Halfheart by Linden A. Lewis

For Lewis’s standalone move from space opera into epic fantasy, I wanted the interior design to feel sharp, dark, and a little weathered, while still fitting the scale of the story.

The title page features a tall engraved serif paired with an ornate border and a dagger wrapped in briars. The dagger becomes a recurring element throughout the book, appearing on the “Also By” page and again with the chapter openers, where it also works as a divider beneath the part title, “The Book of War.”

The chapter openers use large drop caps, a simple serif typeface, and subtle ornament to mark each new section without taking away from the text.

The overall design combines traditional fantasy elements with a darker, more refined look that reflects the book’s themes of grief, vengeance, gods, and empires.