genesis of Dire Bound, how they built its world of blood and bond, and what comes next for Meryn, her wolves, and the fandom that’s already tearing at its throat for more.
Before it became a phenomenon, Dire Bound began as an idea between the two of you. What first sparked the story, and what themes or emotions did you hope to explore when you started writing it?
Hi! The story was inspired by our mutual love of fantasy featuring bonded animals. There have been so many incredible romantasies with that trope in recent years, but our first introduction to the idea came from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, where each character has an animal companion that represents an external piece of their soul. As kids, we both spent hours imagining what that would be like—and what kind of animal we’d be bonded with. When we realized that we both loved wolves and were excited about building a story around fierce, fearsome wolf companions, Dire Bound was born.
The story grapples with lots of themes and emotions that we were and still have been reflecting on within today’s political landscape—how class and politics divide us, and how difficult it can be to bridge those gaps. We were also grappling with the misogyny we see in our political system and the sense of powerlessness that often comes with it to make a meaningful change. Channeling some of that anger and frustration into a strong female character was cathartic, and we hope it rings true for our readers as well.
You’ve described Dire Bound as a story born from feminine rage. How did that energy shape Meryn’s arc and the emotional pulse that drives the book?
Meryn is a character who is, rightfully, angry at the world for its harshness. She’s had to fight—literally—for survival, and she resents that things have been so hard for her while others live lives of luxury simply because of the families they were born into. The trauma her family has endured, and their place in society, has shaped her perspective of the world. But as she’s thrown into an entirely different life experience, she’s forced to grapple with that. Her rage sometimes turns into unfair judgments of others, and a big part of her character arc is learning to overcome those quick judgments without burying or minimizing her own anger.
That rage really comes through in the Bonding Trials too—they feel as psychological as they are physical. What inspired that deadly, symbolic gauntlet and the layers of meaning behind it?
We both love trials as a story setup—the stakes are so immediate, and they keep you on the edge of your seat. For the Bonding Trials, we layered in the pack dynamics so that each trial builds on the previous one and aligns with how we envision the packs functioning: first, solidifying the relationship with your direwolf; second, finding your place within your own pack; and third, proving that you can work together with all the packs. We wanted it to be absolutely clear to Meryn that the wolves were in charge—and since they’re vicious and violent, she had better fall in line.
Speaking of Meryn’s uneasy bond with Anassa, it’s a relationship built on conflict rather than trust. What drew you to root their partnership in hostility, and sustaining that friction without softening it?
There’s something so satisfying about having a dynamic flip throughout the book, and we knew the most fun version of this story would be the one where nothing comes easy for Meryn—whether because of her own actions or the actions of others. We see Meryn and Anassa as embodying the true enemies-to-lovers arc in this book, and we worked to sustain a tension similar to what you’d expect from that trope.
The wolves and their packs feel primal yet eerily human. How did you approach worldbuilding in Dire Bound so it felt grounded in human emotion rather than pure fantasy?
We actually thought a lot about wolf instinct as we created our world. Both of us grew up reading countless books about wolves—from werewolf stories to Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce, to classics like Julie of the Wolves and Call of the Wild. In real life, wolf packs have complex structures: while they care for their own, they can also make cruel decisions, such as exiling a wolf who doesn’t fit in or can’t keep up. We wanted to create a Bonded world that echoed those dynamics—keeping the wolfishness at the core of their traditions while portraying our wolves as ancient, intelligent beings.
On the side note, readers have also become fascinated by Stark—arguably the fandom’s most talked-about “morally grey obsession.” What makes his cruel-yet-vulnerable personality that makes him so magnetic according to you?
This world is harsh and violent, so it needs a male main character who suits it. Both of us are drawn to complicated, morally questionable characters, so we knew we wanted him to fit that mold—especially since Meryn has a different love interest in this book.
Romantasy as a genre thrives on beloved tropes, but Dire Bound refuses to play it safe. Which conventions did you enjoy leaning into, and where did you feel the urge to subvert reader expectations?
Both of us love tropes, so we set out to create a story filled with them—but we also wanted to keep readers guessing. We definitely enjoyed leaning into the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but we also had fun subverting some of the smaller tropes (like the “only one bed” moment).
Some readers have compared Dire Bound to Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and The Hunger Games, yet it stands firmly on its own. What influences actually shaped its DNA?
Thank you! All of the titles mentioned were certainly influential, but when we started working on this story together, we first figured the common passions we wanted to draw from. As mentioned, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy was monumental for both of us, and we drew inspiration from it—particularly in the animal bonding, the kidnappers, and the overall sense of unease in the world.
Game of Thrones also influenced us, though more in terms of its themes than its obvious elements; we wanted to craft a world where it felt like dire consequences could happen to anyone at any time. And of course, we drew from plenty of wolf influences—from werewolf romances for Eliza to Julie of the Wolves for Annie. We also both love Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Princess Mononoke, which inspired our giant white wolf and the fierce warrior woman at her side.
Let’s talk about your debut journey. Dire Bound’s rise was almost instantaneous—something most authors can only dream of. What were those early days of self-publishing like, and when did you realize the book had broken through to something much bigger?
We’re still reeling from how quickly everything happened. It’s every author’s dream to have their story resonate with readers, so of course we put it out into the world hoping for the best—but we assumed that, at most, we’d see a slow and steady growth in readership throughout the series. During that initial wave of virality, we spent a lot of time sending each other videos we found and shrieking over them. We realized we’d broken through to something bigger when we started seeing spikes in the Kindle store and couldn’t figure out where they were coming from—and it was almost always the result of a TikTok or Instagram video!
That success soon led to a major Hachette deal—how did that opportunity unfold, and how has moving into traditional publishing changed your relationship with the series?
After the book reached a certain level of virality, we started receiving DMs and emails from both agents and editors at various publishers. Our editor at Hachette, Ruqayyah Daud, was one of the first people in the industry to reach out, saying she loved the book and wanted to talk—and we feel incredibly lucky to be working with her. Moving into traditional publishing has slowed down our original [intended] release schedule; we’d hoped to release the books more rapidly, but now we have production timelines to consider, with more exciting developments happening alongside, like deluxe hardcover editions and incredible duet-narration audiobooks. The creative process also moves more slowly now that we’re working with a genius editor, but the result is that our second book is a gazillion times stronger than it would’ve been otherwise.
I’d love to know how your partnership as Sable Sorensen first came to be—and what your process looks like when it comes to blending two creative voices into one. Has the act of co-writing ever surprised or challenged you in unexpected ways?
We’ve been friends for over a decade and have worked together at two previous jobs, so we knew we had a compatible working style. Over the years, we both tried writing books individually and had several conversations about collaborating on a project—and finally, the stars aligned! We put a lot of effort into making our merged writing voice sound cohesive, especially since there’s only one POV character in the first book. That happens through plotting the story together and creating very detailed outlines for each chapter before we actually begin writing. Once we have a first draft, we edit over each other’s work multiple times until it feels complete.
One of the best parts—and challenges—of collaborating on this series is when we run into a plot point or scene that isn’t quite working. Having two perspectives instead of one is invaluable; sometimes one of us spots an issue the other missed, and brings it to the attention of the other. It also means we can hop on the phone to brainstorm solutions, which is a huge help whenever we’re feeling stuck.
Speaking of partnership, your readers have practically formed packs of their own. What has it been like watching readers build upon your world in such creative ways?
It’s been remarkable to see readers respond to our series this way! Coming from fandom backgrounds ourselves, it’s such an honor to watch people create things inspired by our world. Someone recently got tattoos of the pack symbols (which Annie designed), and that completely blew us away. We also had a really talented artist, Judy (@judyblu27), create a gorgeous piece of Meryn and Stark art that one of her friends, Tammy (@sewinbind), then used to craft a stunning rebound edition of the book. The book community is so creative and clever, and we’re immensely grateful that people want to bring their own creativity into our series—and that our work sparks inspiration for others.
Finally, as we prepare to return to this world, what can you tell us about Fury Bound? How far are you willing to push the stakes this time—and when can readers expect it on shelves?
If Dire Bound is a book filled with physical violence and trials, Fury Bound brings an even heightened level of emotional violence for the characters—and that’s all we’ll say about that! It will be released in deluxe hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats on May 5, 2026.
Get your copy of Dire Bound here — and prepare to meet your wolf
What did you think of Sable Sorensen’s world of wolves, rage, and romance? Share your thoughts with us on X (@CelebMix) — we’d love to hear your theories, favorite moments, and predictions for Fury Bound!
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