With The Twisted Throne (2024), Danielle L. Jensen closes the door on one of fantasy romance’s most immersive and politically charged series of the last decade. Spanning five books—The Bridge Kingdom (2018), The Traitor Queen (2020), The Inadequate Heir (2022), The Endless War (2023), and now this electrifying finale—Jensen doesn’t just complete arcs; she detonates them. The Twisted Throne is not a story about easy victories or simple love. It is a bruising, brilliant tale about the cost of sovereignty, the seduction of power, and the thin line between alliance and betrayal.
Plot Unraveled: When Peace Demands a Sacrifice
After the catastrophic events of The Endless War, Ithicana lies wounded. Its people are displaced, its monarchy fragmented, and its future uncertain. Enter Ahnna Kertell—commander, survivor, and reluctant political pawn—whose hand in marriage becomes a strategy to rebuild her war-torn homeland.
She’s promised to Prince William of Harendell, a union she accepts not for affection but for access to the throne’s economic and military resources. But Harendell is a kingdom laced with secrets and lined with traps. As Ahnna steps into the court’s gilded halls, she finds herself ensnared in a game of political manipulation, where truth is malleable and trust is expendable.
Amid this chaos, she meets James—the king’s bastard son and the only man who sees through the spectacle. As the tension in court thickens and personal loyalty clashes with political expectations, Ahnna must determine whether her power lies in becoming a queen or abandoning the throne entirely.
Ahnna Kertell: The Commander as Queen
Jensen’s heroines have always been fiercely layered, but Ahnna might be her most complex yet. She isn’t the dutiful daughter like Lara or the calculated rebel like Zarrah. Instead, Ahnna is fury personified—a woman who has lost too much to play nice and who cannot afford to make decisions with her heart.
Her arc in The Twisted Throne feels distinctly earned. Haunted by guilt over Ithicana’s fall, she carries the burden of legacy while refusing to be broken by it. Her stubbornness often isolates her, yet it’s that same unyielding will that earns her unexpected allies. She is not always likable, but she is relentlessly real.
Scenes where she must endure court humiliations—being excluded from councils, dismissed by nobles, or reduced to a political asset—are especially poignant. Her struggle to reclaim agency in an environment designed to strip it away becomes the emotional core of the novel.
The Romance: A Love That Can’t Be Crowned
Ahnna’s relationship with James is where the book’s emotional tension peaks. Their dynamic isn’t one of fairytale swooning—it’s sharp, volatile, and laced with unresolved wounds. James, for his part, is not the charming savior. He’s a man deeply entrenched in Harendell’s cruel hierarchies, bound by loyalty to a father who has wronged him in every conceivable way.
What sets their romance apart is its refusal to offer simplicity. Every shared glance, every heated exchange, carries the weight of political implications and emotional peril. The chemistry simmers but never overtakes the plot, which is key in a story where personal choices reverberate on national scales.
Their love is a liability—and that’s what makes it so compelling.
Power and Poison: Inside the Court of Harendell
If The Endless War played out across battlefields and borders, The Twisted Throne is all about backrooms and thrones. Harendell is no mere setting—it’s a character in its own right. With opulent halls, shadowed alcoves, and ritualistic social games, it becomes the perfect crucible for Jensen’s critique of patriarchal power.
King Edward is a master manipulator, and his machinations to use Ahnna as a pawn—and later discard her—form the book’s most chilling moments. The political drama is relentless and layered, unfolding through:
- Secret pacts with Cardiffians and astromancers,
- Revealed betrayals involving Queen Alexandra and Lestara,
- A throne that twists not only metal but morality itself.
This is a world where alliances shift with a smile, and where mercy is weakness.
Central Themes: A Battle Beyond Blades
Jensen’s greatest strength has always been how she balances fantasy tropes with urgent themes. The Twisted Throne continues this tradition with grace and precision.
1. Feminist Power Dynamics
Ahnna is forced to confront how female power is always conditional—granted, never inherent. Her struggle mirrors Lara’s and Zarrah’s but feels even more perilous given the stakes of marrying into power she cannot control.
2. The Cost of Peace
The novel challenges the idea of peace as a moral good. When peace demands subjugation or silence, is it truly worth it?
3. Legitimacy and Worth
James’s arc hinges on his status as an illegitimate heir. His constant battle with invisibility and unworthiness reflects the broader theme of who deserves a crown—and why.
4. Trauma and Responsibility
Through Ahnna, Jensen explores survivor’s guilt with care. Her internal monologue often returns to those she couldn’t save, making her victories bittersweet and her choices heavy.
Writing Style: Precise, Unflinching, and Layered
Jensen’s prose has matured remarkably since The Bridge Kingdom. Here, her writing balances razor-sharp dialogue with immersive world-building. There’s a sense of claustrophobia in her scenes—whether in a stifling banquet or a tense council meeting—that mirrors Ahnna’s trapped state.
She’s a master of pacing. Even when the plot slows, the tension never drops. Her use of dualities—throne and blade, love and loss, queen and prisoner—enriches the narrative without overcomplicating it.
Where the Crown Slips: Minor Drawbacks
Like any great epic, The Twisted Throne has its creases:
- William’s Development: While positioned as a key political figure, Prince William remains oddly underdeveloped. His motivations feel more symbolic than personal.
- Heavy Court Politics: Some readers might find the sheer number of council scenes or discussions of trade routes a bit much, especially in the first half.
- Ahnna’s Isolation: While effective narratively, Ahnna’s lone-wolf stance sometimes limits interactions with other strong female characters—something that earlier books excelled at.
Series Retrospective: Threads Woven Into a Legacy
This final book is deeply enriched by its predecessors:
- The Bridge Kingdom introduced readers to Lara’s infiltration and moral awakening.
- The Traitor Queen explored the cost of redemption and the scars of war.
- The Inadequate Heir gave us Keris and Zarrah’s dance of power and identity.
- The Endless War raised the stakes and brought rebellion to the forefront.
- The Twisted Throne ties it all together by asking: What do we sacrifice to rule—and who do we become when we do?
Those invested in the series will find countless echoes and closures woven throughout the final chapters.
Readers Also Liked
If The Twisted Throne left you aching in the best way, these books might help fill the void:
- The Bridge Kingdom series (yes, it’s worth a re-read!)
- The Prison Healer trilogy by Lynette Noni
- Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
All offer lush worlds, twisted loyalties, and heroines who refuse to be pawns.
Verdict: A Throne Worth Bleeding For
Danielle L. Jensen has delivered a stunning, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful finale. The Twisted Throne isn’t just the end of a saga—it’s the culmination of a series that dared to challenge who holds power and how love can both anchor and unravel us.
With its morally complex characters, high-stakes political tension, and searing romance, this is a must-read for fans of the genre. Jensen doesn’t just stick the landing—she leaves scorch marks on the throne. A fiercely feminist and deeply political fantasy that proves not all queens need a crown to rule.