Review Detail

The Cursed Queen’s Daughter is the second book in the Thirstwoood world. You would not have had to read Cassia’s story first, but I think the story was more enjoyable having read them in order. This story follows the warrior daughter, Thea, and the shadow prince, Damon, from Illuna. We learn the truth about Thea’s mother, Coventina’s fate, and the dangers of the shadow realm.
If you liked the first book, you are sure to like this one, as it follows the same hate-to-love framework for their romance. Damon keeps his secrets close for the majority of the story, so as a reader, I was eager to get back to their interactions to see what he would reveal next. Damon is known to have charismatic magic to make beings unthinkingly love him, so it was fun to see Thea’s stubbornness match his. At first, their love is a bit insta to fully get behind, but by the time all phases of the story play out, it feels more satisfying.
I enjoy the whimsical nature of a faerie people and think fans of Holly Black have a lot to like about the worldbuilding of this series. The author plans for this to be a trilogy, but there are four sisters, so I hope that Elly Blake writes in a way that she can revisit this world to complete the full set of sisters someday.