The Thorn Queen coming April 14th, 2026 from HarperCollins; 368 pages
Content Warning: Abuse, animal cruelty, death, gore, violence
About the Author: “Sasha Peyton Smith is the New York Times best-selling author of fantasy novels for young adults including The Witch Haven and The Rose Bargain. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages world-wide. She lives in a 100-year-old house in the mountains of Utah, with her husband and (allegedly) two ghosts, though she has yet to see them” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Sasha Peyton Smith on the following platforms:
After winning Queen Mor’s ruthless competition, Ivy Benton is now wedded to King Bram, making her the new Queen of England. But once Bram became king, his true colors began to show, and he opened the door between the Otherworld and England, allowing cruel faeries to take over the court. Now, while Ivy acts like the perfect, loving wife to Bram, she’s also trying to find a way to send him back to the Otherworld and close the door permanently, ending his deadly reign. But with her sister, Lydia, and her true love, Emmett, stuck in the Otherworld, Ivy’s got much more to lose. Can Ivy save everyone she cares about, or will her rebellion threaten everything she knows—including her life?
The Thorn Queen was everything I’d hoped it would be. When I finished The Rose Bargain, I was dying to know more about the Otherworld, and Smith did such a wonderful job creating it. I loved imagining the sprites, the different shades of grass, and the mystical animals that Ivy saw during her time there. Another thing I loved about this book was how the characters matured, which allowed their relationships to evolve. Ivy went from being young and inexperienced to one of the most powerful female characters I have ever read about. I adored her resilience, even when there were countless instances where I wasn’t sure how she would escape her situation. Similarly, Lydia’s role as the Queen of the Otherworld shifted her from the lost girl that she was in The Rose Bargain to this fierce queen in The Thorn Queen. Both Lydia’s and Ivy’s maturity made their relationship so much more complex, and I thought it was a beautiful, natural progression. Lydia and Ivy love each other so much, sometimes to a fault, and this love makes their relationship more realistic and much more interesting to read about. One character who had a rough start was Emmett, as he endured trauma while trapped in the Otherworld, and it made sense that he had regressed from who he was becoming in The Rose Bargain because of this. Though it was frustrating, it made his recovery and the ending much more rewarding. The Thorn Queen is easily one of the best books I’ve read, and I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
The Thorn Queen releases on April 14th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Emersen Cooper, Pine Reads Review Writer, Editor, and Website Manager