Author Interview: Sharpest Court (Thorn Season 2) by Keira Azar

Author Interview: Sharpest Court (Thorn Season 2) by Keira Azar

We are thrilled to support the sequel release of the Sharpest Court, the second book in the Thorn Season series, with an interview with the author Keira Azar. Thorn Season and Sharpest Court are both available now! There will be no spoilers for either book in these questions so read on!

Sharpest Court (Thorn Season #2)

by Kiera Azar
Published by: Storytide
on November 3, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

With an unputdownable plot, incredible twists, and an extraordinary high fantasy world filled with court intrigue, heart-racing action, a unique magic system, and sizzling chemistry, Sharpest Court is the thrilling sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller, Thorn Season.

Alissa Paine has fled her home, the Kingdom of Daradon – forced to say goodbye to her old old life in order to escape the clutches of both the cruel, tyrannical King Erik to whom she was once betrothed, and the Hunters who persecute Wielders like Alissa.

But she has not left Daradon empty-handed, and Alissa has in her possession an object that Erik greatly desires – a mysterious and ancient spellmade compass which has the potential to reshape the world, if Alissa – or Erik – can unlock its secrets.

Seeking refuge in the Ansoran Empire, Alissa is able to demonstrate her Wielding powers openly for the first time in her life. But Ansora is not a safe haven, and Alissa is quickly forced to navigate the rules and customs of another dangerous ruler. And even with her former ally, Kiel Arcus, by her side, Alissa soon learns that, while she may have been raised in the kingdom of thorns, she is yet to enter the sharpest court….

Perfect for fans of Powerless, Six of Crows, and The Rose Bargain, Sharpest Court is an extraordinary return to the world of Thorn Season.

Author Inteview

The duality of Alissa (Hunter heiress yet secretly a Wielder) forces her to embody both predator and prey. How did you navigate writing a character who exists on both sides of a persecuted power structure, and what truths about survival or self-betrayal were you hoping to explore through her?

Thorn Season was inspired by a dream I had about a magic Wielder born into a family of Wielder Hunters, and it was this concept that truly captivated me from the very beginning. While Alissa acknowledges the privileges of her connection to the Hunters, she also struggles under the weight of that burden, and it was fascinating to explore how that struggle manifested in her decisions and actions—whether it was in the form of open defiance, recklessness, or the fierce protectiveness she feels for others. Alissa constantly has to walk on the edge of who she really is and who the world tells her to be, and I very much enjoyed peeling back the layers of her mask until she was able to embrace all the facets of her true self.

The Spectre magic is intimate, dangerous, and tactile in ways most fantasy powers aren’t. If you stripped away the palace intrigue and politics, what does this kind of power reveal about human connection and our capacity to touch, to harm, and to love in the same breath?

Since a spectre is so deeply entwined with a Wielder’s subconscious, it truly is a part of the self, and therefore represents the many conflicting facets of humanity that can exist simultaneously. I think Alissa herself is a perfect example of this; because of her circumstances, she has learned to adopt a mask of cruelty in order to survive in her world. However, she often does so while operating from her moral centre—a place of justice and profound kindness. I truly loved getting to navigate her relationship with her spectre alongside her relationship with herself and with others, especially during the moments where she had to face the consequences of her actions.

You’ve set your debut against the backdrop of a glittering debutante season, with roses, romance, and betrayal. Why do you think the tension of court rituals so naturally mirrors the hidden violence of a persecuted magic system, and how did you decide which thorns to let show and which to keep hidden for later books in the trilogy?

I found it fascinating that the performative nature of court could so closely mirror the
performance Alissa was forced to put on each day on account of her forbidden power—and yet within this glittering court society, she was able to thrive. Her brazen influence at the palace felt like such a contrast to the self-suppression she had to manage throughout her life, and court therefore became a place where she was truly able to step into a role of power, no matter how vicious she became along the way. Fortunately, there are plenty of secrets left to discover after the events of Thorn Season, and I have loved letting them slowly unfurl as the series continues.