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The Rose Bargain #2
The Thorn Queen
Wed to one brother.
In love with the other.
Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.
This limited collector’s edition features an exclusive alternate jacket, gilded holographic edges, an intricately foiled case design, and never-before-seen bonus content.
Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.
But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.
To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.
Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.
Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.
In love with the other.
Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.
This limited collector’s edition features an exclusive alternate jacket, gilded holographic edges, an intricately foiled case design, and never-before-seen bonus content.
Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.
But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.
To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.
Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.
Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2026
1461 people are currently reading
42336 people want to read
About the author
Sasha Peyton Smith
6 books2,490 followersSasha Peyton Smith is the New York Times best selling author of The Witch Haven and The Witch Hunt. She’s passionate about well-curated road trip playlists, soup recipes, and stories about complicated girls. Originally from Utah, she now lives in Washington D.C. with her partner and collection of porcelain hands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,731 reviews
November 14, 2025
2.75 stars
this review contains no spoilers!
first off, the cover is beautiful.
secondly.. i expected more from this book :(
i don’t know if this was my personal issue, but i couldn’t connect with the characters in this book. i thought that we would get more in depth with the characters, but there was so much in terms of the plot, relationship development, magic system, and conflict that the characters were not even the main focus. and yes, this is fantasy, but since there was so much focus on the characters’ relationships, i felt nothing because i felt nothing for the characters.
emmett was definitely my favorite character from this duology; he’s such a sweet and protective man that was constantly yearning for her even when they were seperated for years. his LETTERS for her made me SOB 😭
sasha Peyton smith’s writing has always been addicting - i finished both the first and second books in less than 2 days each. ‘the thorn queen’ was a great palette cleanser with fast-paced and simple but fun writing. i cannot wait to see where sasha goes next 💕
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
☆ ── preread ⊹
cannot wait to read about emmett & ivy's ending 😣💕
❍ thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
this review contains no spoilers!
first off, the cover is beautiful.
secondly.. i expected more from this book :(
i don’t know if this was my personal issue, but i couldn’t connect with the characters in this book. i thought that we would get more in depth with the characters, but there was so much in terms of the plot, relationship development, magic system, and conflict that the characters were not even the main focus. and yes, this is fantasy, but since there was so much focus on the characters’ relationships, i felt nothing because i felt nothing for the characters.
emmett was definitely my favorite character from this duology; he’s such a sweet and protective man that was constantly yearning for her even when they were seperated for years. his LETTERS for her made me SOB 😭
sasha Peyton smith’s writing has always been addicting - i finished both the first and second books in less than 2 days each. ‘the thorn queen’ was a great palette cleanser with fast-paced and simple but fun writing. i cannot wait to see where sasha goes next 💕
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
☆ ── preread ⊹
cannot wait to read about emmett & ivy's ending 😣💕
❍ thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
May 4, 2026Not liked the first book that much but here we go
April 19, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
“I thought I lost you,”…“I thought I missed it.”
“Missed what, sweetheart?”
“The life we’re supposed to have together.”
a happy ending to this duology but i feel this story could have been so much better, it felt chaotic and all over the place. i most definitely missed the vibes of the first book because i felt pulled in and connected with the characters.
for me it was a very slow start, things didn’t start picking up until around 60 - 75% i’m not really one to dnf because i did want to know the ending & loved the sweet dialogue between emmett and ivy + ivy and lydia’s love for one another being expressed more.
the epilogue was cute, i did cry and will miss these characters but i’m honestly a little disappointed because i was so excited for this book 🥹
also, kinda annoyed that we got introduced to rhion who appeared A LOT and didn’t even get a pov from him 😔 i thought he was funny. missed opportunity tbh
“I thought I lost you,”…“I thought I missed it.”
“Missed what, sweetheart?”
“The life we’re supposed to have together.”
a happy ending to this duology but i feel this story could have been so much better, it felt chaotic and all over the place. i most definitely missed the vibes of the first book because i felt pulled in and connected with the characters.
for me it was a very slow start, things didn’t start picking up until around 60 - 75% i’m not really one to dnf because i did want to know the ending & loved the sweet dialogue between emmett and ivy + ivy and lydia’s love for one another being expressed more.
the epilogue was cute, i did cry and will miss these characters but i’m honestly a little disappointed because i was so excited for this book 🥹
also, kinda annoyed that we got introduced to rhion who appeared A LOT and didn’t even get a pov from him 😔 i thought he was funny. missed opportunity tbh
May 3, 2026
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ✦ . ⁺ . 3.9 - 4.1 ☆ . ⁺ . ✦
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ Despite feeling a bit disappointed with how the ending was handled, I still think this might actually be a slightly better book than the first in terms of plot, and maybe even the romance. Therefore, I feel like I really needed to up the rating for this book to 4-stars, especially since Goodreads IS STILL NOT ADDING AT LEAST A 0.5 RATING OPTION.
ㅤ I did have to keep reminding myself that the FMC is barely 18, so…..yeah, her reactions make sense. Annoying at times? Maybe. But also quite understandable given everything she’s dealing with? If anything, I feel like she was almost entitled to act the way she did.
ㅤ This is by no means a bad book. Not even close. I just went in with quite different expectations, I guess, and while it delivered in many ways, it didn’t quite hit all of them.
ㅤ ㅤ “What can you shatter with just one word? A promise.”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I think my biggest issue with this book is that it really should have been about 100 pages longer. There were so many moments that felt rushed, skimmed over just as I was starting to settle into them, when all I wanted was a bit more time to actually sit with everything and let it sink in.
ㅤ Because of that, I never fully lost myself in the story the way I wanted to. Instead of being completely immersed, I had those moments where I became very aware that I was, in fact, just reading a book...that does make sense, right????
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I might genuinely be getting too old… or maybe it was just this book, but IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE “I AM TOO OLD FOR THIS,” and I am not a fan of that feeling; at all. 🙃
ㅤ To be fair, some of it might be on me. I was definitely viewing things from a different perspective and hoping certain moments would play out in a more...maybe, refined way. But still, I can’t ignore the fact that some actions and plotlines came across as a bit childish at times. It just felt like they needed a little more polishing, a bit more depth, so they wouldn’t read quite so simplistic.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ However, despite all of this, I still found myself completely unable to put it down. It has that very specific kind of entertainment woven into it, the kind that keeps pulling you back in for “just one more chapter,” just to chase a bit more angst, a bit more tension, a hint of what’s coming next. It’s definitely not perfect, not even close, but I have to admit it carries its own kind of magic. I mean, I did find myself rereading some paragraphs because of how beautiful I found them, so that definitely has to mean something.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do love a book that leans into that folklore-like version of the faerie world, and this one quite delivered on that front. It gave me exactly the kind of atmosphere I crave: beautiful on the surface, but with something far more unsettling lurking underneath.
ㅤ You really get to see that wicked, trickster side of the fae; the kind that plays with human lives like it’s all just a game, with very little concern for how it ends. And I loved that contrast between the elegance, the allure and the moments of genuine cruelty that just sneak up on you. At times, it really made me go like Oh...OHHH, that’s dark.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ While the FMC did, unfortunately, deliver some rather childish and occasionally frustrating moments in the romance, THE MMC MADE UP FOR IT TENFOLD. And honestly, I’m not even exaggerating. Yes, he has his flaws, I will admit that much. But OH, BOY, did he serve yearning; and not just in words, in actions too, yk the kind that actually matters. I am fully convinced this man could say the most ordinary sentence and somehow make it sound tragic and poetic at the same time.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now....the ending? That’s where things started to really fall apart for me. It genuinely felt like the author suddenly decided we were wrapping this up right now and rushed through everything at full speed. Conflicts that had been building the entire book were suddenly solved in what felt like five minutes, with convenient solutions appearing out of nowhere.
ㅤ And the worst part is that some of those resolutions felt almost painfully childish. The kind that makes you pause and cringe just a little because you expected more, you know it could have been more.
ㅤ This is honestly a general message to all authors at this point: STOP RUSHING YOUR ENDINGS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE PERFECTLY TIED UP WITH A PRETTY LITTLE BOW AT THE END. IT IS FINE TO LEAVE SOME CHARACTERS SEEK MORE SOLUTIONS IN THE FUTURE, NOT EVERYONE SHOULD GET THEIR HAPPY ENDING IN THOSE 5 PAGES. THIS AIN’T DISNEY!!!!!
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Ivy — I had a love-hate relationship with this character in the first book and, unfortunately, that didn’t really change here. If anything, it just carried over in the exact same frustrating way. This book desperately needed to be longer and just slower. Because as it stands, it barely gives its own main character the space to actually grow. There is some form of development towards the end, but it feels so sudden and unnatural that I genuinely couldn’t take it seriously.
ㅤ She’s fine, I suppose, considering her age. But that doesn’t change the fact that so many of her decisions felt impulsive, frustrating, and, at times, just painfully dumb.
ㅤ ⊹ Emmett — I swear to god, he really is everything. He was my favourite character in this book purely because he was so sweet, so protective, and honestly, oh my God, I’m struggling to even find the right words for him. More than once I just had this overwhelming urge to reach into the pages and give him a hug because my heart was genuinely breaking for him at every turn. And I’m not even going to start counting how many times he made me swoon with just his words or his actions. ✨He was everything.✨ I badly need a man to be this loyal and so pathetically down bad for me...
ㅤ ⊹ Lydia — I don't even recall if I mentioned this in my first review, but I don't like her. MAJOR Taryn Duarte vibes; i think i said it all with this.
ㅤ ⊹ Bram — for half of the book, I genuinely thought he just needed a pacifier and a nap; CAUSE THAT IS A WHOLE ASS TODDLER IN THE BODY OF A GROWN UP MAN.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If I’m being entirely honest, I think I enjoyed this duology mainly for its vibes. I loved the regency atmosphere, and that eerie, cruel-yet-beautiful faerie world worked really well for me too. It just has a certain mood to it that pulls you in and keeps you there.
ㅤ It can definitely be entertaining if you let go of expectations for deep character development or tightly crafted arcs and just take it as it is. It works best as an atmospheric read rather than a heavily plot-driven one. So yeah, if you’re looking for something relatively simple with strong vibes and a solid aesthetic, something you can just sink into rather than analyse too deeply, you can absolutely pick this up and have a good time with it.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ📖‧ ˚ ₊⊹ The Rose Bargain duology reviews:
⋆˚࿔ The Rose Bargain (3.5 -3.7⭐)
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ✿ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆27-April-2025┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ I'm gonna have to do a quick skimming through the first book first cause I can't remember shit 😭😭 rarely happens to me to not recall almost anything
But anyway, starting this and nothing can stop me!!!because if I don't read something new NOW, Rites of the Starling will put me in a book hangover
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ Despite feeling a bit disappointed with how the ending was handled, I still think this might actually be a slightly better book than the first in terms of plot, and maybe even the romance. Therefore, I feel like I really needed to up the rating for this book to 4-stars, especially since Goodreads IS STILL NOT ADDING AT LEAST A 0.5 RATING OPTION.
ㅤ I did have to keep reminding myself that the FMC is barely 18, so…..yeah, her reactions make sense. Annoying at times? Maybe. But also quite understandable given everything she’s dealing with? If anything, I feel like she was almost entitled to act the way she did.
ㅤ This is by no means a bad book. Not even close. I just went in with quite different expectations, I guess, and while it delivered in many ways, it didn’t quite hit all of them.
ㅤ ㅤ “What can you shatter with just one word? A promise.”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I think my biggest issue with this book is that it really should have been about 100 pages longer. There were so many moments that felt rushed, skimmed over just as I was starting to settle into them, when all I wanted was a bit more time to actually sit with everything and let it sink in.
ㅤ Because of that, I never fully lost myself in the story the way I wanted to. Instead of being completely immersed, I had those moments where I became very aware that I was, in fact, just reading a book...that does make sense, right????
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I might genuinely be getting too old… or maybe it was just this book, but IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE “I AM TOO OLD FOR THIS,” and I am not a fan of that feeling; at all. 🙃
ㅤ To be fair, some of it might be on me. I was definitely viewing things from a different perspective and hoping certain moments would play out in a more...maybe, refined way. But still, I can’t ignore the fact that some actions and plotlines came across as a bit childish at times. It just felt like they needed a little more polishing, a bit more depth, so they wouldn’t read quite so simplistic.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ However, despite all of this, I still found myself completely unable to put it down. It has that very specific kind of entertainment woven into it, the kind that keeps pulling you back in for “just one more chapter,” just to chase a bit more angst, a bit more tension, a hint of what’s coming next. It’s definitely not perfect, not even close, but I have to admit it carries its own kind of magic. I mean, I did find myself rereading some paragraphs because of how beautiful I found them, so that definitely has to mean something.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do love a book that leans into that folklore-like version of the faerie world, and this one quite delivered on that front. It gave me exactly the kind of atmosphere I crave: beautiful on the surface, but with something far more unsettling lurking underneath.
ㅤ You really get to see that wicked, trickster side of the fae; the kind that plays with human lives like it’s all just a game, with very little concern for how it ends. And I loved that contrast between the elegance, the allure and the moments of genuine cruelty that just sneak up on you. At times, it really made me go like Oh...OHHH, that’s dark.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ While the FMC did, unfortunately, deliver some rather childish and occasionally frustrating moments in the romance, THE MMC MADE UP FOR IT TENFOLD. And honestly, I’m not even exaggerating. Yes, he has his flaws, I will admit that much. But OH, BOY, did he serve yearning; and not just in words, in actions too, yk the kind that actually matters. I am fully convinced this man could say the most ordinary sentence and somehow make it sound tragic and poetic at the same time.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now....the ending? That’s where things started to really fall apart for me. It genuinely felt like the author suddenly decided we were wrapping this up right now and rushed through everything at full speed. Conflicts that had been building the entire book were suddenly solved in what felt like five minutes, with convenient solutions appearing out of nowhere.
ㅤ And the worst part is that some of those resolutions felt almost painfully childish. The kind that makes you pause and cringe just a little because you expected more, you know it could have been more.
ㅤ This is honestly a general message to all authors at this point: STOP RUSHING YOUR ENDINGS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE PERFECTLY TIED UP WITH A PRETTY LITTLE BOW AT THE END. IT IS FINE TO LEAVE SOME CHARACTERS SEEK MORE SOLUTIONS IN THE FUTURE, NOT EVERYONE SHOULD GET THEIR HAPPY ENDING IN THOSE 5 PAGES. THIS AIN’T DISNEY!!!!!
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Ivy — I had a love-hate relationship with this character in the first book and, unfortunately, that didn’t really change here. If anything, it just carried over in the exact same frustrating way. This book desperately needed to be longer and just slower. Because as it stands, it barely gives its own main character the space to actually grow. There is some form of development towards the end, but it feels so sudden and unnatural that I genuinely couldn’t take it seriously.
ㅤ She’s fine, I suppose, considering her age. But that doesn’t change the fact that so many of her decisions felt impulsive, frustrating, and, at times, just painfully dumb.
ㅤ ⊹ Emmett — I swear to god, he really is everything. He was my favourite character in this book purely because he was so sweet, so protective, and honestly, oh my God, I’m struggling to even find the right words for him. More than once I just had this overwhelming urge to reach into the pages and give him a hug because my heart was genuinely breaking for him at every turn. And I’m not even going to start counting how many times he made me swoon with just his words or his actions. ✨He was everything.✨ I badly need a man to be this loyal and so pathetically down bad for me...
ㅤ ⊹ Lydia — I don't even recall if I mentioned this in my first review, but I don't like her. MAJOR Taryn Duarte vibes; i think i said it all with this.
ㅤ ⊹ Bram — for half of the book, I genuinely thought he just needed a pacifier and a nap; CAUSE THAT IS A WHOLE ASS TODDLER IN THE BODY OF A GROWN UP MAN.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If I’m being entirely honest, I think I enjoyed this duology mainly for its vibes. I loved the regency atmosphere, and that eerie, cruel-yet-beautiful faerie world worked really well for me too. It just has a certain mood to it that pulls you in and keeps you there.
ㅤ It can definitely be entertaining if you let go of expectations for deep character development or tightly crafted arcs and just take it as it is. It works best as an atmospheric read rather than a heavily plot-driven one. So yeah, if you’re looking for something relatively simple with strong vibes and a solid aesthetic, something you can just sink into rather than analyse too deeply, you can absolutely pick this up and have a good time with it.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ📖‧ ˚ ₊⊹ The Rose Bargain duology reviews:
⋆˚࿔ The Rose Bargain (3.5 -3.7⭐)
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ✿ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆27-April-2025┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ I'm gonna have to do a quick skimming through the first book first cause I can't remember shit 😭😭 rarely happens to me to not recall almost anything
But anyway, starting this and nothing can stop me!!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
what the hell. i have no more tears left to cry. this book was such an emotional rollercoaster and i’m genuinely still trying to convince myself that they are all happy. i truly loved everything about this book, from the action to the friendships and sisterhood. it was a really satisfying conclusion to ivy’s story and i’m so sad that it’s over ☹️
i devoured this duology so quickly, yet ivy and emmett’s love is what stayed with me. the yearning and heartbreak were so beautifully done, and the letters!!! i will always love that detail. ivyemmett forever. they’re so dear to me and will be missed so much <33
ⓘ thank you to netgalley and harpercollins for the arc!
⊹“i have his heart and he has mine. there has never been a fairer bargain.”
i devoured this duology so quickly, yet ivy and emmett’s love is what stayed with me. the yearning and heartbreak were so beautifully done, and the letters!!! i will always love that detail. ivyemmett forever. they’re so dear to me and will be missed so much <33
ⓘ thank you to netgalley and harpercollins for the arc!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The Thorn Queen
⤷ ⭑⭑.𝟳𝟱
💍་༘࿐ All hail Queen Ivy Benton, the new Queen Regent of England and wife of the newly crowned King Bram. As Bram's fae court enters the Otherworld, the brutality of the fae becomes apparent, resulting in chaos and destruction among the people of England. Along with the sudden undoing of all of Queen Mor's bargains, Ivy must restore order in the court while searching for her sister Lydia and lover Emmett, who have been banished and trapped in the Otherworld by Bram. ⟢
Release Date: April 14, 2026 ⟢
I am absolutely obsessed with the cover! It’s stunning and perfectly fits the overall vibe of the book. I enjoyed reading the first installment in the duology and was excited to pick up the finale. I just love the mix of Bridgerton and The Cruel Prince vibes from the first book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a new set of trials in this one.
I unfortunately have to diagnose this book with second-book syndrome. It didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped. The story is fast-paced, and the viciousness of the fae was very well portrayed throughout (just how I like it), but the problem lies with the characters themselves. However, the issue lies with the characters. I loved the bond and sisterhood between the girls in the first book, but in this one, we only see two of them, and they don’t play a significant part in the story, just mere side characters.
The story has a clear goal, but the direction it took was very disjointed. Our characters didn't communicate with one another or strategize their next moves well, so they simply went with the flow and hoped for the best. And don't get me started with the relationships, because what was going on? I was scratching my head, since it seemed like we were introduced to a new set of characters who lacked the spark from the previous book. I loved Bram the first time, and don't get me wrong, he was horrible yet also the most interesting character in the story. Ironically, we barely saw him, despite him being the antagonist.
Ivy and Emmett's romance didn't resonate as strongly in this book as it did in the first one. A lot happened that significantly impacted their relationship, but these issues weren't addressed well. Apart from his letters (which I loved), Emmett was a disappointment to me in this book. His actions and decisions were such a push-and-pull towards Ivy that ultimately served only his own interests. He wasn't man enough to share something very crucial with her, which ultimately soured their efforts to rebuild their relationship in this story, with, of course, another miscommunication trope.
Ivy and Lydia's relationship, on the other hand, was quite interesting and complex. There is no deeper bond than that between sisters, and it's clear they deeply care for one another. But the direction we took led to conflicts between the two sisters' thoughts and actions, particularly during the first trial. Ivy found it difficult to accept her feelings towards Lydia, even though she understood that Lydia's relationship with Emmett had deepened during their two-year stay in the Otherworld. Ivy struggled to comprehend this bond, and her resentment grew over the fact that Bram had chosen Lydia first over her for marriage.
The ending was also rushed and incredibly convenient towards our characters (again, no clear plan throughout), but I guess that epilogue is as good as it's gonna get. However, I suppose the epilogue is about as good as it gets. Despite this, I still believe that I'm among those who enjoyed the first book and think that fans of 'The Rose Bargain' would appreciate this one as well. Be sure to check it out on its release day, April 14, 2026!
*·˚ ༘ ➳ Thank you to Edelweiss, HarperCollins, and of course, Sasha Peyton Smith for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Please remember that this opinion is my own. ⭑
─ The Rose Bargain Duology: ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀
⟢ The Rose Bargain
⟢ The Thorn Queen
⋆. 𐙚 ˚
pre-read : finally time to get this started!
update: guess who was blessed with an arc copy?? ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚
⤷ ⭑⭑.𝟳𝟱
💍་༘࿐ All hail Queen Ivy Benton, the new Queen Regent of England and wife of the newly crowned King Bram. As Bram's fae court enters the Otherworld, the brutality of the fae becomes apparent, resulting in chaos and destruction among the people of England. Along with the sudden undoing of all of Queen Mor's bargains, Ivy must restore order in the court while searching for her sister Lydia and lover Emmett, who have been banished and trapped in the Otherworld by Bram. ⟢
Release Date: April 14, 2026 ⟢
I am absolutely obsessed with the cover! It’s stunning and perfectly fits the overall vibe of the book. I enjoyed reading the first installment in the duology and was excited to pick up the finale. I just love the mix of Bridgerton and The Cruel Prince vibes from the first book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a new set of trials in this one.
I unfortunately have to diagnose this book with second-book syndrome. It didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped. The story is fast-paced, and the viciousness of the fae was very well portrayed throughout (just how I like it), but the problem lies with the characters themselves. However, the issue lies with the characters. I loved the bond and sisterhood between the girls in the first book, but in this one, we only see two of them, and they don’t play a significant part in the story, just mere side characters.
The story has a clear goal, but the direction it took was very disjointed. Our characters didn't communicate with one another or strategize their next moves well, so they simply went with the flow and hoped for the best. And don't get me started with the relationships, because what was going on? I was scratching my head, since it seemed like we were introduced to a new set of characters who lacked the spark from the previous book. I loved Bram the first time, and don't get me wrong, he was horrible yet also the most interesting character in the story. Ironically, we barely saw him, despite him being the antagonist.
Ivy and Emmett's romance didn't resonate as strongly in this book as it did in the first one. A lot happened that significantly impacted their relationship, but these issues weren't addressed well. Apart from his letters (which I loved), Emmett was a disappointment to me in this book. His actions and decisions were such a push-and-pull towards Ivy that ultimately served only his own interests. He wasn't man enough to share something very crucial with her, which ultimately soured their efforts to rebuild their relationship in this story, with, of course, another miscommunication trope.
Ivy and Lydia's relationship, on the other hand, was quite interesting and complex. There is no deeper bond than that between sisters, and it's clear they deeply care for one another. But the direction we took led to conflicts between the two sisters' thoughts and actions, particularly during the first trial. Ivy found it difficult to accept her feelings towards Lydia, even though she understood that Lydia's relationship with Emmett had deepened during their two-year stay in the Otherworld. Ivy struggled to comprehend this bond, and her resentment grew over the fact that Bram had chosen Lydia first over her for marriage.
The ending was also rushed and incredibly convenient towards our characters (again, no clear plan throughout), but I guess that epilogue is as good as it's gonna get. However, I suppose the epilogue is about as good as it gets. Despite this, I still believe that I'm among those who enjoyed the first book and think that fans of 'The Rose Bargain' would appreciate this one as well. Be sure to check it out on its release day, April 14, 2026!
*·˚ ༘ ➳ Thank you to Edelweiss, HarperCollins, and of course, Sasha Peyton Smith for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Please remember that this opinion is my own. ⭑
─ The Rose Bargain Duology: ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀
⟢ The Rose Bargain
⟢ The Thorn Queen
⋆. 𐙚 ˚
pre-read : finally time to get this started!
update: guess who was blessed with an arc copy?? ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚
April 27, 2026
➳ 4 ☆! 🐦⬛👑 spoiler free + mini review
⤷ mixed thoughts but the epilouge made up for it!
⋆˚࿔ 39th review of the year
₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ when i tell you this was one of my favorite books of last year (the rose bargain) i am TELLLING the truth. i adored it so much and the story never left my mind. as you can imagine.. i was VERY excited and hopeful for this one!! its safe to say that i did enjoy it, but i still had some issues!
⤷ overall, i loved seeing our characters again/meeting some new ones, the epilouge was very precious and i thought the ending was decent. i can also appreciate this book for keeping my attention bc i havent had the best luck with locking in on books recently, but this one proved me wrong and i enjoyed reading.
⤷ now for my qualms.. at times i felt like we weren't even in a fae land?! idk i felt like the setting department was lacking and wasn't super whimsical/descriptive. i also just felt like it was hard to trust a lot of characters?? a lot of them were acting weird/not normal (which is okay bc they were traumatized) but it was hard to sympathize at times! overall i would recommend this duology and will miss them greatly! i just feel like it couldve been different 🤷♀️
ALSO JUST LET ME MENTION!! i loooove sisterly relationships in books, it reminds me of my own, and thats so special 🥹🩷
🫂 ~ to my girl maryam, thank you SO much for choosing to read this with me!! i literally loved talking to you so much and just think ur an amaze person to br with 😭🩷 I LOVE YOU QUEEN!! i wish this went slightly better for us, but i have hope that we find another immaculate read soon (wild reverence hehe) MWAH TYSM AGAIN!
------------
₊‧꒰4.19.26꒱ ‧₊
⤷ WOO!! finally reading this after almost 10 months of waittingg! the rose bargain was very fun for me last year, so wanting to read this asap was not a surprise 😭😭 the experience gets better because i get to buddyread with my bff maryam who actually got me to read TRB in the first place!! ILYSM QUEEN, hope we love this tons 💐💫
⤷ mixed thoughts but the epilouge made up for it!
⋆˚࿔ 39th review of the year
because love doesn't care if you're deserving or not. it just is.
₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ when i tell you this was one of my favorite books of last year (the rose bargain) i am TELLLING the truth. i adored it so much and the story never left my mind. as you can imagine.. i was VERY excited and hopeful for this one!! its safe to say that i did enjoy it, but i still had some issues!
⤷ overall, i loved seeing our characters again/meeting some new ones, the epilouge was very precious and i thought the ending was decent. i can also appreciate this book for keeping my attention bc i havent had the best luck with locking in on books recently, but this one proved me wrong and i enjoyed reading.
⤷ now for my qualms.. at times i felt like we weren't even in a fae land?! idk i felt like the setting department was lacking and wasn't super whimsical/descriptive. i also just felt like it was hard to trust a lot of characters?? a lot of them were acting weird/not normal (which is okay bc they were traumatized) but it was hard to sympathize at times! overall i would recommend this duology and will miss them greatly! i just feel like it couldve been different 🤷♀️
ALSO JUST LET ME MENTION!! i loooove sisterly relationships in books, it reminds me of my own, and thats so special 🥹🩷
love is knowing, no matter how hard everything else is, you've got a soft, warm place to land.
🫂 ~ to my girl maryam, thank you SO much for choosing to read this with me!! i literally loved talking to you so much and just think ur an amaze person to br with 😭🩷 I LOVE YOU QUEEN!! i wish this went slightly better for us, but i have hope that we find another immaculate read soon (wild reverence hehe) MWAH TYSM AGAIN!
------------
‧꒰preview ᝰ.ᐟ꒱ ‧₊ 🫂💫
₊‧꒰4.19.26꒱ ‧₊
⤷ WOO!! finally reading this after almost 10 months of waittingg! the rose bargain was very fun for me last year, so wanting to read this asap was not a surprise 😭😭 the experience gets better because i get to buddyread with my bff maryam who actually got me to read TRB in the first place!! ILYSM QUEEN, hope we love this tons 💐💫
March 31, 2026
First of all it was very mean of Sarah to make me cry, literally experience a full on rollercoaster moment. I love how the book fully focused on the cruelty of faeries.
Emmett my lovely boy, he did piss me off at once. He was such a stubborn and stupid but he overlooked that which makes me very happy. The letters very cardan vibes.
Bram was probably the cruelest person in this book. The thing that he done at the end shouldn’t have been a shock but it was. I spend the end of the book praying that the Bram we had in the first book would at least come out for a bit. Learned that I just love to be too optimistic.
I do wish we could’ve gotten more of the other girls in this books, we did get a bit of Faith and Marion but not of Emmy and Olive they were just sprinkled there.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
—————————————————————————-
𐙚⋆°. preread
So I somehow have acquired an arc for this book, which honestly I’m surprised but nonetheless excited cause I need to know what happens after finishing the first book.
Emmett my lovely boy, he did piss me off at once. He was such a stubborn and stupid but he overlooked that which makes me very happy. The letters very cardan vibes.
Bram was probably the cruelest person in this book. The thing that he done at the end shouldn’t have been a shock but it was. I spend the end of the book praying that the Bram we had in the first book would at least come out for a bit. Learned that I just love to be too optimistic.
I do wish we could’ve gotten more of the other girls in this books, we did get a bit of Faith and Marion but not of Emmy and Olive they were just sprinkled there.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
—————————————————————————-
𐙚⋆°. preread
So I somehow have acquired an arc for this book, which honestly I’m surprised but nonetheless excited cause I need to know what happens after finishing the first book.
November 24, 2025
The perfect conclusion to the duology.
I read the rose bargain in the beginning of the year and I absolutely loved it, so I was so happy to get the arc for the sequel, and conclusion, to the series.
I love stories about faeries where they are cruel and almost unfeeling. It's the part of me that wished I loved cruel prince(I didn't, quite the opposite). This series gave me exactly that and a romance plotline that was so. damn. good. I absolutely love Emmet and Ivy's relationship. I'm so excited for when the book comes out and I can share the dozens of annotations I have with memorable lines.
I'm amazed by how this story is dark in its themes but so bright in visuals. This is ya but I would highly recommend it to everyone, even if you're an adult you'll enjoy it.
This series just raised my bar for fae fantasy books for me.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!
I read the rose bargain in the beginning of the year and I absolutely loved it, so I was so happy to get the arc for the sequel, and conclusion, to the series.
I love stories about faeries where they are cruel and almost unfeeling. It's the part of me that wished I loved cruel prince(I didn't, quite the opposite). This series gave me exactly that and a romance plotline that was so. damn. good. I absolutely love Emmet and Ivy's relationship. I'm so excited for when the book comes out and I can share the dozens of annotations I have with memorable lines.
I'm amazed by how this story is dark in its themes but so bright in visuals. This is ya but I would highly recommend it to everyone, even if you're an adult you'll enjoy it.
This series just raised my bar for fae fantasy books for me.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ੈ✩‧₊˚ Maybe that’s all love is. Something you endure.ੈ✩‧₊˚
This was everything I was hoping for and sooo much more, it was such an amazing conclusion to the duology ! I loveee faerie books, they're some of the most political books in romantasy. I actually liked it more than the first book, the stakes felt higher and it was a little bit more fast paced (there was not a single chapter i felt bored reading !) If you loved the cruel prince series you’ll love this one too ! (even if you didn't like it, you’ll probably still like this one hehe). The first chapter literally had me LOSING my mind, SASHA TAKE MY MONEY 😭
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ Emmett 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚
MY YEARNING KING 😭 give my man a break oh my days he’s been through so much my heart was BREAKING for him. At first I thought I saw something between him and Lydia and I was SO concerned, but it’s okay I'm just paranoid. EVERY single one of his POVs HAD ME FERALLLLL. I love him sm and by the time I was halfway through I was soooo invested. ALSO THE LETTERS ????? He's so cardan coded and I love it. Those letters omg i'm going to be thinking about them for weeks HE'S SO POETICCCC 🥲 #JUSTICE FOR EMMETT
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ Ivy 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚
Honestly, my favorite thing about her POVs was seeing the relationships with the girls she was competing with in the last book develop into such beautiful friendships 🤭. I love her sisterly relationship with Lydia sm, they're such an iconic duo. She’s been through so much in this book, and I have been WAITING for her and Emmett to get together for good.
˙⋆✮ Tropes ˙⋆✮
✨ Faeries
✨ Politics
✨ Banter
✨ Yearning
`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ Preread `✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THE ARC GODS. YAYAYAYYAYAYAY
This was everything I was hoping for and sooo much more, it was such an amazing conclusion to the duology ! I loveee faerie books, they're some of the most political books in romantasy. I actually liked it more than the first book, the stakes felt higher and it was a little bit more fast paced (there was not a single chapter i felt bored reading !) If you loved the cruel prince series you’ll love this one too ! (even if you didn't like it, you’ll probably still like this one hehe). The first chapter literally had me LOSING my mind, SASHA TAKE MY MONEY 😭
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ Emmett 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚
MY YEARNING KING 😭 give my man a break oh my days he’s been through so much my heart was BREAKING for him. At first I thought I saw something between him and Lydia and I was SO concerned, but it’s okay I'm just paranoid. EVERY single one of his POVs HAD ME FERALLLLL. I love him sm and by the time I was halfway through I was soooo invested. ALSO THE LETTERS ????? He's so cardan coded and I love it. Those letters omg i'm going to be thinking about them for weeks HE'S SO POETICCCC 🥲 #JUSTICE FOR EMMETT
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ Ivy 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚
Honestly, my favorite thing about her POVs was seeing the relationships with the girls she was competing with in the last book develop into such beautiful friendships 🤭. I love her sisterly relationship with Lydia sm, they're such an iconic duo. She’s been through so much in this book, and I have been WAITING for her and Emmett to get together for good.
˙⋆✮ Tropes ˙⋆✮
✨ Faeries
✨ Politics
✨ Banter
✨ Yearning
`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ Preread `✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THE ARC GODS. YAYAYAYYAYAYAY
![Profile Image for thea. [a girl so in love].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1771075039i%2F160649392._UY200_CR29%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Want to Read
August 26, 2025Omggg can’t waittttttt mrs sasha please take my all my money rob my whole bank account idc please im begging you💳💰
May 2, 2026
જ⁀➴ 4 stars
♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹
(Guys, I swear I finished this ages ago, I'm just really bad at updating my GR)
What a stunning conclusion to The Rose Bargain duology! Waiting for the book to come out was the longest, painstaking wait ever, but it was definitely worth the wait. The Thorn Queen officially also gets a spot in my "Guys Who Are Down Bad" GR shelf because Emmett De Vere exists and he has a PhD in Yearnalism. In fact, he created the PhD program, and everyone else is just striving to reach that same level of yearning as Emmett De Vere.
✎𓂃Full review to come soon!
♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹
⋅˚₊‧ ୨ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (4/15/2026): ୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ It’s time for me to become an emotional wreck. I got my book in the mail today and I’ll be starting this immediately!💜🌹👑
𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (8/26/2025): April 2026 can’t come fast enough, I need to know what happens to everyone😭I already preordered the book!
"When I think of my life before, it's like a dream, like something that happened to someone else. But not with you. The memories with you are vivid, awake. You make me exist."
♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹
(Guys, I swear I finished this ages ago, I'm just really bad at updating my GR)
What a stunning conclusion to The Rose Bargain duology! Waiting for the book to come out was the longest, painstaking wait ever, but it was definitely worth the wait. The Thorn Queen officially also gets a spot in my "Guys Who Are Down Bad" GR shelf because Emmett De Vere exists and he has a PhD in Yearnalism. In fact, he created the PhD program, and everyone else is just striving to reach that same level of yearning as Emmett De Vere.
✎𓂃Full review to come soon!
♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹⚘️°•♡°•⚘️🌹
⋅˚₊‧ ୨ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (4/15/2026): ୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ It’s time for me to become an emotional wreck. I got my book in the mail today and I’ll be starting this immediately!💜🌹👑
𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (8/26/2025): April 2026 can’t come fast enough, I need to know what happens to everyone😭I already preordered the book!
August 27, 2025
I would sell my soul for an ARC of this, I’m so incredibly excited 🥹
November 17, 2025
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
4.75 stars!!(Rounded up to 5)
THANK YOU NETGALLEY, HARPERCOLLINS, AND SASHA PEYTON SMITH FOR THE ARC
💜👑🧚🏼♂️🗡️🖤🌿🌸
***Minor spoilers ahead***
Not. what. I. expected. in the best possible way.
The first chapter had me absolutely losing it. I forgot how much I missed this world until I was thrown right back into the chaos. Bram doing a complete 180 had me questioning everything I thought I knew. I was just as shocked and angry as Ivy was at that betrayal, it genuinely threw me and it made me feel for Emmet even more as the story went on. The longing, the tension, the slow-burn ache… it was delicious. I devoured this book every spare moment I had. It was a full on emotional rollercoaster right from the start, and the deeper I went, the more I felt like the book had buckled me into something more wild than I imagined. Every chapter had a new twist or feeling waiting for me, and I kept getting pulled along for the ride with zero control.
"𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?"
Then Chapter 8 hit and I actually gasped. My heart felt like it was breaking right alongside Ivy’s; so much hurt, so much emotion all at once. It only got worse as the story progressed. It was messy, emotional, and painful in that addictive way where you want to look away but physically can’t. I kind of hated it… but also loved it for making me feel so much. When we finally got a chapter from Emmet’s POV? I was feral. Absolutely eaten alive by every thought in that man’s head. The deeper the story pulled me in, the stronger everything hit, so when the devastation finally landed, it landed hard. The book had been layering emotion on top of emotion, until suddenly it dropped the floor out from under me. By that point, I wasn’t just reading the story, I was absorbed by it, which made every moment of heartbreak crash into me even more violently.
"𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻."
My only real issue with the book was how triggering it felt at times. Watching everyone tiptoe around Bram, doing whatever they could to soothe him so he wouldn’t snap, hit a little too close to home for me. His anger was so unpredictable and intense that it reminded me of situations I’ve dealt with in my own life, where you’re constantly managing someone else’s emotions just to stay safe. It didn’t ruin the story, but it definitely stirred up some feelings I wasn’t expecting.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʟʟ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪꜱ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇ.
"ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ. ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴀʏᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴜʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ." "ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ?" ʟʏᴅɪᴀ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇꜱ ꜱᴀᴅʟʏ. "ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ."
"ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇꜱᴛ ᴅᴀʏꜱ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴜɴɢᴇᴏɴ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏɴᴇꜱ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴡᴏʟʟᴇɴ ꜱʜᴜᴛ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅᴇʟɪʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍʏ ꜱɪɴɢʟᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʀᴍ ᴀᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ." ʜɪꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ꜱᴏꜰᴛᴇɴꜱ. "ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ. ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏʟᴅ ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ɪꜰ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴠɪᴠɪᴅ, ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴇxɪꜱᴛ."
"ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ꜰʟᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʟɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ. ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴡᴇ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴛᴏᴏ. ᴡᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪꜱ ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴡɪᴛɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪꜱ ꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ᴅᴇꜱᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ. ʙʏ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ, ᴡᴇ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢʟʏ."
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
4.75 stars!!(Rounded up to 5)
THANK YOU NETGALLEY, HARPERCOLLINS, AND SASHA PEYTON SMITH FOR THE ARC
💜👑🧚🏼♂️🗡️🖤🌿🌸
***Minor spoilers ahead***
Not. what. I. expected. in the best possible way.
The first chapter had me absolutely losing it. I forgot how much I missed this world until I was thrown right back into the chaos. Bram doing a complete 180 had me questioning everything I thought I knew. I was just as shocked and angry as Ivy was at that betrayal, it genuinely threw me and it made me feel for Emmet even more as the story went on. The longing, the tension, the slow-burn ache… it was delicious. I devoured this book every spare moment I had. It was a full on emotional rollercoaster right from the start, and the deeper I went, the more I felt like the book had buckled me into something more wild than I imagined. Every chapter had a new twist or feeling waiting for me, and I kept getting pulled along for the ride with zero control.
"𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?"
Then Chapter 8 hit and I actually gasped. My heart felt like it was breaking right alongside Ivy’s; so much hurt, so much emotion all at once. It only got worse as the story progressed. It was messy, emotional, and painful in that addictive way where you want to look away but physically can’t. I kind of hated it… but also loved it for making me feel so much. When we finally got a chapter from Emmet’s POV? I was feral. Absolutely eaten alive by every thought in that man’s head. The deeper the story pulled me in, the stronger everything hit, so when the devastation finally landed, it landed hard. The book had been layering emotion on top of emotion, until suddenly it dropped the floor out from under me. By that point, I wasn’t just reading the story, I was absorbed by it, which made every moment of heartbreak crash into me even more violently.
"𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻."
My only real issue with the book was how triggering it felt at times. Watching everyone tiptoe around Bram, doing whatever they could to soothe him so he wouldn’t snap, hit a little too close to home for me. His anger was so unpredictable and intense that it reminded me of situations I’ve dealt with in my own life, where you’re constantly managing someone else’s emotions just to stay safe. It didn’t ruin the story, but it definitely stirred up some feelings I wasn’t expecting.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʟʟ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪꜱ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇ.
"ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ. ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴀʏᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴜʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ." "ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ?" ʟʏᴅɪᴀ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇꜱ ꜱᴀᴅʟʏ. "ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ."
"ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇꜱᴛ ᴅᴀʏꜱ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴜɴɢᴇᴏɴ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏɴᴇꜱ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴡᴏʟʟᴇɴ ꜱʜᴜᴛ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅᴇʟɪʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍʏ ꜱɪɴɢʟᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʀᴍ ᴀᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ." ʜɪꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ꜱᴏꜰᴛᴇɴꜱ. "ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ. ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏʟᴅ ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ɪꜰ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴠɪᴠɪᴅ, ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴇxɪꜱᴛ."
"ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ꜰʟᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʟɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ. ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴡᴇ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴛᴏᴏ. ᴡᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪꜱ ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴡɪᴛɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪꜱ ꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ᴅᴇꜱᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ. ʙʏ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ, ᴡᴇ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢʟʏ."
May 6, 2026
Edit: The more I think about this book, the lower I want to rate it 😭😭😭😭🪦
This was an amazing sequel! Sasha Peyton Smith the woman that you are🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
I was enchanted, haunted and traumatized in the most delicious way💘 I loved the direction she took and really felt like it expanded the world.
Marion and Faith my pookies! THEY ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!
This duology is already a Cult Classic™️ in my soul. This duology is to spring what The Shepherd King Duology is to fall. They’re both so drenched in that season’s atmosphere!
Ivy Benton will stick with me forever. I feel so seen by her storm of emotions. This is for youngest daughters everywhere!!!!!
This was definitely more character driven than plot driven so I think I had a harder time locking in, but that being said I LOVE these characters so much and was happy to go on this journey with them🥲
This was an amazing sequel! Sasha Peyton Smith the woman that you are🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
I was enchanted, haunted and traumatized in the most delicious way💘 I loved the direction she took and really felt like it expanded the world.
Marion and Faith my pookies! THEY ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!
This duology is already a Cult Classic™️ in my soul. This duology is to spring what The Shepherd King Duology is to fall. They’re both so drenched in that season’s atmosphere!
Ivy Benton will stick with me forever. I feel so seen by her storm of emotions. This is for youngest daughters everywhere!!!!!
This was definitely more character driven than plot driven so I think I had a harder time locking in, but that being said I LOVE these characters so much and was happy to go on this journey with them🥲
Currently Reading
May 1, 2026౨ৎ ๋ · ˚ ⊹ pre read
⤿ started on april 30
after having exams and not touching a book for exactly 2 weeks and getting into a horrible slump you bet im excited to start this especially since it’s another buddy read with my fav girl ever julieta 🥹💌
⤿ started on april 30
after having exams and not touching a book for exactly 2 weeks and getting into a horrible slump you bet im excited to start this especially since it’s another buddy read with my fav girl ever julieta 🥹💌
November 3, 2025
There are only a few books that give me such a whimsical and eerie feeling that when reading I truly escape and the world consumes my every thought— this is one of them! Gosh I just love these characters and could seriously not put this down, so much had me on the edge of my seat. I also really appreciated the side plot of sisterhood and truly felt like it added so much to the story! The faerie vibes are so mystical and beautiful I could picture everything so perfectly — very much gives similar magic that can be found in The Folk of the Air series. Big fan over here and will read anything Sasha Peyton Smith writes!
Thank you SO much Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
Thank you SO much Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
November 11, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the eArc!
Yearning, trials, heartache, and MORE YEARNING!
The Buccaneers meets The Cruel Prince (and I did not like the cruel prince 🫣 so just know I ACTUALLY enjoyed this duology).
Such a great sequel! I honestly liked this more than book one. The writing was very atmospheric and swept me in immediately. The way the characters will go to any length imaginable for love, family, and righteousness was the heart of this story. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this story concluded perfectly in my opinion. Can’t wait for it to be out in the world!
Yearning, trials, heartache, and MORE YEARNING!
The Buccaneers meets The Cruel Prince (and I did not like the cruel prince 🫣 so just know I ACTUALLY enjoyed this duology).
Such a great sequel! I honestly liked this more than book one. The writing was very atmospheric and swept me in immediately. The way the characters will go to any length imaginable for love, family, and righteousness was the heart of this story. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this story concluded perfectly in my opinion. Can’t wait for it to be out in the world!
April 24, 2026
3.25 ★— After accidentally becoming co-wives with her own sister and getting stuck in a loveless marriage with a cruel faerie king, Ivy is going through a lot at the beginning of the story, and I very much picked this up because of how much of a gut punch the ending of The Rose Bargain was. Sadly, this sequel left me with a lot of mixed feelings.
My biggest gripe here was, like in the first book, the multiple POVs, which actively hindered my enjoyment. While I liked the addition of Lydia’s POV, I didn’t think that Emmet was interesting enough to warrant his chapters. The story takes place after a time jump, and I wish the book had focused more on developing Lydia and Ivy's dynamic instead, because that relationship was the only one the book truly got me to care about.
Also, the more I read, the more I was convinced that the time jump only highlighted how shaky the Emmet/Ivy dynamic was for me. The foundation of their love rests on [a very brief relationship], which made their desperate desire and yearning for each other seem more comical than enthralling. This is actually directly called out by one of them, and it was done in a way that felt almost like the author trying to assuage me, as the reader, in a meta way.
Well, it didn’t work. I still thought that Emmet’s love for Ivy felt disproportionate to the time they actually spent getting to know each other in the previous book, and since this book is filled with Emmet and Ivy mostly feeling betrayed, jealous, and fighting each other, the narrative didn’t do a good job of changing my perception of them or actually deepening their bond in any meaningful way.
The best part of this story really was the sisterly bond between Lydia and Ivy, and I thought that the book did a decent job exploring the twisted mix of envy and love between them.
I also thought that the atmosphere and the portrayal of the fae and the faerie world really worked, with the book making use of the often ruthless nature of the fae and their attitude towards humans.
Still, that isn’t enough to stop this from being a pretty middling reading experience for me. There were moments where the vibes and drama of it all worked, but the central romance was so lacking that those weren’t strong enough to win me over.
_______________
Thank you to HarperCollins for the gifted copy.
My biggest gripe here was, like in the first book, the multiple POVs, which actively hindered my enjoyment. While I liked the addition of Lydia’s POV, I didn’t think that Emmet was interesting enough to warrant his chapters. The story takes place after a time jump, and I wish the book had focused more on developing Lydia and Ivy's dynamic instead, because that relationship was the only one the book truly got me to care about.
Also, the more I read, the more I was convinced that the time jump only highlighted how shaky the Emmet/Ivy dynamic was for me. The foundation of their love rests on [a very brief relationship], which made their desperate desire and yearning for each other seem more comical than enthralling. This is actually directly called out by one of them, and it was done in a way that felt almost like the author trying to assuage me, as the reader, in a meta way.
Well, it didn’t work. I still thought that Emmet’s love for Ivy felt disproportionate to the time they actually spent getting to know each other in the previous book, and since this book is filled with Emmet and Ivy mostly feeling betrayed, jealous, and fighting each other, the narrative didn’t do a good job of changing my perception of them or actually deepening their bond in any meaningful way.
The best part of this story really was the sisterly bond between Lydia and Ivy, and I thought that the book did a decent job exploring the twisted mix of envy and love between them.
I also thought that the atmosphere and the portrayal of the fae and the faerie world really worked, with the book making use of the often ruthless nature of the fae and their attitude towards humans.
Still, that isn’t enough to stop this from being a pretty middling reading experience for me. There were moments where the vibes and drama of it all worked, but the central romance was so lacking that those weren’t strong enough to win me over.
_______________
Thank you to HarperCollins for the gifted copy.
April 14, 2026
I would do anything for the ARC of this!!!!
Edit: well... guess who got the ARC 😏
I loved the previous book in the series so much, and while I adored this one too, it had a drastically different story line. I still loved The Thorn Queen, like I couldn’t put it down! The relationships between the characters were complex and so interesting to read about. Emmett and Ivy have my whole heart, they’re so cute and you can tell their love is deep. What an amazing finale to this duology! I can’t wait to read more from Sasha Peyton Smith. She's becoming one of my favorite authors.
3.5⭐⭐
Edit: well... guess who got the ARC 😏
I loved the previous book in the series so much, and while I adored this one too, it had a drastically different story line. I still loved The Thorn Queen, like I couldn’t put it down! The relationships between the characters were complex and so interesting to read about. Emmett and Ivy have my whole heart, they’re so cute and you can tell their love is deep. What an amazing finale to this duology! I can’t wait to read more from Sasha Peyton Smith. She's becoming one of my favorite authors.
3.5⭐⭐
April 18, 2026
Those were some of the most insufferable characters I have ever read about. IVY ooohh ivy, why are you this selfish? Why are you always stripping the right of choice from others? You're a dumbshit. Always planning with yourself without regard for others' emotions and surprise surprise it turns out to be the shittiest plan ever to be planned 🙃
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
It's time to see what this idiot Ivy would do 😮💨
Thank you so much HarperCollins and Netgalley for the eARC 💜💛
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
It's time to see what this idiot Ivy would do 😮💨
Thank you so much HarperCollins and Netgalley for the eARC 💜💛
April 27, 2026
#... 2.5 stars
⤷ love is knowing, no matter how hard everything else is, you've got a soft, warm place to land.
spoiler free + mini review!
──★..
⤷ @demolitionlover is sharing her thoughts
with the way the rose bargain ended, this book had the potential to even be better than the rose bargain, by MILES, but I fear it didn't hit the spot at all. While reading the rose bargain, I felt connected to the characters, I felt like I was apart of the story, the characters had depth and that was what I loved so much about it. but the thorn queen fell flat for me, I couldn't connect to the characters, I was bored and rolling my eyes most of the time. Sasha's poetic beautiful writing that we saw in the rose bargain wasn't present in this one. But the writing was easy to get through and the story was fast paced, too fast paced I fear. there's no way a duolgy with fae world building was wrapped up in 350 pages when barley anything was explained in the last book. speaking of world building, sometimes I genuinely forgot that I was reading a fantasy book, I thought I was reading a book with magic realism, and sometimes I genuinely forgot that the story took place in England, have we lost the plot? speaking of the plotor lack of, it felt like it was going nowhere absolutely nowhere. the characters were whiny and lost most of the book. which was so out of character, especially for emmet. speaking of emmet, I felt like his personality was completely stripped away this book, it felt like I was reading about a totally different character, not the emmet I fell in love with in the rose bargain, he felt distant and cold, and something was off about his character, I couldn't pin point what it was but it felt so off. but, I did enjoy the ending and prologue though, I absolutely loved the prologue actually, emmet and ivy were busy as hell LMAO.
a huge thank you to ells for buddy reading this with me 🥹 I genuinely had the best time reading and discussing this book with you, you made it so much better. buddy reading with you is such a joy and I was so grateful to have this lovely opportunity and would love to do it again with you anytime 🤭 I love you so much !! 💋 show her review some love by clicking on the text!
──★..
⤷ @demolitionlover rated the rose bargain duology
i. the rose bargain: 5☆
⤷ rose bargain review!
ii. the thorn queen: 2.5☆
⤷ love is knowing, no matter how hard everything else is, you've got a soft, warm place to land.
spoiler free + mini review!
──★..
⤷ @demolitionlover is sharing her thoughts
with the way the rose bargain ended, this book had the potential to even be better than the rose bargain, by MILES, but I fear it didn't hit the spot at all. While reading the rose bargain, I felt connected to the characters, I felt like I was apart of the story, the characters had depth and that was what I loved so much about it. but the thorn queen fell flat for me, I couldn't connect to the characters, I was bored and rolling my eyes most of the time. Sasha's poetic beautiful writing that we saw in the rose bargain wasn't present in this one. But the writing was easy to get through and the story was fast paced, too fast paced I fear. there's no way a duolgy with fae world building was wrapped up in 350 pages when barley anything was explained in the last book. speaking of world building, sometimes I genuinely forgot that I was reading a fantasy book, I thought I was reading a book with magic realism, and sometimes I genuinely forgot that the story took place in England, have we lost the plot? speaking of the plot
a huge thank you to ells for buddy reading this with me 🥹 I genuinely had the best time reading and discussing this book with you, you made it so much better. buddy reading with you is such a joy and I was so grateful to have this lovely opportunity and would love to do it again with you anytime 🤭 I love you so much !! 💋 show her review some love by clicking on the text!
──★..
⤷ @demolitionlover rated the rose bargain duology
i. the rose bargain: 5☆
⤷ rose bargain review!
ii. the thorn queen: 2.5☆
May 3, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
I loooved being back with these characters and this world!!
Sasha really keeps you on your toes with a pacy, twisty plot and a group of characters who will you keep you guessing till the end! I loved the way this ended and how we got closure and all of our questions answered.
Such a wonderful series if you love bridgerton x cruel prince kinda worlds ✨
I loooved being back with these characters and this world!!
Sasha really keeps you on your toes with a pacy, twisty plot and a group of characters who will you keep you guessing till the end! I loved the way this ended and how we got closure and all of our questions answered.
Such a wonderful series if you love bridgerton x cruel prince kinda worlds ✨
May 4, 2026
4,75 ★
Emmett lowers himself to the floor until he's kneeling in front of me. "I have loved you and I have grieved you and now I am on my knees for you," he says.
"Ivy Benton, if you believe only one thing let it be this: I am yours, down to my bones."
I did not expect this in any way but hello???? I was so excited for this story and it delivered even more than I hoped- I genuinely want to cry bc I will never read about our messy Emmet being so hopelessly obsessed and in love with Ivy
I loved the story, the characters, the quotes, the scenes- everything 😭😭 I was enjoying myself sooooo much like the yearning and tension was insaneeeeee in here and I loved loved loved how the author didn’t make it smutty or lusty at all- it made it so much more heartwarming and beautiful.
"I want nothing but you." His voice is low, nearly a growl. "Every moment I am awake, there you are, in my head. Even in sleep, there is no relief. Visions of you torment me in dreams. It's nothing but you, you, you."
It was interesting to be in the perspective of a girl who’s the main character in this story but not really in this world. It’s like the story is trying to show you, you don’t need to be the main character to have a happy ending. And. I. Loved. It. It’s different than what we normally get and I think it was executed well.
I saw that some people were unsatisfied with the ending, but I think it was fitting 🥹 it didn’t bother me, but I’m curious to hear what others disliked about it! I also like how we didn’t really get all the answers. I really don’t hope we get an unnecessary spin off, although I wouldn’t mind a novella of Emmet and Ivy being helplessly in love.
I will be honest tho, I didn’t reread book one ✋ and I read it almost a year ago so to say I forgot some details would not be a lie. I just went into it remembering the overall plot and ending, but that’s it😔 it probably would have hit more if I reread , but I’m not really a rereader
“What are you doing?”
“Looking at you.”
I do think we needed to put more attention into certain aspects of the story. There is a lot going on, and all of it needed more time to really get to us as readers, to make us feel it more potently. The thing Emmet went through, the things we missed, some deaths, and other small things. I also think that the separation of a certain friend group felt weird ? and the love they created for each other in the first book was missing in here bc of it- now I’m not saying I wanted more perspectives or something (this book was perfecttt in that aspect), but idk it’s different than what we are normally used to in a fantasy.
It didn’t bother me at all!! I was so focused on Emmet and Ivy, I didn’t care about anything else 😭 but I did realize the lack of attention in there.
I also wished Ivy got more of a “relationship” with the land. It would have been exciting to read about her exploring and learning, but I guess it was kind of the point of the story to have Lydia be that person and Ivy not. But It would have been so much fun 😔
“Please haunt me.”
I highlyyyy recommend this series to any YA lovers that don’t want to commit to a big series. This series isn’t perfect in any way, but I do think it’s worth your time 🥹 both books have a special air to them, and I simply loved it😭
Smut:
No! But one scene that came a tiny baby step close to it, but nothing, it’s clean- but there is a lot of yearning 😮💨😮💨
Emmett lowers himself to the floor until he's kneeling in front of me. "I have loved you and I have grieved you and now I am on my knees for you," he says.
"Ivy Benton, if you believe only one thing let it be this: I am yours, down to my bones."
I did not expect this in any way but hello???? I was so excited for this story and it delivered even more than I hoped- I genuinely want to cry bc I will never read about our messy Emmet being so hopelessly obsessed and in love with Ivy
I loved the story, the characters, the quotes, the scenes- everything 😭😭 I was enjoying myself sooooo much like the yearning and tension was insaneeeeee in here and I loved loved loved how the author didn’t make it smutty or lusty at all- it made it so much more heartwarming and beautiful.
"I want nothing but you." His voice is low, nearly a growl. "Every moment I am awake, there you are, in my head. Even in sleep, there is no relief. Visions of you torment me in dreams. It's nothing but you, you, you."
It was interesting to be in the perspective of a girl who’s the main character in this story but not really in this world. It’s like the story is trying to show you, you don’t need to be the main character to have a happy ending. And. I. Loved. It. It’s different than what we normally get and I think it was executed well.
I saw that some people were unsatisfied with the ending, but I think it was fitting 🥹 it didn’t bother me, but I’m curious to hear what others disliked about it! I also like how we didn’t really get all the answers. I really don’t hope we get an unnecessary spin off, although I wouldn’t mind a novella of Emmet and Ivy being helplessly in love.
I will be honest tho, I didn’t reread book one ✋ and I read it almost a year ago so to say I forgot some details would not be a lie. I just went into it remembering the overall plot and ending, but that’s it😔 it probably would have hit more if I reread , but I’m not really a rereader
“What are you doing?”
“Looking at you.”
I do think we needed to put more attention into certain aspects of the story. There is a lot going on, and all of it needed more time to really get to us as readers, to make us feel it more potently. The thing Emmet went through, the things we missed, some deaths, and other small things. I also think that the separation of a certain friend group felt weird ? and the love they created for each other in the first book was missing in here bc of it- now I’m not saying I wanted more perspectives or something (this book was perfecttt in that aspect), but idk it’s different than what we are normally used to in a fantasy.
It didn’t bother me at all!! I was so focused on Emmet and Ivy, I didn’t care about anything else 😭 but I did realize the lack of attention in there.
I also wished Ivy got more of a “relationship” with the land. It would have been exciting to read about her exploring and learning, but I guess it was kind of the point of the story to have Lydia be that person and Ivy not. But It would have been so much fun 😔
“Please haunt me.”
I highlyyyy recommend this series to any YA lovers that don’t want to commit to a big series. This series isn’t perfect in any way, but I do think it’s worth your time 🥹 both books have a special air to them, and I simply loved it😭
Smut:
No! But one scene that came a tiny baby step close to it, but nothing, it’s clean- but there is a lot of yearning 😮💨😮💨
Currently Reading
April 28, 2026⋆౨ pre read ৎ ⋆
after waiting ages for this to deliver, i FINALLY have my hands on this and FINALLY buddy reading this with my fav girl lana 😘💌🤞 i am so excited to read this w you !!
also im in a bad slump #getmeoutofhere
after waiting ages for this to deliver, i FINALLY have my hands on this and FINALLY buddy reading this with my fav girl lana 😘💌🤞 i am so excited to read this w you !!
also im in a bad slump #getmeoutofhere
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to the author and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for sending me this ARC! 💕✨👑🌹
This series is everything I could ever ask for, from start to finish. I truly loved everything about these worlds, the characters, and the plot line. There were so many elements, all magical and beautifully intertwined. There is such a complete feeling at the end, a perfect closure to all the loose ends. You really can't ask for much more. I love love love this series. You can't help but binge it! An easy 5 stars!!
Publication day: 14 April 2026 - If you haven't already... go pre-order this book ASAP!!! 🥹💕
Side note: Duologies are really the way to go. I wish more authors did this rather than chasing giant book deals and just making plots drag on way too long.
This series is everything I could ever ask for, from start to finish. I truly loved everything about these worlds, the characters, and the plot line. There were so many elements, all magical and beautifully intertwined. There is such a complete feeling at the end, a perfect closure to all the loose ends. You really can't ask for much more. I love love love this series. You can't help but binge it! An easy 5 stars!!
Publication day: 14 April 2026 - If you haven't already... go pre-order this book ASAP!!! 🥹💕
Side note: Duologies are really the way to go. I wish more authors did this rather than chasing giant book deals and just making plots drag on way too long.
April 23, 2026
Ik kon niet wachten om dit verhaal verder te lezen dus heb hem per ongeluk in enkele uren erdoorheen geramd 🤭. Wat een heerlijk einde van de duologie. Er gebeurde zo veel. Het was all over the place. Maar daardoor kon ik ook weer niet stoppen met lezen. Ik had geen specifieke verwachtingen en dat maakte dit tweede boek denk ik gewoon heel leuk. De verschillende POVs vond ik ook heel leuk en vergeet niet het bonushoofdstuk!!
Het enige wat ik jammer vond, was dat ik hier en daar nog wat extra’s miste qua gevoel of qua diepgang. En misschien nog wat extra giechel-momenten. Maar die brieven maakten een hoop goed 🙏🥹.
Een heerlijke YA fantasy duologie 💗
Het enige wat ik jammer vond, was dat ik hier en daar nog wat extra’s miste qua gevoel of qua diepgang. En misschien nog wat extra giechel-momenten. Maar die brieven maakten een hoop goed 🙏🥹.
Een heerlijke YA fantasy duologie 💗
March 23, 2026
5 emotionally devastating, reader is now unwell stars.
Listen. If you thought you survived The Rose Bargain with your heart intact, Sasha Peyton Smith is here to prove you absolutely wrong.
This is the conclusion to the duet, and the shift from the first book's YA feel to this significantly darker, more sophisticated atmosphere was flawless. The writing is just phenomenal. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Dark, but beautiful. The imagery, the raw emotion, the longing... it is entirely palpable on every single page.
While the romance had me screaming, what really took center stage and completely shattered my heart—only to heal it right back up—was the sister bond between Ivy and Lydia. It is the beating, bleeding heart of this book and it was executed with pure precision.
And then there is Emmett. THE ANGST. THE DEVOTION. When this man dropped to the floor and said:
“I have loved you and I have grieved you and now I am on my knees for you. Ivy Benton, if you believe only one thing let it be this: I am yours, down to my bones.”
I was unwell. Deceased. 10/10 would panic and cry again.
Final verdict: Read it immediately. Massive thanks to the author, HarperCollins, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Listen. If you thought you survived The Rose Bargain with your heart intact, Sasha Peyton Smith is here to prove you absolutely wrong.
This is the conclusion to the duet, and the shift from the first book's YA feel to this significantly darker, more sophisticated atmosphere was flawless. The writing is just phenomenal. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Dark, but beautiful. The imagery, the raw emotion, the longing... it is entirely palpable on every single page.
While the romance had me screaming, what really took center stage and completely shattered my heart—only to heal it right back up—was the sister bond between Ivy and Lydia. It is the beating, bleeding heart of this book and it was executed with pure precision.
And then there is Emmett. THE ANGST. THE DEVOTION. When this man dropped to the floor and said:
“I have loved you and I have grieved you and now I am on my knees for you. Ivy Benton, if you believe only one thing let it be this: I am yours, down to my bones.”
I was unwell. Deceased. 10/10 would panic and cry again.
Final verdict: Read it immediately. Massive thanks to the author, HarperCollins, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
November 3, 2025
Hmm this wasn’t the best. I liked how things ended and had no problem with how everything played out, but it just didn’t wow me like book 1.
I felt less invested in both the plot and the characters. Nothing was all that surprising or entertaining unfortunately :(
RTC - thank you Harper Collins for the eARC!
I felt less invested in both the plot and the characters. Nothing was all that surprising or entertaining unfortunately :(
RTC - thank you Harper Collins for the eARC!
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April 6, 2026Těšte se! :)
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