Lost & Crowned

by Lyra Thompson, Callie Dyches

As heir to the throne, Prince Gideon hasn’t experienced much of the world he’s one day going to rule. When he finally gets to go to a real high school, he meets Kate Steele, an ambitious student who becomes his mentor and first friend outside of the castle. As if navigating this new life wasn’t enough, he makes a shocking discovery that changes everything he thought he knew about his past.

Meanwhile, Kate launches an investigation of her own, sparked by Gideon’s arrival. Between extracurriculars, working at her dad’s store, and playing with her little brother, she doesn’t have time for new developments. So when a mysterious symbol reveals dark secrets of her past, her perfectly ordered life begins to unravel.

Evil forces thought to have disappeared resurface, thrusting Kate and Gideon into harrowing circumstances. The two of them must combine their skills and newfound connection to reunite the kingdom once and for all.

181 pages, Paperback

Published November 20, 2025

About the author

Hi! My name is Lyra Thompson, a young writer from Kansas pursuing her passions. I'm a student at Southwest Baptist University, majoring in Media Studies and minoring in Writing and Editing. My favorite genres to read are (clean) YA romance, historical fiction, contemporary Christian, and dystopian. As for my work, I write contemporary YA.

I have always been a storyteller, even before I knew how to write, and have loved reading and writing from a young age. Outside of books, my interests include singing, video games, board games, rock climbing, and cuddling my cat against her will.

I'm so excited for my debut novella to be released into the world! Lost & Crowned has been a passion project of my co-author and mine for the past three years, and it's finally almost here.

"Write your story such that reading it moves the melancholy to laughter and the giggly to guffaws." -Cervantes, Don Quixote

Reviews

[Arlin Treaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars!! ⭐️ I like the writing, which was simple and easy to understand but not boring. Also the ending was cute 🤭

I will say I didn’t think there was enough pressure/conflict and stakes, so there was a lack of urgency. But I still had fun reading this book!

[Mara Hug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. From its plot line to its characters to the fantasy world as a whole, Lost & Crowned offers an engaging, captivating story that you don’t want to put down. When I first started reading, I was familiar with what was going on generally speaking, but the exciting directions the narrative took me in made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The book was easy to read, the story captivating, and the characters likable and entertaining. I really liked how we got to switch back and forth between Kate's and Gideon's perspectives; this made the narrative even more intricate and interesting. I don't think I ever felt like the plot was moving too slowly; I never really got bored. My favorite character who I would've liked to see more of is Gideon's knight friend, Alexander. ♡ Overall, fantastic storytelling and world building, great narrative, amazing product in general!! I would 100% recommend this read.

[Mary Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5: I love the general idea of this book! The whole “lost princess” thing has always been one of my favorite tropes in fantasy. The characters are likable and fleshed out, making it more enjoyable to read about their adventures. I like the time ambiguity as well, it really puts me into the story; it is a world like ours, but somehow different. Although the plot seems a bit too predictable at times, it still works well considering its intended audience. Overall, it is a well-written story that will keep you wanting more!

[Becky Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review

Caught me at the first page didn't let go till the end. Couldn't put book down once I started. This is a fairy tale story every girl wants to be a princess but Kate figures out she is the long lost princess. The one everyone has been looking for, for 16 years after being kidnapped. She is mentor to Gideon her twin brother but she doesn't know he is her twin brother till the end. Awesome read highly recommend

[Adalyn Bartels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is intriguing to the reader because the plot is slow and draws you into the story. This book gave me the desire to learn about the characters, and understand the ideas of each individual character.this book is clean and could have a wide variety of readers. The different perspectives of Kate and Gidian were easy to follow and not get lost in the story. I found I didn’t get lost or confused in the plot. The story plot flowed well together. Overall I would recommend this book to people who like books about friendship, love, and resilience in struggles the characters face.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, very quick read! Read most of it on a train ride to St Louis. The little mistakes didn’t take away from the storyline at all. Very well done for a first book!