Thorn Queen
core novel 2009 Dark Swan
Record
| First published | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.11 (21,883 ratings, collected 2026-08-30) |
| Page count | 480 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781420111132 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
The second Dark Swan novel finds Eugenie Markham, the magical mercenary introduced in the first book, unexpectedly elevated to rule as queen of the Thorn Land, a portion of the Otherworld she finds burdensome to govern. Her new kingdom is deteriorating under her uncertain leadership, and matters worsen when young girls begin disappearing from the Otherworld under her watch. As Eugenie investigates the disappearances, she is also pursuing a personal vendetta of her own against a shrewd and subtle rival nursing a private grudge against her. Throughout, she must balance the investigation and her royal duties with romantic complications involving her boyfriend Kiyo, distracted by his pregnant former partner, and the seductive fey king Dorian, all while confronting a harder-edged side of her own nature that ruling the Thorn Land seems to demand of her.
Where it sits
- Universe: Dark Swan
- Series: Dark Swan core; position 2 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Richelle Mead
Notes
- From the series record (Dark Swan): Complete four-book urban fantasy sequence following a shaman and monster-hunter entangled in Otherworld fae politics.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Dark Swan: position 2 of 4: previous Storm Born (2008) · next Iron Crowned (2011)
Sources
← Dark Swan dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.