A Crown of Deceit & Ruin (Cursed Kingdoms of Grimtol #1)

The most dangerous monsters wear crowns.

For nineteen years, Kestrel Graeme has been locked away in a tower, fed stories of cursed beasts and corrupted magic. But when she escapes, she discovers the real threat isn’t monsters—it’s the royals who rule through lies and bloodshed. Captured and taken to Irongate, Kestrel must fight for her father’s life and master the strange magic awakening inside her…before it’s twisted into a weapon by the very crown she’s come to fear.

But she’s not the only prisoner behind Irongate’s fortified walls. Slain in battle and resurrected years later, Princess Elora has spent her second life in chains. Promised a throne but given a leash, she’s ordered to keep Kestrel close and steer her toward breaking the curse. Elora will play her part…but only if it brings her the one thing she truly craves: freedom.

Monsters still haunt the realm, but Kestrel and Elora refuse to be their prey. If they want a future beyond the ruins they inherited, they’ll have to wield the power within them—before their kingdoms crumble.

A Crown of Deceit & Ruin is a slow-burn sapphic fantasy romance perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings, dark magic, and star-crossed fates—featuring a starry-eyed Rapunzel-esque runaway with the heart of a hero, a distrusting princess of death, enemies-to-lovers tension, courtly intrigue, sapphic/bi longing, found family, ancient curses, and the dangerous temptation of forbidden power.