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Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward book coverPublished 2026
FantasyRomantasyRomanceFantasy RomanceMagicParanormal

Crown of War and Shadow

by J.R. Ward · Kingdoms of the Compass, Book 1

FEB17Tue
Published Tuesday 17 February 2026Hardcover · Bramble · 466 pages
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Our notes

What to know about Crown of War and Shadow

Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward was first published in 2026, and it sits in the Kingdoms of the Compass series.

Crown of War and Shadow opens the Kingdoms of the Compass series, so it is the place to start; we list 2 books in the series so far.

We haven’t reviewed J.R. Ward before, so this would be our first look at their work.

About the book

From the publisher

An outcast burdened with a curse and a mercenary who's out for himself collide in this star-crossed, slow-burn, high-stakes romantic fantasy

In the dead of night, passions rise and empires fall.

Welcome to Kingdoms of the Compass.

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

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast, she’s spent her whole life within the walls of her small village, ostracized for her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and maybe 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 passion runs hot between them, enemies are around every corner, and danger and betrayal threaten at every turn.

Description supplied by the publisher.

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Not reviewed yet

We haven’t read Crown of War and Shadow yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.

The series in order

Kingdoms of the Compass

This is Book 1 of 2. Every book in the series has its own page.