Crown of War and Shadow

Kingdoms of the Compass

By: J.R. Ward

Narrated by: Stina Nielsen

“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., 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

A Macmillan Audio production from Bramble Books

Critic reviews

Praise for Crown of War and Shadow:

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

Praise for the J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood Series:

“Utterly absorbing and deliciously erotic.”—Angela Knight

“Delicious, erotic, and thrilling.”—New York Times bestselling author Nicole Jordan

“Dark fantasy lovers, you just got served.”—New York Times bestselling author Lynn Viehl

“To die for. I love this series!”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann

“J.R. Ward’s urban fantasy romance series is so popular I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.”—USA Today

“Hold on tight for an intriguing, adrenaline-pumping ride.”—Booklist

Fantasy at its best!

Loved everything about this audio! I wasn't sure at first but the story and characters just pull you in! Can't wait for the next book!

A strange one… wouldn’t tag it as romantasy

This was a bit of a strange one for me.

I read a lot of romantasy, and while this book does include a love story, it didn’t feel like the driving force of the narrative. To me, it leaned much more heavily into traditional fantasy—quests, revelations, and the larger battle against evil—rather than the intense romantic arc I was expecting.

The narration was overall quite good. The narrator performs the main character with a very wispy, soft, almost sing-song quality at the beginning. It’s a little unusual at first, but it does suit the character and the tone of the story. Thankfully, as the narrative progresses, her voice becomes stronger and more natural, which I found to be a relief and made the listening experience more comfortable. Despite the slightly old-world, ethereal style, it ultimately felt appropriate for the text.

What stood out most to me, though, was the author’s writing style. You could call it poetic prose, but at times it felt extremely formal and almost old-fashioned. The language is very dramatic—not in terms of plot drama, but in its grand, elevated tone. Occasionally it felt a bit heavy-handed. Didn’t love it.

Structurally, the book also moves in a somewhat unusual way. Instead of a tightly paced narrative, many chapters feel almost like vignettes. Some are quite long and filled with dense, poetic description that doesn’t always seem to directly serve the forward momentum of the story. At times it felt a little chaotic or wandering.

That said, I do think the intention was to create something that feels like a sweeping, epic tale—and it definitely accomplishes that. It has a lot of integrity as a story, even if the style didn’t always work for me.

In terms of romance and spice, if that’s what you’re coming for, this probably isn’t the book for you. I expected a much bigger romantic payoff, particularly with Merc, the main male character. There are some romantic elements and a few sex scenes, but overall the spice level felt very low—maybe a 1 out of 5.

Would I read it again? No.
Would I recommend it? Probably not—at least not for readers primarily looking for romantasy.

But was it bad? Not at all. It’s simply a bit unusual, and I think it will work much better for readers who enjoy a long, winding fantasy journey full of introspection, revelations, and a classic battle against darkness.

For me, it was an interesting listen—just not quite what I was looking for.

Surprising Twists

I’m a fan of the Black Brotherhood Series and so a fan of JR Ward. This was very different from that series. This book or world was also very imaginative and detailed. Not as much spicy scenes but the love story was captivating and secondary to the heroine finding herself. I loved it and look forward to the next book in the series.

JR Ward does it again!

Another wonderful book by JR Ward. Wonderful world building, engaging characters, dragons!, and some spice!

JR Ward writes another amazing story!

This was a great start to this series! So sad it’s over & we’ll have to wait for the next one! I did not see the cliffhanger coming!!