A Snake Among Swans | Hannah Kaner

A conquered princess. A marriage to the enemy. And a queen quietly plotting to bring an empire down from within.

Tilde is the sole surviving heir of a conquered kingdom. To end the bloodshed, she marries the ageing warlord King Liran, entering a court where his sons see her as a threat and powerful priests have their own plans.

But Tilde hasn't come to court to surrender.

She's playing a much longer game: she intends to reclaim her kingdom and dismantle Liran's empire from the inside. And while everyone around her schemes for power, Tilde is hiding something else — a forbidden magic connected to the ancient forest of her homeland. 

👑 Dark epic fantasy • political intrigue • revenge • marriage of convenience/political marriage • morally grey heroine • forbidden magic • scheming royal court • power struggles

Illumicrate describe it rather brilliantly as House of the Dragon with ancient forest magic instead of dragons.