The Witch Queen

Queen Ayleth has everything she fought for. The king is trapped inside her magic mirror, the rightful heir is tucked away in the countryside, and the whole kingdom answers to her. It should feel like a victory, but the crown has not brought her peace. She lies awake over the chance that the witches of her old coven will return to unseat her, that someone at the palace will uncover her secret, and that her own dark magic is growing deeper and harder to hold. Worst of all, she cannot stop thinking about Jacquetta, the witch she loved and who betrayed her, a loss that clings to her like the scent of juniper.

Her careful order starts to fray when Princess Blodwyn comes home from exile. With her is Margaret, the king's scheming sister, and together they have a plan: to call on Braxos's Trials, a contest testing bravery, wisdom, and justice that would let Blodwyn claim the throne. Ayleth realizes she could lose the crown she gave up everything to win, and she is ready to do whatever it takes to keep it.

Blodwyn's return is no easier. Dropped into Ayleth's treacherous court, she is surrounded by enemies and hears whispers that a long-buried curse has stirred again. As old family secrets come to light, she cannot tell who or what to trust, especially as she may be falling for one of her rivals in the trials.

As the struggle over the realm grows fiercer, both women are fighting for more than the throne. Each must face the truth of who she really is, and decide what she is willing to pay to wear the crown. This is the second and final book of a queer, witchy duology that reimagines the Snow White tale from the wicked queen's side, following Malice by Heather Walter.