The Blood Crown

by M.S.Y.

Princess Victoria of Ferrumisle has been abdicated from her position as Queen, forced into marriage with the future King of Briarthorn Atoll, Prince Desmond.

When the Blood Crown comes within her grasp, Victoria seizes her chance at redemption, determined to prove that she should have been the rightful ruler of her
home land .

The lines between hero and villain have been shattered.

Darkness is close, and those lurking in the shadows are waiting for the right time to strike.

What will Victoria do: Save the world, or claim it all?

-

"In A World of Heroes, Everyone Is A Villain"

"The Blood Crown" is perfect for fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, and for readers who love dark, morally grey, character-driven YA fantasy. It blends psychological unraveling with fierce ambition and slow-burn moral decay, a tragedy like Macbeth.

290 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2025

About the author

Hi there!
I'm aiming to become a NYT best-seller at 16!
I love fantasy and true crime. If I’m not reading in my free time, I’m playing chess or writing. My favorite series are Harry Potter, The Folk of the Air, Once Upon a Broken Heart and One of us Is Lying. A favourite stand-alone would be Five Survive.
My favourite authors are Holly Jackson, Holly Black, Stephanie Garber and Karen M.McManus, and you'll definitely see traces of them in my writing!
Connect with me on Insta: @authormsy

Reviews

[Ingrid Kornvig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so first of all this book is amazing and it’s written really amazing. The plot is really good and I can’t wait for the second book😣 Besides that I really love the main character she is so cool and relatable and I love that she is not all good and the author really have a special ability to make me hate her side characters but still makes them good. So overall: YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK I LITERALLY READ IT IN 2 DAYS AS A SLOW READER😭

[Ҡąէ-ѵìą⋆ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

So, I just finished my ARC copy of the Blood Crown and here is my review! 🥳
I loved the concept of this story, and it was very good! This is the only book I've ever read in which I loved the unreliable narrator and she didn't make pull my all my hair out. Victora was not stupid, she had her reasons, but they were clearly filtered through her perspective (in a good way). But she still did take decisions one cannot defend, but she felt real. My favourite parts was the entry of Day 4 because it felt so poetic and I adored the entry's vibe and the writing was top notch of it! And the last chapter has to be my favourite out of all chapters because it was so interesting, and I didn't see those two twists about X and D (I will not spoil) coming at all but it did make so much sense when I read them as I remembered the full circle details! Very well done! Trust me you will never guess those twists! I will be continuing the duology! The story is amazing. I am very excited to know what happens with Dorphene and Xavier and Victora! 💖⚔
Since I know that the author was 14 when she wrote this, I will give constructive criticism for future editions. I do not mean that this book is bad or flawed, these are just things that can make the book even better! First, the first 3-4 chapters could use a bit of edits, the middle and end of the book was amazing but the start was a bit empty and fast at places. And the start had a few rare clunky sentence phrasing (I think in around 5 or 6 spots), but the rest of the book was well written. The start needs a little more love! But the start was not long or uninteresting. The first chapter was littered with names, which was not bad to me at all, but may be to some. But if you don't mind a amazingly exceptional story for a honest/mediocre start, I will say you WILL LIKE this book! (The word Ebony was also overused, some switching up would be great!) BUT the book is not bad, and this is only for the author to grow as I love this Duology! 😃
It may be my favourite series for now!
Love, Katvia 💞

[Minahil Imran ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect. Definitely going to recommend this to my friends, here’s why:

First, the tone. I love the royalty in the words, the politics that were explained so well, the feelings that were put into lines that hit hard. And moreover, to imagine a teen writer wrote this, it’s a real inspiration for other young writers in the community. This is so underrated, ‘The Blood Crown’ has so much potential!

Secondly, obviously as it was the author’s goal and she succeeded—

She traumatized me.

This book was a perfect example of ‘villains are not born, they are made.’ I was still hoping for Victoria to turn out good, so don’t even ask me how horrified I was by her actions in the end, because that literally explains the entire line so well. When villains are born, there are such unexplainable things they do..

And yeah, that one POV we got from Desmond, I was expecting something else, like maybe he didn’t mean to imprison her or betray her, but this was completely different… and I guess I learnt my lesson that never ignore a single word from the author.

‘In a world of heroes, everyone is a villain.’ Makes much more sense now. And it’s true.

Furthermore, the dedication? Literal perfection.

Lastly, how do I explain whether I should be excited or scared for the second book, because the way the book ended with Victoria’s fall and then the fact the second book in the duology is named ‘The Dead Queen’.. I’m definitely freaking out.

[Bilal Imran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood Crown by M.S.Y. is a thrilling, fast-paced YA fantasy that completely hooks you from the start. Princess Victoria of Ferrumisle is a phenomenal, morally grey protagonist. Instead of playing the victim after being stripped of her throne and forced into a strategic marriage, she fiercely seizes her own destiny when the powerful Blood Crown comes within reach. The court politics are sharp, the alliances are dangerously fluid, and the darker, grittier edge completely elevates the classic "reclaiming the throne" trope. If you love quick, high-stakes fantasy reads with ruthless main characters and non-stop tension, I highly recommend adding this one to your shelf!

[A. Yours Truly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god I can’t even start on how much I absolutely LOVED this book!! Ah I could not describe how much I absolutely ADORED this book! I finished it in just one and a half days of getting my hands on an ARC copy! It left me staring at a wall after I finished it. I enjoyed every second of it!! It got me out of a reading slump. The world building is immaculate and the writing style rivals that of a New York times bestselling author and at such a young age! As a writer myself, this inspired me to write more regularly. I wish I could read this book again for the first time to experience it. I am waiting for the sequel to be released!! 💕

[Clara Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the free review copy! This book was honestly just a masterpiece. Like, the ending had me staring at a wall after noticing how genius the diary entries that were spread around the book truly were. I can only recommend this book. It had everything: beautiful prose, strong world-building and a perfect plot. You can’t really like any of the characters (I wanted to smash them against the wall), however, they aren’t meant to be likeable. I did relate to Victoria, though. Fate really did not want her to be queen... I can’t wait for the second book!

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is insanely good and so well written.The main protagonist is Princess Victoria of Ferrumisle whose position as ruler of Ferrumisle was stolen by her half brother Xavier.And was now forced to marry the future king of Briarthorn Atoll,Prince Desmond.Victoria is absolutely bloodthirsty and is willing to do everything to get back her crown back.The Blood Crown is a high stake fantasy with morally grey characters,enemies to lovers,strong world - building and an insanely good plot. I highly recommend this book.I can’t wait to read the next book 🎉

[Lilien Czikora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot twists, the whole story, the ending, omg. I got fully sucked into this story while reading it, even if english isnt my first language. I nearly screamed at the ending and lets not talk about when the plot twisted and i acually had to rethink my whole carachter judgements. Its really well written and i cant wait to read the second book. I really really reccomend it to everyone!!! Its seriously that good. Thank you for writing this MSY ❤️❤️💗 it changed my whole view on fantasy books with its unique story and carachter ideas.

[Maryam Amjad · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

This book changed how I used to think of people.
REALLY!!
I can't trust anyone now and OH.MY.GOD.
M.S.Y you are a genius!!
This book was about a power hungry girl named Victoria, who everyone knew as The Fallen Queen, she got into an arranged marriage with the crown prince of other kingdom, Desmond.
I reallyyy loved the writing style of the author and I'm so excited for The Dead Queen.
TBH this book was really sad... :) I cried :)
The FMC is so relatable :(

[Mahjabeen]

An exceptional fantasy that is immersive, intense, and impossible to put down. The author's creativity shines through every chapter, with compelling characters, a gripping plot, and a jaw-dropping ending that lingers long after the final page. A wonderfully crafted story that promises even greater things to come. An absolute must-read for fantasy lovers!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[AshieNightShade · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐

This book was an epic rollercoaster where every character was just as unpredictable as the other. As an eldest daughter myself, I found Victoria's character very relatable.

I can't stop thinking about the book and the characters even in my sleep 😭. And I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book.

[Bil Mcd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely AMAZING book with characters who have so much emotional depth it's HEARTBREAKING! The Blood Crown is incredibly well-written and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat the ENTIRE TIME. I absolutely LOVE this book and would DEFINITELY recommend it in a heartbeat!
P.S. M.S.Y, you have some explaining to do about that ending...

[Hamdan Gadit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatest book of the year!! The mystery thriller and plot twists all make up such an interesting and interactive experience. One of the best books I have ever read.

would highly reccomend, 5/5 stars!!

[Jayli Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood Crown was one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time. It’s the first book I’ve ever read that filled the hopes and dreams I had for a villain FMC, and one that wasn’t necessarily redeemed. There are so many things I have to save about this book, and not enough time in the world. M.S.Y delivered a story that not only shows true rage towards this world, but brings attention to it in the best way possible. The Blood Crown is for those who want something with every part of their being, but it’s just out of their grasp. Except they won’t let that stop them. This was definitely one of those books that you have to stay on your toes for, and read in between the lines. For me, I pick up anything with the word ‘fantasy’ in the summary, but was given so many insanely good reasons to stay around and continue reading The Blood crown. One of those being, for once, a genuine villain who doesn’t care if you like her or not. All that matters is her.

A five star read for me in every world! Such a well written book!!

[aminahthebooklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

So first off, thank you M.S.Y for the free copy of Blood Crown. It took me a while to actually read, but finally I’m done.

The enemies to lovers was honestly so good, I was on the edge of my seat. And Victoria, the main character, had such a fiery personality that even the dream she had about killing all these bodies with the blood crown on her head was crazy. It was giving me Jude Duarte vibes.

I did feel like the plot was just too all over the place and I couldn’t understood a lot of the events that were happening from the constant back and forth. Also, we weren’t really introduced to the thorn-crest siblings childhood with the iron heart siblings till later on which made it hard to understand in the beginning when Lorelei and Genevieve began initiating a conversation with Victoria.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.