Book Review for Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward

 

Kingdoms of the Compass #1

Crown of War and Shadow by  J.R. Ward

Published:  February 17, 2026 by Bramble

Genre:  Romantasy

Taken from Goodreads:  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.

My Thoughts:  There is so much hope in me for a new series from one of my favorite authors.   I picked up my copy and started reading it in the morning and by mid-afternoon I knew that I would not be putting it down anytime soon.  I quickly became invested in Merc and Sorrel’s relationship.  I was waiting for the twists and turns to come and oh did they come.   Crown of War and Shadow is just the first book and I cannot wait to see what comes next. 

Romantasy is one of my favorite genres.  Add in the twists and turns along with some darkness and I am hooked.  Kingdom of Compass series has so much potential and it will feel like forever before book two is available but until then I will just revisit Sorrell and Merc dreaming of what will happen next. 

Thank you Bramble for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet theAuthor (taken from her website):  J.R. Ward is the author of over thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. There are more than 15 million copies of Ward’s novels in print worldwide and they have been published in 25 different countries around the world.

After graduating from law school, Ward began working in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in the south with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot.

Visit the JRWard FacebookPage for more on the Brotherhood or email her at her contact page.