The Crimson Crown

**Brought to you by Penguin. 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. © Heather Walter 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024