The Virgin Crown

For fans of Captive Prince, The Song of the Wind and the Trees, and a little bit of Hamlet, M.A. Wellons' debut novel The Virgin Crown is a rich, tactile fantasy that seeks an answer on how to reconcile what we want with what we know will hurt us.

When Prince Joska is banished without warning from his home in Szárgys, he's left anguished and adrift with no answers as to why his eldest brother cast him out. His single hope for salvation comes in a mysterious decree: anyone who brings a unicorn back to Castle Szárgyed will be granted Joska's land and titles, and the promise of the crown when comes the king's abdication.

In the midst of his despair, Joska meets a secretive and charming stranger named Edham, who offers his escort to a neighboring country with a sly smile and no questions asked. It is there that Joska can fulfill his exile...

and where unicorns yet remain.

With no choice left but to slay an innocent creature to earn back his place in his family, what can Joska do but bury his pride, bloody his hands, and pray that he is worthy of his brother's forgiveness?