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The Ocean's Queen
Finley, the feared and legendary pirate queen of the realm, has one to break her sleeping curse before it traps her in an eternal slumber.
With the enchanted chalice hidden deep within the Paravian Mountains, rumored to have the power to cure the king’s sleeping curse, she believes it can do the same for her — if she can find it in time.
But nothing is ever that simple. Finley’s quest becomes even more complicated when she’s forced to team up with a brooding shape-shifting wolf, bound by an ancient curse to the goddess of death. This enigmatic wolf has the power to drag anyone into the world of the dead, and Finley’s friends are at risk if she can’t find a way to break his bond.
To survive, she must convince him to work with her to cure her curse — and maybe even free him from the goddess’s hold. With the evil queen threatening to take over the realm, Finley’s mission becomes a race against time. If they fail, it’s not just Finley who will fall into eternal sleep — the entire world could descend into darkness.
Can the pirate queen and the cursed wolf overcome their differences in time to save the realm from destruction?
This thrilling fantasy adventure filled with magic, curses, and a reluctant alliance is perfect for fans of pirate queens, shape-shifting creatures, and epic quests.
With the enchanted chalice hidden deep within the Paravian Mountains, rumored to have the power to cure the king’s sleeping curse, she believes it can do the same for her — if she can find it in time.
But nothing is ever that simple. Finley’s quest becomes even more complicated when she’s forced to team up with a brooding shape-shifting wolf, bound by an ancient curse to the goddess of death. This enigmatic wolf has the power to drag anyone into the world of the dead, and Finley’s friends are at risk if she can’t find a way to break his bond.
To survive, she must convince him to work with her to cure her curse — and maybe even free him from the goddess’s hold. With the evil queen threatening to take over the realm, Finley’s mission becomes a race against time. If they fail, it’s not just Finley who will fall into eternal sleep — the entire world could descend into darkness.
Can the pirate queen and the cursed wolf overcome their differences in time to save the realm from destruction?
This thrilling fantasy adventure filled with magic, curses, and a reluctant alliance is perfect for fans of pirate queens, shape-shifting creatures, and epic quests.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 20, 2026
The Ocean's Queen by EE Hornburg is the best in pirate fantasy meets fairy tale retellings and had me giddy with pleasure at the great storytelling within
I didn't realise that this book book is the last in the Cursed Queens Series and I was already through chapter one and besotted, committed to the read! Was I going to stop? Oho no! A little joyful foot-kicking and I switched my mindset to reading the others as a prequel afters. ( I just knew this would be an awesome series to get into)
Finley is under a sleeping curse, the same as the king, and she is desperate to avoid the same fate.
Finley is also a Pirate Queen, fierce, glrious, powerful (and as such, an adventure should come as second nature should it not?) This adventure however, will test every one of Finley's skills and in some cases, her limits
Rumour has it that there is a cure, a magical chalice to be found deep in the Paravian mountains. However, time is of the essence and made even more difficult when she is forced to share her journey with a shape-shifter who is equally chained to a curse, one that is ancient and dark, just like his vulpine soul
Queens and Curses and Goddesses and Shifters, Oh My! (Sorry, couldn't help it, this book is just so full of the best elements of fantasy writing!)
There is just so much here that The Oceans Queen works just as well as a standalone as the conclusion of a series. The characters are so vibrant, the world expansive and the intricate plots beautifully entwined. While the world is already built, the adventure held a lot of discovery and wonder and I was utterly entranced
A very, very good fantasy adventure and now I am going to have to buy the rest of the series!
Thank you to the author and to City Owl Press for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
I didn't realise that this book book is the last in the Cursed Queens Series and I was already through chapter one and besotted, committed to the read! Was I going to stop? Oho no! A little joyful foot-kicking and I switched my mindset to reading the others as a prequel afters. ( I just knew this would be an awesome series to get into)
Finley is under a sleeping curse, the same as the king, and she is desperate to avoid the same fate.
Finley is also a Pirate Queen, fierce, glrious, powerful (and as such, an adventure should come as second nature should it not?) This adventure however, will test every one of Finley's skills and in some cases, her limits
Rumour has it that there is a cure, a magical chalice to be found deep in the Paravian mountains. However, time is of the essence and made even more difficult when she is forced to share her journey with a shape-shifter who is equally chained to a curse, one that is ancient and dark, just like his vulpine soul
Queens and Curses and Goddesses and Shifters, Oh My! (Sorry, couldn't help it, this book is just so full of the best elements of fantasy writing!)
There is just so much here that The Oceans Queen works just as well as a standalone as the conclusion of a series. The characters are so vibrant, the world expansive and the intricate plots beautifully entwined. While the world is already built, the adventure held a lot of discovery and wonder and I was utterly entranced
A very, very good fantasy adventure and now I am going to have to buy the rest of the series!
Thank you to the author and to City Owl Press for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
July 21, 2026
Thank you so so much to the author for sharing an ARC of this book with me !!!
“Such a dirty pirate”
“Speak for yourself big bad Wolf”
“Whatever you command, my Queen”
I had missed this series. The world building, the loosely inspired fairytales retellings. The themes, the romances between the main characters. It brings back so much nostalgia form when I started. And having all the characters from the previous books back too for some chapters …. I have tears in my eyes. But this book is all about a woman trying to break her own curse. And a wolf kinda helping her out. I loved it !!! Adventures, quests, danger, obstacles, friends, enemies, battles, loves … amazing fantasy this book was !!! I can’t believe this is all over. I can’t believe everything every single one of these people has fought so hard to accomplish is done. I can’t believe the trials and tribulations that got them there. But I know I’m so so glad I was there to experience every moment of it. And I’m glad it ended with the wildness of Finley and the strength and wisdom of Rafe! I will keep this series close to my heart !!
“Let’s go get that evil Queen back here and foil some plans”
“For live is more powerful than any curse”
“Such a dirty pirate”
“Speak for yourself big bad Wolf”
“Whatever you command, my Queen”
I had missed this series. The world building, the loosely inspired fairytales retellings. The themes, the romances between the main characters. It brings back so much nostalgia form when I started. And having all the characters from the previous books back too for some chapters …. I have tears in my eyes. But this book is all about a woman trying to break her own curse. And a wolf kinda helping her out. I loved it !!! Adventures, quests, danger, obstacles, friends, enemies, battles, loves … amazing fantasy this book was !!! I can’t believe this is all over. I can’t believe everything every single one of these people has fought so hard to accomplish is done. I can’t believe the trials and tribulations that got them there. But I know I’m so so glad I was there to experience every moment of it. And I’m glad it ended with the wildness of Finley and the strength and wisdom of Rafe! I will keep this series close to my heart !!
“Let’s go get that evil Queen back here and foil some plans”
“For live is more powerful than any curse”
August 19, 2026
E.E. Hornburg wraps up her "Cursed Queens" series with a bang - or should I say a splash. Pirate queen, Finley is a complex, magical swashbuckling heroine. Her wolf-shifting leading man, Rafe, is equally compelling and swoony. It was such a blast to be back in the world of this series of wildly original fairytale retellings and set sail with the reunited cast of characters into their heartwarming conclusion.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this pirate romance adventure story! Rafe was adorable and I hope we see more of him in the next book- who doesn’t love a moody but sensitive MMC?!
Finley was a great heroine, strong and opinionated.
EE Hornburg brought many storylines together with a great ending.
The epilogue was especially good.
Overall a really great read!
Finley was a great heroine, strong and opinionated.
EE Hornburg brought many storylines together with a great ending.
The epilogue was especially good.
Overall a really great read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I've been waiting on Finley's story since the first second she appeared on the page, and I absolutely loved her backstory and her growth. I didn't full feel her MMC fit, but I liked where his story went as well. And the overall ending? Perfectly satisfying. I'm sad to see this series come to an end.
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September 1, 2026A great addition to The Cursed Queens series. I'm so grateful I was able to read an e-arc for review purposes. The final book is just as much fun as the previous books. It has all the adventure and romance you expect. I loved catching back up with the characters from the previous books. I think the author wrapped things up nicely.
September 4, 2026
A wonderful conclusion to this series. I loved seeing characters from the previous books, and I ended up loving Finley way more than I was expecting. I don't usually read a lot of pirate books, but after this one, I need more! Congratulations to Hornburg for wrapping things up very nicely.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews