Islands of Blood and Storm
#8293.43 adjusted 3.57 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 2019–2020 Reading commitment Low Kacen Callender Last reviewed 2026-08-18
Overview
Islands of Blood and Storm is a completed duology by Kacen Callender, comprising Queen of the Conquered (2019) and King of the Rising (2020), set in a Caribbean-inspired archipelago under colonial rule. Sigourney Rose, the sole survivor of a massacred royal line among the archipelago's enslaved and colonized families, uses a forbidden telepathic gift to manipulate the minds of the colonizers who destroyed her family, clawing her way toward a seat on the ruling council that once owned her people. The sequel follows the uprising that grows out of her actions, widening the story's focus from Sigourney's personal revenge to the archipelago-wide rebellion it helps set in motion. Callender, writing from a Virgin Islands background, builds the setting's plantation economy and its magic system directly out of the history of Caribbean slavery rather than a generic secondary world. Queen of the Conquered won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
Dark fantasy, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Islands of Blood and Storm Kacen Callender
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Queen of the Conquered | 2019 | 1 | core | 3.42 (2,408 ratings) |
 | King of the Rising | 2020 | 2 | core | 3.51 (400 ratings) |
A complete duology set in a Caribbean-inspired archipelago under colonial rule, following a survivor of a massacred royal line who can control others' minds as she claws her way toward the throne that destroyed her family. Kacen Callender's first universe in this canon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Islands of Blood and Storm? Islands of Blood and Storm's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Islands of Blood and Storm? Publication order, starting with Queen of the Conquered. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Islands of Blood and Storm finished? Complete (2019–2020).
- How much reading does Islands of Blood and Storm take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~400 pages).
- How is Islands of Blood and Storm ranked? #829 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,808 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #829?
Ranked #829 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.43 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,808 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.09 of each other.
- 0.05 behind #828, Hart's Hope.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 2 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #829 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Queen of the Conquered (2019)
- King of the Rising (2020)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2020: won: Queen of the Conquered
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- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi Historical fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.26
- The Winternight Trilogy Fairy-tale retelling / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.23
Official resources
- World Fantasy Awards: Official Winners Archive
- Orbit Books: Queen of the Conquered wins the 2020 World Fantasy Award
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.43 across 2,808 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Islands of Blood and Storm (Queen of the Conquered) admitted accepted 2026-08-18
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-18
Rule: Core = both novels (Queen of the Conquered, King of the Rising); a complete duology.