The Witch Queen

The Crimson Crown Duology #2

by Heather Walter

The stunning sequel to The Crimson Crown, which follows Ayleth, a powerful witch and the very wickedest of all as she wrestles with love and betrayal.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Lesbian, Retellings, Queer, Romantasy, Witches

560 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2026

About the author

Heather Walter has been telling stories for as long as she can remember. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with both English and Information Science degrees, books are--and always will be--a definitive part of her life.

As an author, Heather loves writing about what-ifs, flawed protagonists, and re-imagined history. Her favorite characters are usually villains.

When not writing, you can find her reading (duh), knitting, binging TV, and planning her next travel adventure.

Reviews

[Alyssa McKnight]

Who do I need to sell my kidney to for an arc of this?? I’m wishing 2025 away already.

[Taeopae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley & Del Rey, for the review copy! I was very excited to get to read this early. I went to Heather's tour for the Crimson Crown and was eager to see how the story ended.

We begin where we left off: the veil has been broken, Ayleth has the king trapped and under her control, the rightful heir off with her aunt- what could go wrong? When the king's sister returns with Blodwyn, Ayleth is forced to protect the crown she fought for, but with the witches scheming and a strange creature claiming to come for the true queen, Ayleth must decide whom to trust in her circle and whom to fight.

This was the perfect ending to the story. Several plot points had you scared to turn to the page, and the surprises did not stop. It was so fun to see the nod to Snow White throughout these books. This series certainly reads more fantasy than romanatasy, which was just what I needed. I highly recommend this duology!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m absolutely impressed!

I will give a book five stars only when I feel I wouldn’t change anything about it, and this is true here. I love that this series is a duology and yet it packs in so much plot. Perfect length. This is a retelling of a classic tale, yet I never knew what was going to happen next. I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch Ayleth turn into the ultimate unredeemable villain or if there might be a twist, because there were a whole lot of twists happening throughout.

The characters shine too. They are messy. Most are morally grey. Some are as loyal as they come. Others have grown up needing to be selfish to survive. They make mistakes. Despite being witches or dwarves or wolves made of dark shadow they all read as so “human”. That is to say, very complex and very lovable.

The overall message wins here: love is the strongest magic of all.

(Oh and the sapphic romance of it all was beautifully done. I prefer tension and slow burn, the payoff is always the best.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4,0 stars.

I’m glad I got to read on from book 1, I enjoyed the characters and the world building plus the little links of retelling this story has brought to life.

Ayleth and Blodwyn have experienced a lot of tragedy, scheming, loss, but also love and loyalty that surprised them. Book 2 really show cases who they were and who they want to be while navigating the strenuous political tensions of who should be queen. There’s trials and sacrifice at the heart of the story and we get to see who’s the true queen of them all.

I love the little romantic sub plots unfolding in the background, it adds a lighter element to the book and something you can root for when all hell is breaking loose which is very much does.

[BookishKB]

🪞❄️ The Witch Queen ❄️🪞

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨ What to Expect
• Queer Fantasy
• Wicked Queen POV
• Witches
• Court Intrigue
• Morally Gray MCs
• Magic Mirror
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: August 11, 2026
Thank you to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fairest of Them All Has a Control Problem
In Heather Walter’s “The Witch Queen,” Mirrors, Huntsmen, Prophecies, and One Very Crowded Plot Lead Back to a Simpler Trouble: Ayleth Cannot Make Love Obey
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | August 7th, 2026

Disappointment arrives in “The Witch Queen” wearing the face of approval. On the eve of Ayleth’s coronation, her mother finally says what Ayleth has spent a childhood wanting to hear: she is proud of her. The sentence barely has time to warm the room before its condition shows itself. Cassandra is less dazzled by her daughter than by what the Bloodstone crown might do for the covens. Ayleth answers the old wound with a new kind of certainty. Cassandra’s magic is torn from her and locked in the crown; Shade kneels as Ayleth’s Huntsman; the darkness names her “fairest of them all.” Heather Walter begins the second half of “The Crimson Crown Duology” at the instant when vindication becomes an intoxicant.

Even before succession plots and palace intrigues begin multiplying, Walter fixes the bargain that will govern this 560-page sequel. Ayleth has learned to experience abandonment as a kind of erasure. Her mother preferred her gifted sister; the covens treated her as defective; King Callen regarded women as prey; Jacquetta, the witch Ayleth loved, left her. The crown offers something more seductive than rule. If everyone must obey you, perhaps no one can leave. If prophecy selects you, perhaps no one can declare you insufficient. If the shadows call you fairest, there is no second place to fear. Ayleth does not simply want safety. She wants immunity from refusal.

Monarchy has suited Ayleth badly, though she would contest the diagnosis. Three years later, she rules Riven beside the wreckage of Callen, whose consciousness she has confined inside a magic mirror while his damaged body remains at court. She has broken the religious Order that persecuted witches and repealed its prohibition on same-sex relationships. She has also allowed liberation to harden into coercion. Malum, the shadow force she embraced, has blighted parts of the kingdom; villages judged disloyal suffer catastrophe; witches are hunted and stripped of their latent magic, which accumulates in Ayleth’s crown. She escaped being prey and built a realm in which she gets to decide who counts as predator.

Everything becomes less manageable when Princess Blodwyn, the rightful heir, returns from exile with her aunt Margaret and invokes Braxos’s Trials, an old contest of bravery, wisdom and justice through which she hopes to reclaim the throne. The trials give the book its first clean line of suspense. Walter soon knots it with rival claimants, war, a supposed curse, a vanished princess, poisoned bodies, stolen hearts and the romance Ayleth has spent three years pretending not to mourn. Revelations begin arriving in bunches: Princess Matilda became Millicent, one of the founders of witch history; Cassandra survives behind part of the supernatural threat; Shade’s loyalty belongs to Malum rather than to Ayleth; Callen escapes the mirror with his talent for making patriarchy sound like a personal hobby unimpaired. The congestion is real. So is the momentum.

The busier this fantasy machinery becomes, the clearer the smaller, more dangerous novel inside it grows. Ayleth’s real struggle is with the fact that another person can possess an interpretation of her that she cannot command. She owns the prologue and every chapter of Part I. Blodwyn does not gain a viewpoint until she returns to contest Ayleth’s rule. The queen can command a room, a council and, with enough magic, a body. She cannot command the meaning another consciousness makes of her. That loss of narrative sovereignty matters almost as much as the threatened loss of the throne.

Rather than using two narrators simply to widen the view, Walter lets the second voice contradict the queen. Ayleth can remember tenderness toward Blodwyn; Blodwyn can remember manipulation. Ayleth can call a punitive act protection; Blodwyn can register its cruelty before Ayleth has finished building the defense. Neither woman is perfectly reliable, which keeps the arrangement from becoming a prosecution with chapter breaks. Their accounts rub against each other. Intention matters here, but consequence gets a vote. Ayleth’s great frustration is that Blodwyn retains not only the right to refuse her but the right to decide what Ayleth’s love, loyalty and injuries have meant.

If “Circe” by Madeline Miller belongs to the current tradition of returning interiority to a woman inherited as monstrous, Walter takes the harder next step. Understanding Ayleth does not make her innocent. She persecutes witches, tolerates suffering she could alleviate, lies to Joan, weaponizes intimacy and repeatedly converts another person’s refusal into evidence against them. Malum does not conveniently absorb the blame. Ayleth chooses, often with terrible lucidity. Her history explains how she acquired these reflexes without washing the blood from them. Walter’s gamble is to keep sympathy alive after innocence has become impossible.

Power, for Ayleth, is a theory of intimacy. She wants people to choose her, but voluntary choice is frightening because the chooser might choose otherwise. Shade is soothing because he kneels. The shadows are soothing because they praise. Prophecy is soothing because prophecy cannot wake one morning and decide it has fallen out of love. When Jacquetta is captured, Ayleth wants her to call for her, to need her, to return under conditions Ayleth controls. The feeling is romantic; the method is coercive. Beneath both lies the wounded simplicity of a child demanding proof that she will not be left.

Ayleth’s attachment to Blodwyn presses the same bruise without romance to disguise it. She fears the younger woman as a claimant, certainly, but fear of losing the throne keeps collapsing into private dread. What does Blodwyn think of her? Does she believe Ayleth is a monster? Will she choose Margaret instead? When Shade offers the efficient solution of removing the princess, Ayleth cannot quite accept it. Gone is not enough. Persuaded would be better. A throne can compel a curtsy; it cannot compel affection. Ayleth’s tragedy is how often she mistakes the first for evidence of the second.

Playfulness keeps the darkness from settling into a single register. Ayleth’s contempt for Callen has an acid snap; court life produces small absurdities; Nettle the cat and Nox the Nevenwolf move through murderous magic with the serene confidence that kingdoms are chiefly elaborate furniture arranged for their convenience. The jokes let Ayleth be companionable as well as dangerous. One understands why Joan might want her beside her at a banquet while still checking, discreetly, where the queen has put the mirror. The humor also keeps Walter from treating suffering as automatic solemnity, a mercy in a book so crowded with old wounds and new curses.

At sentence level, “The Witch Queen” is more fluent than singular. Walter writes brisk, immediately legible first-person prose, favoring short-to-medium declarative sentences, fragments, quick interior questions and physical signals of feeling. Anger surges, dread coils, magic hums behind the sternum, hearts pound, stomachs drop. The method keeps 560 pages moving. Across that distance, though, urgency settles into a recognizable pulse. Walter often lets a gesture or image communicate an emotion, adds the body’s response, then explains what the first two have already shown. The reader is rarely confused, but sometimes denied the small pleasure of arriving half a beat before the narration.

Details, more than syntax, give the book its individual texture. Walter keeps returning to mirrors, crowns, shadows, hearts, ravens, juniper, fire, crimson blood against snow, changing what each object means as the story moves. The mirror is prison, surveillance device and truth machine, but its slyest function is comic: Ayleth acquires a way to inspect almost everyone in Riven while remaining spectacularly poor at reading herself. Juniper becomes Jacquetta’s sensory ghost, entering Ayleth’s awareness before she will admit what she misses. Hearts begin as things that can be removed, bound, threatened and stored; by the end, their value depends on whether they can be freely given. Walter is better at making an image recur than at letting an implication linger.

If Blodwyn contests Ayleth’s version of the present, Matilda contests Riven’s version of the past. Riven remembers her as a princess denied a throne and swallowed by tragedy. Matilda instead became Millicent, found a vocation outside the throne and helped establish the covens. Her story has not simply been forgotten; it has been assigned the wrong meaning. That distinction suits a novel so preoccupied with women who discover that the identities imposed on them are sometimes lies, sometimes half-truths and sometimes accurate descriptions of what they have chosen to become. Walter is revising Snow White while her characters discover that their own dynastic fairy tale has also been badly edited.

More cumbersome is the architecture carrying these ideas. Part IV, especially, behaves like a cupboard into which every remaining mechanism has been placed just before the door is shut: Cassandra returns under disguise; Shade defects; Parnell studies the mirror; Callen escapes; Blodwyn is poisoned; Ayleth faces execution; the cosmology needs rewriting. Scene by scene, the book moves quickly. Taken whole, it sprawls. Its problem is saturation, not sluggishness, which is how a novel this eventful still manages to feel overlong. Walter is expert at replacing one engine before the previous one has stopped, but propulsion is not always accumulation’s alibi.

Its largest weakness is that it does not quite trust its own best story. The cleaner line underneath is already strong: a woman who equates vulnerability with danger acquires enough control to feel invulnerable, discovers that obedience cannot provide secure attachment, and must learn that surrendering power is not the same as returning to helplessness. Walter surrounds that line with so much prophecy, genealogy, magical jurisprudence and coup mechanics that the White Palace begins to seem underwritten by a very nervous insurance company. Several mechanisms arrive after Ayleth’s character has already made their argument for them. The book seldom bores; it more often insists when it might have trusted.

That tidiness is most visible in Blodwyn’s maturation. She begins as a useful counterweight because she is young, resentful, uncertain and capable of misreading Ayleth. By the final chapters she has become a remarkably comprehensive corrective to the previous reign: tolerant of dissent, generous with relief, willing to bring Dwarves into government. These are attractive instincts, but they arrive with few equivalent governing costs. Blodwyn occasionally resembles the answer sheet to Ayleth’s exam. Her decency would be more persuasive if it occasionally made somebody furious for reasons the novel could not easily dismiss, or if inclusion produced compromises rather than applause. Ayleth’s relationships remain thornier than Blodwyn’s government; people resist the novel more stubbornly than institutions do.

Readers are likeliest to part company over the bill Ayleth should pay. Walter refuses the two tidiest exits. She does not acquit her heroine by blaming Malum, and she does not kill Ayleth in a spectacular act of repayment. Death would be temptingly efficient in a villain retelling, a grand sacrifice that closes the ledger while the music swells. Walter chooses the less ceremonial problem of letting Ayleth survive her own recognition. She loses the crown without losing the possibility of love, work, community or a future. For some readers that will feel mercifully adult; for others, the novel’s tenderness may arrive before their forgiveness does. That disagreement is not a flaw in the book’s ethics. It is evidence that Walter has left something genuinely unsettled.

One late scene reduces the argument to a knife and a single word. Restored to power, Callen offers Blodwyn what both women have spent much of their lives wanting from disappointing parents: the chance to become the favored child. He puts a knife in her hand and tells her to take Ayleth’s heart. When Blodwyn refuses, Callen threatens to strip her title and make her “nothing.” Ayleth hears the governing terror of her own life in that word. She has accumulated crowns, prophecy, magic and obedience so that no one could ever reduce her to nothing again. Blodwyn refuses the premise along with the knife. A self does not disappear because someone powerful withdraws approval.

Politics enters most persuasively through that same contradiction. Having suffered domination teaches Ayleth a great deal about injury and very little about governing. She can dismantle the Order’s prohibition on same-sex relationships, creating genuine freedom for Joan and Anora, while inventing coercions of her own elsewhere. Walter is sharpest when she keeps that contradiction attached to conduct rather than turning Riven into a tract: victimhood matters morally, but it is not a governing philosophy. The Matilda story carries a related suspicion. Inherited authority can preserve not quite a lie, but a version of the past convenient enough to do a lie’s work.

Only in the ending does the fairy-tale logic achieve its cleanest reversal. The magical crisis is resolved through balance rather than supremacy, with witches, mortals and Dwarves joining forms of power the realm has treated as incompatible. That solution is a little neater than the social antagonisms surrounding it, but the character resolution is better judged. Blodwyn becomes queen. Ayleth does not. Walter refuses to stage the transfer as humiliation. When Blodwyn is acclaimed, she looks toward the woman who once treated another claimant’s success as existential danger and sees pride. The stranger victory is Ayleth’s ability to watch another woman be chosen without experiencing herself as erased.

Under all that machinery, “The Witch Queen” earns 83/100 and 4/5 stars because Ayleth remains more psychologically exact than the plot around her. The prose is lucid rather than remarkable, the middle crowded, Blodwyn’s model of rule cleaner than the wounds that precede it. But Ayleth remains vivid because Walter refuses to tidy her moral life. She is wounded without being harmless, culpable without being discarded, capable of love without being entitled to forgiveness. The more interesting question was never whether the Wicked Queen was secretly good. It is whether “good” and “wicked” are finally large enough words for a life that has to continue after both have become true in part.

Last comes the smallest reversal, and perhaps the most exact: one that fits inside a name. Six months later, Stonehaven, where Ayleth learned to regard herself as a failed witchling, is becoming a school open to witches, mortals and Dwarves. Magic is returning to the land. Jacquetta is beside her. Someone addresses Ayleth with a title, and she corrects them: “Just Ayleth.” The woman who once needed the shadows to call her fairest has reached a stranger freedom – a life in which her name no longer has to be a superlative.

[AJ Sneed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch Queen is a fitting, emotionally powerful sequel that picks up three years after the events of The Crimson Crown. Heather Walter effortlessly draws readers back into her dark fairy-tale atmosphere with lush, immersive writing, vivid magic, and intense political tension. While the plot can occasionally lean a little into the ridiculous, it remains undeniably fun, action-packed, and difficult to put down.

A Kingdom in Chaos
The story thrusts us right into Queen Ayleth’s troubled reign. She faces pushback from a council displeased with a female ruler, chaotic attacks from a rebel group known as the Followers, and vengeful witches angry over the destruction of the veil and the release of malum.

The stakes skyrocket when King Callen’s sister, Margaret, arrives with Princess Blodwyn to stake a claim to the throne through a series of competitive "trials." With schemers like Lord Warbeck and Margaret advancing their own agendas, the plot is packed with twists, turns, and shifting alliances. As the story progresses, explosive information is discovered that completely upends everything the characters believed about the ruling family's history, the witch covens, and the very nature of magic in Riven.

Complex, Morally Gray Characters
One of the strongest elements of this book is the character development. Walter excels at writing morally gray characters, making it impossible not to become invested in their choices:

Queen Ayleth: At first, Ayleth’s power and decision-making as queen might seem frustratingly flawed—she appears to be making all the wrong, unsavvy moves. However, her journey is deeply complex, and her choices make perfect sense by the end. When the truth about her is finally revealed, it strains her relationships with allies like Roland and multiplies her enemies.

Princess Blodwyn: Blodwyn has an absolutely fantastic arc in this installment. Amidst the heavy, history-laden tension between her and Ayleth, it was genuinely rewarding to watch her grow and finally make friends.

Jacquetta: Her reappearance brings a deliciously toxic dynamic between her and Ayleth, bringing its own unique challenges and drama to the narrative.

Romance and Thematic Depth
The queer romance in this book is absolutely captivating—intense, emotional, and brimming with chemistry. It adds an immense amount of heart to the story, striking a perfect balance so that neither the romance nor the high-stakes fantasy outshines the other. Every emotional moment lands beautifully.

Beyond the magic and intrigue, the book weaves in deeper themes of transformation, freedom, and reclaiming power. Multiple characters are forced to reevaluate what is truly important to them and who they want to be.

The Verdict
If you enjoy dark fantasy with rich world-building, compelling female characters, queer romance, and atmospheric storytelling, The Witch Queen is absolutely worth reading. It is an enchanting journey that balances high-stakes royal trials with beautifully layered emotions.

[Lilith Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

After "The Crimson Crown" I was absolutely thrilled to start this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
Picking up the story where it was left off on the previous book, we go head first into the Witch Queen reign and all that follows!
Crushed by the weight of tough choices and old prophecies, Ayleth finds herself with nothing but shades and shadows at her side, while carrying out her plan of ultimate vengeance and strip the world of witches.
However, no matter how hurt her heart may be, it still thuds a song of hope and love, that only those who dare to pay attention, may just hear.
Each of the characters must walk their own path, with something to learn, something to conquer and something to give back.
And as much as this fairytale should be as easy as good and bad, it really isn't and there are enough complicated layers making up each of the protagonists, that it is impossible to simply deem them as villains or heroes of the story. Instead they are just a group of flawed, hurting people, doing their best as they discover their place in the world.
Their dynamics are ever evolving, complementing each other and just wonderful to experience!
The banter always brought a smile to my lips and Roland is one of my favorite grumps of all time, blessed is soft heart.

When it comes to romance, just like in the first book, it will not take hold of the whole plot but it will still play a part on how things unfold. If you're looking for a love focused story, this will not be it, there is much more at stake than the faith of two, and at no moment are we aloud to forget it.
Still, this is still a fairytale to some extent and the way things were wrapped up, made me wish for a bit more when it comes to the two of them.

Just like in the first book, the worldbuilding is so rich and involving that it was very hard to put it down, always looking for the next chapter, always on my toes for what would unravel. And the writing was just beautiful.
The complexity of the characters is not forgotten or easily overcome and all the fears and flaws we once knew are now bare and swollen - impossible to ignore and mandatory to face. This is very much about second chances and it is up to them, all of them, to decide how the story is going to end. Personally, I was taken by surprise with some turns and twists and it was delightful.

There were perhaps a couple of things I would have enjoyed to see explored a little more - why was the connection to Rhea lost afterall? and I think Cassandra's arc broke a little bit, for the sake of the story, for instance, but that did not make me enjoy the story any less.

It has been a while since I dived into a fantasy book that would simply leave me this spelled.
I am certainly gonna miss them all!

[Carrie Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch Queen was a wonderful continuation of the duology started in The Crimson Crown. I particularly enjoyed how we got perspectives from both Ayleth and Blodwyn throughout the book. This novel mostly takes place three years after the conclusion of The Crimson Crown, with Queen Ayleth taking on all royal responsibilities after trapping the king in her magic mirror. She also sent Blodwyn away to live with her Aunt Margaret, after she comes down sick while dealing with grief after her mother's death.

Blodwyn and Margaret arrive at the court three years later, with Blodwyn announcing she wants to take the throne through a series of trials. The Braxos trials are a contest started centuries before and were the reason the first White got on the throne to begin with. Instead of Blodwyn being the only one to compete, many young men in the kingdom compete along side her in acts of bravery, wisdom, and justice. Ayleth does not only have to worry about losing the crown to whoever wins the trials, she also is dealing with a war with the witches and another kingdom.

Heather Walter has taken such a familiar fairy tale and twisted it in so many interesting directions. We get many recognizable aspects such as the man in the mirror, the huntsman, a queen trying to keep her power, "fairest of them all," etc. but there is so much more to this story than it being a retelling of "Snow White." Many of the characters in this book are morally grey and we get an in-depth look into what makes them who they are.

The dual narration was the perfect way to tell this story, so we were able to get in both Ayleth and Blodwyn's heads. I like how both characters are not what you would expect from a take on this story. They are so much more developed. We get to deeply understand each of them on a complex level because of this.

It was entertaining to get the different competitions for the Braxos trials and seeing what Blodywn and the others had to do for each. Blodywn is not only trying to win the trials, she is also trying to win the hearts of the court. She goes on quite the emotional journey in this book and I really felt for her. I also enjoyed her relationship with her Aunt Margaret who was also a princess sent away. Margaret was one of the most interesting characters in this book.

Many of the twists and turns actually surprised me. I love the world-building in this novel and getting even more about the history of this kingdom. Also, there is a small connection to Heather Walter's Malice duology which I liked seeing. I look forward to reading anything else she will write in the future.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Del Ray Publishing, and Heather Walter for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

[vlm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch Queen is a captivating and emotionally rich conclusion to Heather Walter's Crimson Crown Duology, offering a thoughtful exploration of power, identity, love, and the complicated nature of good and evil.

After claiming the throne, Ayleth finally has everything she sacrificed so much to achieve. Yet instead of finding peace, she is consumed by fear, isolation, and the growing darkness of her magic. I loved how Walter continued to develop Ayleth as a deeply flawed and sympathetic character. Her struggles felt authentic, and even when she made questionable choices, I found myself invested in her journey and rooting for her to find her way forward.

One of the strongest aspects of this sequel is the addition of Princess Blodwyn's perspective. Her return to challenge Ayleth for the throne creates a compelling conflict that avoids clear-cut heroes and villains. Both women have understandable motivations, and the shifting dynamics between them kept me engaged throughout the story. The Braxos Trials added an exciting layer of competition and intrigue while raising the stakes for everyone involved.

The political maneuvering, court secrets, and magical elements were all well executed, creating an atmosphere filled with tension and uncertainty. I also appreciated how the story continued to challenge traditional fairy tale narratives, asking readers to reconsider who gets labeled a villain and who gets remembered as a hero.

Ayleth and Jacquetta's relationship remains one of the emotional anchors of the series. Their history, heartbreak, and lingering feelings added depth to the story and provided some of its most touching moments.

While I enjoyed the overall story, there were a few sections where the pacing felt uneven, particularly in the middle portion of the novel. Some plot threads took longer to develop than I expected, which occasionally slowed the momentum. However, the strong character development, emotional payoff, and satisfying conclusion more than made up for those slower moments.

Overall, The Witch Queen is a strong finale that brings Ayleth's story to a meaningful and satisfying close. Fans of dark fairy tale retellings, sapphic fantasy, political intrigue, and morally gray characters will find plenty to enjoy in this duology.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch Queen by Heather Walter
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.25)
Thank you to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inkore, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Book two was easily my favorite of this duology. While the first book immersed readers into the world at a steadier pace, I felt that The Witch Queen delivered more action, more scheming, and higher stakes throughout the story.

I especially enjoyed the dual POVs from Ayleth and Blodwyn. Heather Walter did an excellent job making me sympathize with both characters, even when their goals, beliefs, and desires were completely at odds with one another. There were moments that left me feeling frustrated, disgusted, hopeful, and heartbroken for both women, which made their perspectives equally compelling to follow.

The Braxos Trials were another aspect I really enjoyed. Throughout history, women in positions of power are often viewed as a problem by the men around them, and I thought Walter incorporated that dynamic well into the story. I was particularly intrigued when Blodwyn returned alongside the vicious and vindictive Aunt Margaret to reclaim her throne. Once Blodwyn announced her intention to retake the crown, other suitors and ambitious men quickly threw their hats into the ring as well, creating even more political tension and intrigue.

As the story unfolds, secrets surrounding who is truly a witch begin to surface, while darker forces emerge throughout the kingdom. Between hearts being ripped out, attacks threatening the realm, and the growing political unrest, there was always something happening to keep me invested.

One reason this wasn't a full five-star read for me was my frustration with Ayleth.

Girl... Jacquetta burned you HOW MANY TIMES in the first book? How is your heart still beating for this woman?

You are a strong, independent ruler who took the throne and gained the power of the witches in book one, only to spend parts of book two stumbling over yourself because of Jacquetta all over again after she has betrayed you HOW MANY TIMES? I understood the emotional conflict, but at times the naivety became frustrating and pulled me out of the story.

Even with that frustration, I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion. The political maneuvering, multiple perspectives, magical secrets, and increased action made this a stronger book than the first and a satisfying end to the duology.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review

In the second book of the Crimson Crown Duology, Queen Ayleth has the kingdom entirely at her command, now that she has bound the king to her magic mirror & Princess Blodwyn sent to live with Margaret, the king's sister. Everything should be great, but first, Roland the dwarf in charge of the mines notifies her of a problem - a strange red liquid is trickling down the walls of the mines & coming out of the cracks & no one can identify what it is. Then Margaret shows up with Blodwyn in tow, notifying Ayleth that she is invoking the Braxos’s Trials, a contest of bravery, wisdom, and justice that could allow Blodwyn to retake the throne. With Ayleth worried about losing her tenuous grip on the crown & Blodwyn worried about the trieals and not sure who she can trust at court, Ayleth & Blodwyn will both have to decide what price they are willing to pay to wear the crown.

I really wish this book had a recap at the beginning, reminding you of everything that has happened so far. I had to go back and find my review for the first book to get a refresher course. When sequels don;t come out for a year or more, and most people read quite a few books between then and now, it is impossible to recall storylines. OK, I am off of my soapbox. This book was non-stop action & excitement. I love that this fairytale retelling has the king in the magic mirror, a witch for the wicked queen, and she is in love with another witch. Not the fairytale you remember, is it? The king obviously learned nothing by being trapped in a mirror - he was just as cold & conniving in there as he was before he got trapped. I love Blodwyn. She loves animals, refused to kill a stag during the trials, and seemed to be one of the only decent people at court. I really wanted Ayleth to choose to be good, and if that meant giving up the crown & running off with the love of her life, so be it. The book is narrated in the alternating voices of Ayleth & blodwyn. This is a long book, 542 pages, but I was so immersed in the story it didn't feel that long at all. If you love a good fairytale retelling, you will love this. You will need to read book one - The Crimson Crown - first.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

I’ve been looking forward to this since I finished The Crimson Crown, and can firmly say that the The Witch Queen was the perfect follow up. This Snow White retelling was so well done and adds such good lore and world building to the original tale, it felt very high fantasy especially with all the different factions and parties existing and vying for power. The vibes were perfect too, with being dark fantasy, I could totally envision the forest, the palace at Riven, and Stonehaven. Was thrown off at first by the time jump, but that’s the only way this could’ve realistically been done as Blodwyn needed to age up a little. I almost wish there was a third book or novella for that in between time.

The characters were so well layered as well- our lead Ayleth is the perfect morally gray evil queen. You definitely want to root for her and for her to succeed even though we know what she has to do to get there is pretty grim. The second lead Blodwyn also grows on you, I was a little annoyed with her at first but her character does develop a lot (especially in the last 30%). Margaret was a fun character to read and I loved her addition and contributions to the story and plot overall. Again, all the characters (Roland, Jaquetta, Joan, etc) were great and fun to read.

I did knock a quarter star down because there were so many facets and sides to the conflict and war going on with other random forces showing up and driving things that it was a teeny bit much for me at times, and it was hard to stay focused as the threads that drive the story forward started to loosen a little, but they all tied themselves together nicely in the end. That’s just my personal opinion though, there is a large possibility that I go back and change it to 5 ⭐️ depending on how much I think about the book not w that I’ve finished it tbd.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend! I can’t wait for the release of this and for everyone else to read! I may be in a tiny slump after this but maybe I should read the author’s other duology? We shall see, I have other arcs I need to read as well lol. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC, all thought and opinions are my own.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was I entertained? Yes. Was I questioning most of what happened in this book following the first installment? Also yes.

The first half of the book was riveting, at least when it came to the external plot. We have a grown up Blodwyn returning from her stay at her Aunt Margaret's seeking to take the throne from Ayleth. Ayleth is the queen with her shadows, and she is lying to EVERYONE. Ayleth is trying to preserve the power she sacrificed everything to have, but Blodwyn and her Aunt Margaret are threatening it. The tension here was immaculate. And Aunt Margaret, or I should say the Duchess, was such an interesting character. She was even more cunning than Ayleth.

But the internal plot lost me. I felt like I was reading the first book again, seeing the same patterns and internal conflict as before for Ayleth. The woman bound herself to Malum, trapped the king in that mirror, and schemed her way to the throne, but somehow she's still battling the same patterns as in the first book? I was expecting something more. I only ever glimpsed more when Ayleth lost her cool with Blodwyn and confessed that power was everything. THAT was a great scene. Otherwise, it just felt like the same dance as the first book. Especially when Jacquetta came back.

Then the second half made me pause. The identity of this creature coming for them was revealed, and it made absolutely no sense. Especially considering the creature called Ayleth a "usurper." The plot only kept unraveling, but at this point I couldn't help but think how convenient some things were... I was left wanting more.

Not to say I wasn't enjoying the book, but the deeper I thought about it, the more questions I had. In the end, I found myself annoyed at Ayleth, Jacquetta, Joan, Margaret, and the entire court. I could give a pass to Blodwyn because she was the youngest out of everyone, so she has a reason for acting stubborn and dumb. Otherwise, I still enjoyed the journey, but I expected a little more from this.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch Queen
by Heather Walter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m honestly in awe.

Five stars are reserved for books where I wouldn’t change a thing, and The Witch Queen earned every single one. This was everything I wanted from the conclusion of this duology and more.

We pick up right where we left off: the veil has fallen, Ayleth has the king under her control, and the fight for the crown is far from over. With old enemies returning, witches plotting, and a mysterious creature claiming to come for the true queen, Ayleth has to figure out who deserves her trust before everything she fought for falls apart.

What impressed me most was how much story Heather Walter managed to fit into two books. Nothing felt dragged out, yet the world still felt rich and complete. Even though this is a retelling, I never knew where the story was going. I was constantly questioning whether Ayleth was becoming the villain of her own story or if there was another twist waiting around the corner.

The characters were easily my favorite part. They’re complicated, flawed, and wonderfully morally grey. Everyone has their own motivations, fears, and reasons for making the choices they do. Whether they’re witches, dwarves, or creatures made of shadow, they all feel deeply human.

And can we talk about the sapphic romance? The tension, the slow burn, the emotional payoff—it was beautifully done. I will always choose a romance where the yearning builds because the payoff is just that much better. 🤌🏼

I also loved that this series feels much more like fantasy than romantasy. The magic, politics, and retelling elements take center stage while still giving us a gorgeous love story.

Overall, The Witch Queen is a powerful and satisfying finale filled with magic, betrayal, morally grey characters, and a reminder that love can be the strongest magic of all. If you love dark fairytale retellings, complex heroines, and immersive fantasy worlds, this duology deserves a spot on your shelf. ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

[Bookish Emili Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch Queen, the second book in Heather Walter's Crimson Crown Duology, continues the dark reimagining of Snow White's Wicked Queen, following Queen Ayleth as she struggles to hold onto the throne she fought so hard to claim while old enemies, dangerous magic, and lingering heartbreak threaten to unravel everything she has built.
Walter excels at creating morally complex characters, and Ayleth remains the highlight of the novel. Rather than presenting a simple villain, the story explores ambition, power, sacrifice, and the personal cost of pursuing destiny. The relationship dynamics, particularly those tied to betrayal and lost love, add emotional depth to the political conflicts unfolding around the crown.
The book's atmosphere is another major strength. The blend of dark magic, court intrigue, fairy-tale elements, and queer romance creates an immersive world that feels both familiar and fresh. The stakes remain high throughout, and the battle for power is filled with difficult choices and shifting loyalties.
While I enjoyed the story overall, some sections felt longer than necessary, and a few plot threads did not have quite the emotional impact I expected. The dense political maneuvering occasionally slowed the pacing, especially in the middle portion of the novel. Still, the compelling characters and strong thematic focus kept me invested until the end.
Overall, The Witch Queen is a satisfying conclusion for readers who enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and complex female protagonists. It delivers strong character development, rich worldbuilding, and an engaging exploration of what power truly costs.
Rating: 4/5 stars. A dark, atmospheric fantasy with memorable characters and compelling themes, even if the pacing occasionally holds it back.

[East of Reality · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has people harp and harangue Ayleth for wanting power, for wanting a crown. As if it’s wrong for her to want to be like other witches — to have magic — or other nobles, to have power, or to have justice against the man who harassed her and made her afraid, that the kingdom that would kill her for being a witch, even if she had never done any harm. Ayleth has done bad things, horrible things, wrong things, yes … but why is she the one, the only one, getting blamed? Why is she always held up as someone who has fallen from a height?

Why is it Ayleth’s fault for wanting to be just like everyone else?

And in the end it’s Ayleth, the commoner witch, who steps down, who sacrifices so the princess can take the crown back.

Look, I like this book. I like this duology. Ayleth is a complicated and messy character and the world building is just fun; that the dark creatures of Malum — on the other side of the veil — are creatures and people like everyone else, kept in a dark and cruel place so witches could have magic. And on learning that, Jaquetta, a witch who is supposed to have empathy, shrugs and, in essence, says sucks for them, put the veil back up. Give up *your* magic so that I can go back to being powerful.

Jaquetta abandons and betrays Ayleth again and again, and each time Ayleth forgives her. Not to say Ayleth is innocent in all this, she’s just as cruel and calculating, but it’s Ayleth who has to say she’s sorry to be worthy of love, Ayleth who has to be humbled for everyone else’s happiness. It’s a messy book, both well written and well plotted … but I do wish Ayleth had been allowed to be happy.

[Gabrielle Perna · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this book, I am very much struggling to write this review. I do feel that MANY trilogies could have been duologies, and many duologies could have been trilogies. This is one of those cases. I very much felt that this dragged on and as it was meant to be duology that it very much could have been cut down, I felt that the pace was back and forth on being fast and then slow. I really loved the morally grey characters and the growth of many of their characters but I do feel that we spent too much time on things and by the end I was looking for something to happen. I really love Walter's reimagining of fairy tales and the villain origin stories but I wish we had gotten to the action faster. Ayleth's character has THE most growth in this book, I felt like by the end she was a completely different person than she was in the beginning. Again, so much to say but I do not want to spoil the end. We have a return of her lover and see their relationship grow and change, always in flux between enemies then reluctant allies and then enemies again, they are very much the epitome of the thin line between love and hate. Despite being YA there were a multitude of adult themes in this book and much time has passed since the first book and Ayleth has grown up A LOT. I rated this four stars because I did love the character growth and the way the overarching plot ended, it was very satisfying. The only reason it is not 5 stars was the pacing. If you are looking for an author who kills gay fairy tale reimagining this is the author for you!!

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley - The Tattered Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from the Publisher

🎧📖𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌📖🎧

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 ʙʏ ʜᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʟᴛᴇʀ

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻

✨ 𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀✨

ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ ʜᴀs ᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ—ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴡ sʜᴇ’s ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀʜᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!

ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ sᴇǫᴜᴇʟ ᴛᴏ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝓇𝒾𝓂𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒞𝓇𝑜𝓌𝓃, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 ʟᴇᴀɴs ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʜᴀʀᴅᴇʀ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ, ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ, ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴᴛʀɪɢᴜᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʟᴏʏᴀʟᴛɪᴇs. ᴀʏʟᴇᴛʜ ʜᴀs ғᴜʟʟʏ ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇʀ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ, ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴊᴀᴄǫᴜᴇᴛᴛᴀ ғɪɴᴅs ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴠᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴅᴡʏɴ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛᴇs sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ. ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴄᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴜɴғᴏʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴘᴜsʜᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ғᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ᴛᴇʀʀɪᴛᴏʀʏ.

🎙️𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃:
ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍᴀɪɴᴛᴀɪɴs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ғᴀɪʀʏ-ᴛᴀʟᴇ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴀʀᴄs ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
🧙‍♀️ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ
🌈 sᴀᴘᴘʜɪᴄ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
👑 ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ
🖤 ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs
🔮 ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ
💔 ғᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ
✨ ғᴀɪʀʏ-ᴛᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ
🩸 ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴᴛʀɪɢᴜᴇ

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:
𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 ʟᴇᴀɴs ғᴜʟʟʏ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ, ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ, sᴀᴘᴘʜɪᴄ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs. ɪᴛ ᴇxᴘᴀɴᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘʟᴏʀᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴄᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇʀ ᴛᴇʀʀɪᴛᴏʀʏ. ᴀ sᴀᴛɪsғʏɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡɪsᴛᴇᴅ ғᴀɪʀʏ-ᴛᴀʟᴇ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀᴇ ᴏғ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝓇𝒾𝓂𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒞𝓇𝑜𝓌𝓃.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Witch Queen” is a fitting sequel. Queen Ayleth’s reign is troubled. Members of her council are not entirely pleased about a female ruler. The witches want revenge for her destroying the veil and releasing malum, and appear to be allying with a neighboring kingdom. There is a rebel group (Followers) launching attacks and causing chaos. And then King Callen’s sister, Margaret, shows up with Princess Blodwyn to have the princess stake her claim to the crown. However, others want the crown as well and enter the “trials” to earn the right to the crown. That ups the chaos even more, as Margaret, Lord Warbeck, and others are plotting and scheming to advance their own respective agendas. There is a lot of tension between Queen Ayleth and Princess Blodwyn, especially given their past history and how Ayleth obtained the throne. And it will turn out that there are other unknown enemies that pose a significant threat to Ayleth and the Kingdom of Riven.

The story is full of twists and turns, with shifting alliances and unexpected allies. The truth about Ayleth will be revealed, which will cause issues with “friends” such as Roland, as well as increase her enemies. Jacquetta will reappear, which comes with its own challenges. Multiple individuals will have to reevaluate what is important to them and who they want to be. Information will be discovered that will upend what everyone believed about the history of the ruling family, the witches and covens, and the nature of magic in the realm.

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

The Witch Queen picks up where The Crimson Crown left off following Ayleth, as she tries to keep her grip on the White Palace and Blodwyn, the princess who returns to take back her rightful crown.

I really enjoyed Blodwyn’s chapters in this book! She really felt like she had matured from the last book and had a better understanding of what she wanted and what she could do. The world was still incredibly fascinating as it was in the first book and I was drawn in by each new aspect that was revealed. I also really enjoyed Ayleth’s interactions with Jacquetta, who is still a favorite of mine, as they had such depth and history to them that was even more present than it had been in the first book.

Like with the first book, I had some trouble with the marketing about this being a retelling of Snow White’s Evil Queen. The references were easy to spot and I enjoyed the retelling aspect where Blodwyn was concerned. But I felt like Ayleth didn’t read enough like the Evil Queen for me and her personality with Shade and her shadows was almost completely opposite to how she acted for most of the first book.

But this was a fascinating world and concept that I’ve really enjoyed reading.

Thank you again to Del Rey and NetGalley for the chance to read this early.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

[Monica Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read this second installment of this duology. It is very loosely based on Snow White but is truly it's own story. This novel was not just Ayleth's story but Blodwyn's as well. I enjoyed the added addition of her perspective.

In this story Ayleth is the queen with the former king trapped in the mirror. She is trying to hold the kingdom togther but needs soldiers. She reaches out to Margaret in the hopes that she will lend her support but it ends up that Margaret and Blodwyn come back to the kingdom. Blodwyn decides to go for the throne in a series of trials. Ayleth is not happy about this but feels stuck. We also see the return of Jacquetta as Ayleth tries to use her to meet her goals. What follows is a story with lots of action, intrigue, magic, and a little romance.

Ayleth was hard to like at the beginning of this book. If you think of her as the evil queen it makes sense but I really liked her in the first book and wanted her to do well. She grew on me as this book went on. The characters went through so much and I was happy with the way things went. My only critique was that it felt very long. There were times where I wished it had been a little shorter. Overall, if you love fairy tale retellings, books about witches, or books with lots of action, I think you will enjoy this novel.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars

This is the second half of a Snow White retelling, the Crimson Crown duology, and really can’t be read as a standalone. Too much has happened in the past that colors the actions Ayleth takes in the present, too many relationships explored in the book before that are necessary to understand the emotional catharsis and pay offs in this one. From Ayleth’s mother to Jacquetta, even Blodwyn and King Callen have all shaped her, how she thinks, the decisions she makes, and who she trusts.

I love this duology, the world building in particular. The dark side of the veil and the creatures within it, the connection of magic and family, the distrust of those without magic, and the struggle we all have to look at someone who has hurt us, who asks for a chance to try again, and accept. Ayleth is a complex, challenging character and Blodwyn feels very much like the 16-year-old she’s supposed to be, a good and kind girl who is afraid and lashing out, wanting only to be told she is safe and loved. This is a book about sisterhood, propaganda, generational trauma, and healing. Forgiving someone doesn’t always mean letting them back in your life, and sometimes the people you hate are those you love.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Hamad Naif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey books for chance to review the long awaited conclusion of The Crimson Crown Duology.


The Witch Queen picks up Ayleth’s story — the self-made villain of this Snow White retelling — but this time she shares the narrative with Princess Blodwyn, and the dual POV really adds depth and balance. While the first book focused on origins, and world-building, this sequel moves into darker, more mature territory, and Walter handles that shift with confidence. The story is strongest when it breaks away from the familiar fairy tale beats instead of echoing them — those are the moments where Walter’s creativity really stands out.

Characters like the witch Jacquetta and the ever-calculating Aunt Margaret are fantastic additions, bringing tension, moral complexity, and a sense of unpredictability to the court. They help transform what could have been a simple retelling into something much more layered. A looming fight for the throne alongside threads of romance keeps both perspectives engaging, and the way the two storylines come together feels seamless.

In the end, it delivers a conclusion that wraps things up cleanly without softening its darker edge — a fully satisfying duology that cements Heather Walter as one of the most exciting voices in queer fantasy right now. A must-read if you love atmospheric, witchy fairy tale retellings done well.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of Walter’s Malice duology, I raced to my local bookstore in 2024 to pick up my copy of The Crimson Crown. Based on TCC’s ending, I was very excited to see how FMC and “villain,” Ayleth, leaned into her role as the infamous evil queen from the original fairytale. Though I believe The Crimson Crown was marketed as an adult fantasy retelling (I may not be right), The Witch Queen struck me as a very solid upper YA book (15-18 YO) had it not been for a very low spice sex scene. I’d expected—due to the handful of years time jump at the beginning—for Ayleth to have really leaned into her villainy and her hold on Riven and its noble court. Alyeth did NOT turn out to be very villainous or conniving at all, more so as a young girl who made a heat of the moment decision to make herself queen due to longstanding resentment to witches and the other covens. Which, of course, I think is a very good theme to market for for the upper young adult range and new adult range. Much like in The Crimson Crown, most of the plot picked up in the last 150 pages, with major reveals occurring without very little foreshadowing. I managed to guess one twist!

With this in mind, I’d give this 3.5 out of 5 stars as an upper YA or NA book. I’d still recommend it for a NA audience, though it wasn’t what I was expecting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was so good! Ayleth is Queen now and there have been many changes since we last left off. Ayleth has the kingdom under her control right now. Her mother did a surprise visit and it did NOT go well for her at all. Gosh that lady is unbearable. After that night, Ayleth is pretty sure the witches are going to try and bring her down.

She does have help though, secretly scouring for witches and taking their magic. While Ayleth is very powerful right now, she still has those thoughts of things going wrong, losing her power, position, still lingering on her ex, etc. Though I'm not a fan of lingering on her ex part. I get it, but she did you wrong in so many ways, she doesn't deserve a moment of thought and energy spent on her.

Overall, things are going pretty well though. A few bumps in the road with needing more weapons and people to fight. The typical things really.

But when Blodwyn comes back home, things will pick up even more and you'll be unable to put this book down. The trials will have your attention.

Both ladies will go through so much and it's hard to not like them both. Blodwyn was this sweet princess from the first book you wanted to see thrive and become something and Ayleth got along with her well and they could even be called friends at one point. Neither could be hated or disliked, which I didn't mind at all. It was a nice change to see both sides and want for both to come out of this with they they truly want and deserve.

The duology itself was really great and it gave you such a good ending that you felt it was complete and didn't need more books to finish it off like some other duologies leave you, which I really liked.

Overall, I am sad to see this story come to end but it was really one of the best duologies I've read in a long time. I love heather's writing. I loved the retelling and that is saying something as I am not the biggest Snow White/Evil Queen fan and these books did such an amazing job with it.

I can't wait to see what Heather comes up with next!

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read the first book of this duology and did pick it back up before going into this one, which was probably the right move. This was in most ways a satisfying conclusion. But the between the time jump and some narrative structure pieces I did not entirely enjoy this one as much as the first. But then I read that one at such a perfect time. The voice of anxiety and ambition worked well for me the first time around. Yet, this tie it fell flat for me, well flat to annoying. Because we jumped years with the characters it was particularly jarring to me, as it felt through out like it everyone had stagnated in the interim. Months would have made more sense than years, but at the same time it was years with no real context given. I supposed the truth of it is that I wanted more commitment to enjoying power, to embracing the role of dark queen, and less adolescent feeling worry about being liked. Again, not to say I did not enjoy the book. I had a better time with the dual perspectives that I expected. The subplot of the heir trials really popped off for me. Unfortunately, that was less the book Walter was interested in writing than it was the book I wanted to read.

[Chira · Rating 3 out of 5]

After The Cursed Crown, I was so curious how Heather Walter was going to continue weaving her story of Snow White's evil queen into the world of witches and magic and religious coups that she'd built. While The Witch Queen definitely has the bones of the Snow White fairy tale, the story is ultimately Walter's own. And while at times it feels a little hesitant to have Ayleth do anything truly "evil", it's fun to follow all the twists and turns and uncovered secrets that lie in Riven and its monarchy. I got some of my questions about Malum being a capitalized proper noun, and while I do wish the dwarves and the other forms of natural magic got to shine a little more, I really like how everything was tied together.

While it is sapphic, I still feel like the relationship between Ayleth and Jacquetta needed a little more development for me to be fully invested and rooting for them. Part of me was sort of hoping Margaret would have been a love rival as well as a rival for power...

Ultimately, I really hope the Walter continues this trend of duologies of sapphic fairy tale retellings; while they could easily stand on their own, the little references and twists they take on the original tales are really fun.

[Entisar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC—all opinions are my own!
The Witch Queen is a dark, satisfying conclusion to this Snow White-inspired duology, expanding the world with rich lore, high fantasy factions, and gorgeous gothic atmosphere—I could vividly picture the forest, Riven's palace, and Stonehaven. The time jump threw me at first, but it was necessary given Blodwyn's arc (though I'd have loved a novella bridging the gap).
Ayleth remains a brilliantly layered morally-gray queen—ruthless yet shaped by grief and betrayal, someone you root for even knowing what her path costs. Blodwyn grows on you significantly, especially in the final act, and her contrast with Ayleth raises great questions about justice and inheritance. Margaret, Roland, Jaquetta, and Joan all shine too.
My only critique: with so many factions, political threads, and side conflicts competing for attention, pacing occasionally felt uneven and the emotional impact got diluted in places—though everything ties together nicely by the end.
Still, this delivers everything fans loved about book one: witchcraft, court intrigue, queer romance, and deliciously villainous women. Highly recommend, and I'm already eyeing the author's other duology next!

[Hannah Deverall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Witch Queen by Heather Walter is the conclusion to the Crimson Crown duology, a sapphic retelling of Snow White that focuses on the Evil Queen. While I am an immense fan of Walter's other works, this duology just has not landed with me. I think that this comes down to the novels' characters, which felt just a tad shy of three-dimensional - strange, since Walter did not skimp on the character development and fully showcased her character's flaws. To me, this signals that my problems with this book are rather trivial, as the writing style and the majority of the messaging was vibing with me.
I did really like what the duology had to say about power, and how a society being 'good' in some aspects does not excuse them being horrible in others. However, the ending did feel a bit weak, and it dragged a little bit.
Overall, I give this novel 3.25 stars. If you are looking for more sapphic retellings of fairytales, I highly recommend Walter's other duology Malice, and Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. Thank you to Del Rey for providing The Witch Queen for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.