
The Queen of Blood
Book One of The Queens of Renthia
Sarah Beth Durst(Author)
Harper Voyager (Publisher)
Published on 8. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-06-344487-4 (ISBN)
Description
From the bestselling author of The Spellshop comes the award-winning first book in an adult epic fantasy series of malevolent nature spirits, a young woman's uncertain destiny, a deadly competition, and family found along the way-available in trade paperback for the first time.
Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .
Only those spirits want to kill you.
It's the first lesson that every Renthian learns.
What is a queen?
In Renthia, the queen is the one human with enough magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. For the very spirits the humans rely on to live-wood, earth, water, air, fire, and ice-at the same time possess an instinctual drive to exterminate them. The queen is chosen for her ability to control the spirits, but she is also mortal, so to ensure the humans' survival, potential heirs to the queen's role are rigorously trained to take her place. And there is concern that Fara, the current queen, is weakening.
What is a champion?
With the stakes literally life and death, competition at the academy is fierce and demanding. Years ago, spirits slaughtered almost everyone in her village until young Daleina was able to drive them off with power she didn't know she possessed. Now struggling to equal the magical strength of her fellow trainees at the academy, she comes under the tutelage of a disgraced champion, Ven, who has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks, and the mysterious healer Hamon.
What is a family?
Joining forces, they embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits' restlessness-a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand together against both enemies and friends to save their land...before it's bathed in blood.
Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .
Only those spirits want to kill you.
It's the first lesson that every Renthian learns.
What is a queen?
In Renthia, the queen is the one human with enough magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. For the very spirits the humans rely on to live-wood, earth, water, air, fire, and ice-at the same time possess an instinctual drive to exterminate them. The queen is chosen for her ability to control the spirits, but she is also mortal, so to ensure the humans' survival, potential heirs to the queen's role are rigorously trained to take her place. And there is concern that Fara, the current queen, is weakening.
What is a champion?
With the stakes literally life and death, competition at the academy is fierce and demanding. Years ago, spirits slaughtered almost everyone in her village until young Daleina was able to drive them off with power she didn't know she possessed. Now struggling to equal the magical strength of her fellow trainees at the academy, she comes under the tutelage of a disgraced champion, Ven, who has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks, and the mysterious healer Hamon.
What is a family?
Joining forces, they embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits' restlessness-a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand together against both enemies and friends to save their land...before it's bathed in blood.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
map
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
280 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-344487-4 (9780063444874)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2016
1st Edition
HarperCollins
from
€5.09
Available for download
Person
Sarah Beth Durst is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Spellshop, as well as over twenty-five fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including the Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and Spark. She has won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat.