Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward - Kingdoms of the Compass #1 (Hardback)

Published: 17/02/2026

Genres: Fantasy - Romantasy - Romance - Fantasy - Romance - Audiobook - Adult - Paranormal

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 from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward.

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.

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

“Absolutely unputdownable.” - Jennifer Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Publisher information

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9780349445106
Number of pages: 480
Dimensions: 236 x 160 x 42 mm
Weight: 700 g
Language: English