Crown of War and Shadow

By: J.R. Ward

Published by Tor Publishing Group, 2026-02-17

"A powerhouse in the genre." ―Rebecca Yarros

"Absolutely unputdownable." ―Jennifer L. Armentrout

DELUXE EDITION―featuring gorgeous stenciled edges, beautiful case art under the book jacket, a detailed map and designed endpapers!

An outcast burdened with a curse and a mercenary who's out for himself collide in this star-crossed, slow-burn romantasy filled with monsters, demons, and high-stakes quests to save the kingdom from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward.

In the deep, dark, dead of night, passions rise, empires fall...and a queen must awaken.

Welcome to Kingdoms of the Compass.

The Fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world.

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast within the walls of her small village because of her mystical abilities. She wants to survive...and find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.

Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed.

She must cross the Badlands to return the Queen's crown and convince the fearsome female to save their world from destruction.

Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession.

The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage.

But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though desire runs hot between them, adventure, danger, and betrayal lurk around every corner.

Crown of War and Shadow is the first book in the Kingdoms of the Compass series.

Crown of War and Shadow
*Forced proximity/Only one bed
*Chosen mates
*Dark mercenary
*Who did this to you?
*Touch her and die
*I'll die for you
*Hidden magic