UPDATE: I have to make the grandmas cry | I need to kill someone

My main Timothy is 20-35yo young women. (My secondary Timothy is 45-60yo women).

After hearing so many great suggestions for narrowing down the reason for the SK character to die, I thought I had decided for it to be a SOFTer death.

But my two daughters both know the story and said it will increase the stakes the right place and in a powerful way for the reader (for them the difference between “meh” and “YES!” for that HARDer death/impact.

Then, my daughter presented it to her girlfriends (same age group) and gave a general scenario—which kind of death. Unanimously they said it had to be the HARD DEATH. Otherwise it would be compromising the story.

“Elif, Ceren, and Ruya all agree that Selen should be (Spoiler-HARD DEATH) bc it’s more devastating and it’s better to get that out of the way instead of having it be a question through the whole story”

My grandma readers hated that part (as it was a HARD death in the beta read). Really hated it—thought it was a gratuitous death.

Which means I need to build up the sacrificial nature of the death (yes, it is sacrificial—but she saves the life of an enemy). Make it clear that it wasn’t a wasted death (ie: Prim in Hunger Games vs Rue in Hunger Games). Thanks to everyone for your comments and feedback. I’m still open to more pointers.

In my story, a very beloved main character (ally/sidekick) needs to die.

👉What advice do you have to make this still okay and not make the reader angry or sad enough to “throw the book out”—

The impact on the MC is their gaining outward focus and justice (not revenge) for that person’s death. It becomes the internal motivation for their goals.

Note: my readers are 20-35yo young women, and older women who read YA. When I asked my Timothys, the younger contingent said-kill her, the older said-don’t kill her.

👉Asking for advice for making the heartbreaking death worthy for a reader to keep going in the series.

Genre: YA Sci fi Fantasy dystopia