[PRE-ORDER] The Ice Beyond (The Empress of Thorns, #1) by Olivia Wildenstein

Release Date: 9/22/2026

forbidden love • norse-inspired romantasy • valkyrie heroine • wolf shifter • supernatural romance

A forbidden love story set among wolves, dragons, vampyrs, and ancient magic, The Ice Beyond invites readers into a breathtaking Norse-inspired world where destiny and desire collide. For a spirited heroine searching for the truth about where she belongs, the journey beyond the wards will challenge everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and the man who holds her heart.

The Vibe

She once dreamed of becoming a wolf shifter and winning the heart of Nordin Stormsson. When she discovers she is actually a valkyrie stranded far from her birth clan, one dream is shattered, while the other becomes even more complicated.

Nordin is the man she has loved for years, but their connection is anything but simple. Their romance is threaded with longing, rejection, danger, and the irresistible pull of two people who cannot quite leave each other behind.

Beyond the safety of the wards lies a world of ice and wolves, where dragons, vampyrs, and enemy supernatural forces make every step perilous. Against this atmospheric backdrop, The Ice Beyond delivers a fiercely romantic fantasy filled with mythology, danger, emotional tension, and a heroine discovering the legacy she was never prepared to claim.

For readers who love immersive romantasy, forbidden romance, powerful supernatural heroines, and icy worlds steeped in Norse-inspired lore, this is a compelling beginning to Olivia Wildenstein's The Empress of Thorns series.

Tropes & Tags

• Forbidden love
• Norse-inspired romantasy
• Valkyrie heroine
• Wolf shifter
• Supernatural romance
• Mythology-inspired fantasy
• Dragons
• Vampyrs
• Wolves
• Ice and winter setting
• Hidden heritage
• Dangerous supernatural world
• Emotional romantic tension
• Spirited heroine
• High-stakes fantasy romance

Books in Series (In Order)

• #1, The Ice Beyond
• #2, TBA