THE CURSED QUEEN'S DAUGHTER

A warrior embraces the shadows in this follow-up to The Forest King’s Daughter (2025).

Thea, King Silvanus’ fierce daughter, trains hard as a Sylvan Huntsman, employing her quick blade to protect Thirstwood and its forest folk. An uneasy truce between the Sylvans and their former enemies, the Dracu, allows a sliver of peace to settle over the woods while the Huntsmen quell any lingering threats. But more danger looms. Figments of silver trees begin to crop up in Thirstwood, as if seeping through cracks in the realms. Moreover, foreboding, magic-touched dresses start appearing at Thea’s hearth each night, luring the young warrior, who has wavy brown hair and has lost some of her “summer tan,” to wear them. And then there’s Damon, the mysterious, handsome, pale young man who’s cloaked in shadows; he promises answers to all Thea’s worries, including the reasons behind her mother’s disappearance years ago. To save her beloved Thirstwood and uncover the truth, Thea must plunge into the Forgotten Realm of Iluna to confront the shadow king, Erebus, even as she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the charming shadow prince. Like the series opener, this volume smolders thanks to the unlikely pairing of Thea and Damon and the ebbs and flows of their nuanced romance. Still, Thirstwood provides a much more alluring promise, with its unstable hierarchy of magical folk and their ever-evolving relations to one another. The tight pace and intriguing ending strengthen this engrossing tale.

Intoxicatingly satisfying.