Crown of War and Shadow: Kingdoms of the Compass

By Bramble Winter 2026 Author to be Announced and J.R. Ward

DELUXE EDITION―featuring gorgeous stenciled edges, a foil case stamp, a detailed map, and designed endpapers

"J.R. Ward is a powerhouse in the genre and never disappoints "--Rebecca Yarros, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

"Absolutely unputdownable "--Jennifer Armentrout, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Crown of War and Shadow is a brand new, sweeping, slow-burn romantasy from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Jennifer Armentrout

An outcast burdened with a curse. A mercenary out for himself. A kingdom that must be saved.

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

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

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast within the walls of her small village because of her mystical abilities. She wants to survive...and 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 desire runs hot between them, adventure, danger, and betrayal lurk around every corner.

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

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 125037362X
• ISBN13: 9781250373625
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Bramble
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.2" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Very unexpected from this author and I love it

Wow.. I NEED another book. I was about to give up on this as it’s a truly slow beginning. It feels as if it’s dragging. Just something told me to keep going, and I’m glad I did. I’ve only read the black dagger brotherhood books by j.r.ward so I was surprised by the slow start. The BDB books are more “hi.. slam! Bang!” Type of starts. It just starts off running. So the gradual build up was not what I was expecting. You follow our FMC through her daily lift for several days and such a tough life she has. No family and one friend. Being treated poorly by her townsfolk. But then things change. Ones that happens 5gings pick up. Even when calm again, things are still moving. It’s fluid and imaginative. This world is so far removed from her other books, I think some will be disappointed. I truly loved the difference. While there is a love interest.. that isn’t the story. It’s about our FMCs self discovery after being told she didn’t matter for so long. There are some minor characters that you come to love also. They aren’t just throw away. Truly rich world building. And also a great example of every action has a reaction in another life, no matter the outcome. It’s important to touch the lives of others. I hope there is going to be at least another book in this world as I’d truly love to know more about this world. And J.R. Ward, forgive me for thinking BDB, while I like the series, that I dared to doubt you had completely different worlds and stories in your mind. I bow down to thee. This was an arc read