The Crimson Crown

Heather Walter

$22.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Penguin (Cornerstone)
23 September 2025

Myth & legend told as fiction; Romance; Witchcraft & Wicca

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most wicked of them all? Snow White's dark queen tells her side of the story in this queer, witchy reimagining of the classic fairy tale from the author of Malice.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most wicked of them all? Snow White's dark queen tells her side of the story in this queer, witchy reimagining of the classic fairy tale from the author of Malice.

Legends tell of a witch who became a queen - the heartless villain in the story of Snow White. But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White's shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.

Her \""once upon a time\"" began when she was just Ayleth, a young witch living in the forest with her coven, practicing their magic in secret and hiding from the White King's brutal war against witchcraft.

Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, she fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.

To prove herself, she sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, she encounters an unlikely figure from her past, Jacquetta - the witch who once held Ayleth's heart - but then betrayed her.

As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.

But to do this, Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.

A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.

By: Heather Walter
Imprint: Penguin (Cornerstone)
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 32mm
Weight: 378g
ISBN: 9781804951989
ISBN 10: 1804951986
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 23 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Heather Walter is the award-winning author of THE CRIMSON CROWN and the MALICE duology. She holds degrees in both English and library science.

Reviews for The Crimson Crown

Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you. * Tasha Suri, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne * It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the things that can lie in a woman’s heart - power, rage, grief, vengeance - and it is spun in such haunting prose that it kept me on the edge of my seat all throughout. Simply gorgeous. * Thea Guanzon, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars * An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved. * Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings * Walter's deeply rooted point of view never falters and is supported by intricate worldbuilding and a history of family, love, and betrayal - and the prices paid for each. * Sara A. Mueller, author of The Bone Orchard *