The Thorn Queen Also in this series: Series: The Rose Bargain #2
Published by HarperCollins on April 14, 2026
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / General, Young Adult Fiction / Family / Siblings, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Historical, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Historical
Pages: 400
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*An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
Wed to one brother.
In love with the other.
Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.
Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.
But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.
To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.
Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.
Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.
Long Live the Queen… If the Fae Don’t Kill Her First
Well, apparently, becoming queen is the easy part. Staying alive, outsmarting a faerie king, saving the people you love, and somehow surviving the absolute chaos that follows? Slightly more complicated.
The Thorn Queen jumps right back into the mess left behind by The Rose Bargain, and I was immediately ready for more dangerous fae bargains, court intrigue, betrayal, romance, and characters making decisions that had me mentally yelling at them from the sidelines.
Ivy is now Queen of England, married to Bram while secretly plotting against him, trying to save Lydia, and desperately wanting to reunite with Emmett. Meanwhile, the fae are running wild in the human world, the Otherworld is as dangerous and unpredictable as ever, and basically nobody can be trusted. Exactly the kind of fantasy chaos I enjoy.
What I really loved was getting to see more of the Otherworld and just how dangerous the fae truly are. The stakes felt higher, the bargains were trickier, and there was always that feeling that one wrong move could destroy everything. I also enjoyed seeing Ivy step into her power and realize that being a queen sometimes means playing the game better—and more viciously—than everyone else.
There were moments when I wanted a little more time with certain characters and relationships because the story moves quickly and has a lot happening at once. But overall, this was a fun, dramatic, twisty conclusion filled with dangerous magic, forbidden love, impossible choices, and enough fae chaos to keep me happily turning the pages.
If you enjoyed The Rose Bargain, this sequel delivers bigger stakes, a darker Otherworld, dangerous bargains, and a queen who has finally learned that sometimes you have to grow a few thorns of your own.
