Laurel Thornwick has always known three things: the forest watches, the Thornwick house holds grudges, and magic-real magic-is never polite. But when a centuries-old summons arrives on her kitchen floor, Laurel is dragged into a forgotten contract that binds her to a boy she's never met...and a destiny she definitely didn't ask for.The forest's ancient Mirewell has awakened, calling in a debt owed by the Thornwick bloodline. Its demand? Laurel must protect Ash-an awkward, half-fae teenager who turns out to be the last surviving heir of the long-destroyed Shadow Court. If he dies, the contract claims her life in return.Worse, Ash's very existence draws predators thought extinct and remnants of a court that still whispers through roots and shadow. The Queen herself watches from afar, weaving a prophecy that names Laurel as either the world's salvation...or its undoing.With Thorncraft surging in her bones, Shadowcraft echoing in her veins, and a semi-sentient forest testing her every step, Laurel must learn to navigate old magic, rogue monsters, and a boy who might be more dangerous than the forest that wants him dead.But Laurel Thornwick has never run from a fight-especially when fate underestimates her.Darkly magical, fiercely witty, and rooted in ancient promises, The Monster Monarch is a gothic fantasy where power is awakened, debts come due, and the monsters of the world learn the hard way that the Thornwick girl negotiates viciously.