32 new this week · 3,571 honest reviews · 203 author interviews · 200K+ readersAboutWrite for usContact
Home / New releases / November 2026 / The Queen of the Spirit Woods
The Queen of the Spirit Woods by Sharon Choe book coverOut in 17 days
FantasyYoung AdultRomanceHistorical FictionHigh FantasyYoung Adult Fantasy

The Queen of the Spirit Woods

by Sharon Choe

NOV3Tue
Publishes Tuesday 3 November 2026Hardcover · Atheneum Books for Young Readers · 352 pagesSee everything out in November 2026 →
Pre-order on Amazon ↗

As an Amazon Associate, The Bookish Elf earns from qualifying purchases.

About the book

From the publisher

For the first printing only! This hardcover features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea meets The Cruel Prince in this “propulsive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) dual-POV young adult romantic fantasy following a royal kitchen maid and a prince who get swept up in dangerous palace intrigue, a forbidden love triangle, and the plight of thousands of displaced spirits and deities.

A kingdom on the brink of colonization.

Ten thousand nature spirits and deities seeking a vessel.

A genial nobleman and a grumpy prince uncovering the secrets at Court…

And the girl at the center of it all.

Mirae has a dangerous She has faked her way into a job as a royal kitchen maid with the hope of sending money to her family. And life in the kitchens isn’t easy. The palace is in an uproar after a recent assassination attempt on the king, and Mirae nearly gets fired after inadvertently getting in the crosshairs of Jae, the prickly crown prince, during his investigation.

Her position gets even more precarious when a chance encounter with a witch in the mysterious spirit woods makes her the vessel of ten thousand spirits and deities. When her new powers spill out into the palace kitchens, Wonshik, a kind nobleman, lends a helping hand. Soon Mirae finds herself embroiled in a power struggle between the queen and Wonshik’s best friend, Prince Jae.

With the help of a fellow kitchen maid and a meddlesome ghost, Mirae must untangle the web of lies to find the traitor within the palace. But an encroaching threat from the empire to the east looms ever closer, and the palace is rife with lies and shadowy allegiances. Who can Mirae trust?

Description supplied by the publisher.

✎
Not reviewed yet

We haven’t read The Queen of the Spirit Woods yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.

Out the same day

Also publishing 3 November

More Fantasy

More fantasy out in November