What Claws Beneath the Crown by Jen Drapp offers a darker take on a Snow White–inspired romantasy, blending familiar fairy-tale elements with shifters and a more morally complicated tone.
The story follows a sheltered, spoiled princess who begins the book lacking both direction and confidence in her own abilities. Her arc focuses on self-discovery—learning who she is beyond the crown and what she may be capable of when forced to stand on her own. While her growth is gradual, it forms the emotional backbone of the novel.
Romance plays a meaningful role, though it’s often tangled with manipulation and uncertainty rather than idealized affection. Mysteries surrounding legacy, power, and hidden truths drive much of the plot, giving the story a sense of tension and forward momentum. The inclusion of shifters adds an interesting layer to the world and reinforces the darker twist on the classic tale.
As the opening book in a series, What Claws Beneath the Crown focuses on setting up characters, conflicts, and themes rather than delivering full resolution. Readers who enjoy fairy-tale retellings with a slower-burn character arc, romantic tension, and shadowed motivations may find this an intriguing place to begin.

What Claws Beneath the Crown by Jen Drapp feels tailor made for readers who devoured Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, and Fourth Wing and are hunting for their next obsession.
This is romantasy with teeth, dangerous courts, buried power, and a simmering tension that echoes early Aelin energy that sense that the main character is far more than anyone around her realises. The political manoeuvring and crown level stakes call back to The Bridge Kingdom, while the slow burn, high risk romance carries that same addictive pull that made From Blood and Ash such a binge read.
What really works here is the balance, enough worldbuilding to ground you, enough emotional tension to keep you hooked, and just the right amount of “everything could go horribly wrong” energy that fans of Maas and Yarros thrive on. The atmosphere is dark, sharp, and quietly feral, and the story builds with confidence rather than rushing its reveals.
If you like your fantasy romantic, your power dangerous, and your crowns hiding claws underneath, this is absolutely one to add to your TBR.
I feel this will be a booktok sensation when released!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

listen, did I pick this book completely off vibes? yes. the title, the cover, the description. perfection 🤌🏻.

I have to thank Netgalley for providing the venue for acquiring this ARC and for introducing me to Jen Drapp... go follow her on insta.

anyways, let's get to the book review. This story was completely in my genre, I love a good romantic fantasy and have read a ton of them... I have NEVER read one like this. punch me in the face with a plot twist in the last chapter and leave me with my mouth hanging open at the end. HOW DARE YOU, JENNIFER! I highly recommend this read so you too can be as indignant as I am that the sequel is not available yet 🤣

Thank you to NetGalley and Jen Drapp for allowing me to review this book as an eArc!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I became very invested in the story. I like that the MCs are not what you would expect, especially the MMC. They each deal with their own problems and insecurities which make you root for them most of the time, sometimes the FMC was just frustrating but her character grows throughout the book. There is a fairytale aspect of Snow White but I didn't find it overtly noticeable throughout the novel until closer to the end of the book.

There are plot twists in this book that left me reeling (but in a good way) and not everything is as it appears. There is spice in this book but with the main MCs it is a very slow burn (it does build throughout). I am excited to see where this story will go and anxiously await book 2! I would recommend this book to those that love enemies to lovers, slow burn romantasy.

"I hate it. I hate that I want her. And that I can't have her. I hate that I can't hate her. I hate that I am so foolishly in love with her."
I honestly didn't think this book would get me the way it did! Being a reinterpretation of Snow White, I thought I knew how it would go but the plot kept twisting and I felt like I was getting punched... I need more!

This was one of those books that **takes its time at the beginning**, but once it finds its footing, it really *works*. ✨

The opening chapters are a bit slow and heavy on setup—politics, court dynamics, and worldbuilding come first, and it took me a little while to feel fully invested. That said, I’m glad I stuck with it, because the story steadily builds into something much more engaging and emotionally rewarding.

Princess Zara is a flawed, sometimes frustrating heroine, but that’s part of what makes her arc satisfying. Watching her grow from reckless and resistant to someone willing to face her responsibilities—and her magic—was genuinely compelling. Alfrie, on the other hand, is peak brooding fae guard with a tragic past, and his dynamic with Zara shifts beautifully from resentment to reluctant trust to something much deeper. 🔥

Once the Unseelie threat comes into play, the pacing improves significantly. The training scenes, the forbidden tension, and the slow unraveling of secrets kept me turning pages. I especially enjoyed the themes of duty versus desire, self-worth, and learning to claim power in a world determined to take it from you.

Overall, while the start may test your patience, this book rewards readers who push through with strong character development, simmering romance, and rising stakes. A solid fantasy romance with growth, grit, and just the right touch of danger. 📚💫

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What claws beneath the crown is a Romantasy novel with hints of original fairytale retellings mixed with shifter and fae magic. Over all rating 5⭐️ 2/🌶️.


Holy fluffing fluff Batman… I devoured this book. Jen Drapp had me hooked from page 1 until the last word.

Our wonderful FMC, branded a royal brat but actually a victim of helicopter parenting and some serious parental issues. Honestly, I’d love to go on a night out with her, bonus points if the royal guard (read: mother hen) has to come carry us home.

A ball, a case of mistaken identity and one hell of a mess for the body guard and the squire to clean up. She was messy, but we love it. What the FMC lacks for in ability she makes up for with empathy and loyalty to her friends.

The MMC gives so much golden retriever energy you can’t not love him, even when he being a bit of an 🍆. Another fiercely loyal gent who really does rough end of the whip.

This book has plot twists, within plot twists and the final few chapters had me gaping like a fish… I really did not see that coming.

If you love books that you read whilst going ‘oh yeah I totally see how this is going to play out’ and then get your brain re-wired then this is the book for you!

Thank you so much Jen for the opportunity to read this, I am chomping at the bit for book 2.

WOW! The wait for the second book is going to be so painful! I literally loved this book! Sure some of the twists were predictable, but it was a fun time. The enemies to lovers in this is SOOO good, and I absolutely loved the MMC!! The trauma both of them experienced made me absolutely sob. Also the ending of this book…OMG. It had no business making me cry like a little baby!! The way that Jen Drapp weaved in the snow white retelling was so well executed as well! With all of that being said, this book was so so good, and i’m so grateful I got to read this early. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

This read like a fairytale with Snow White vibes, and I loved it!! A perfect blend of romance and mystery. I enjoyed the foreshadowing and little easter eggs the author left behind, it got my mind turning without being too obvious. I do wish the author expanded on the magic system a little more, but it did not stop me from enjoying every second of this book. 5 stars!

A big thank you to NetGalley for connecting me with this wonderful author and supplying the ARC!

What Claws Beneath the Crown is dark fantasy romance at its finest — political intrigue, dangerous secrets, and tension so sharp it could draw blood. From the very first page, you’re thrown into a world of power, betrayal, and high stakes where every decision carries consequences, and no one is safe.

The heroine is brilliant, cunning, and unapologetically herself. She navigates treacherous politics and deadly alliances while refusing to be a pawn, which makes her both relatable and inspiring. The way she strategizes, fights, and pushes boundaries? Iconic.

The romance is slow-burning, electrifying, and layered with tension. The love interest is broody, dangerous, and morally gray in the most delicious ways. Their chemistry is high-stakes, fraught with mistrust, desire, and those small moments of vulnerability that hit harder than any plot twist.

The world-building is immersive and vivid — from the courtly intrigues to the dangerous shadowed corners of the kingdom, everything feels alive and dangerous. The plot twists are smart, unexpected, and fully earned, keeping you turning pages long into the night.

This book was fantastic. Im so glad I was able to receive this early copy. It had everything I absolutely love in a romantasy. I will definitely be purchasing the physical copy when the book releases and i cant wait for what's next.

Wow! What a great book! This book has fae (Seelie and Unseelie) who also can shift. So many twists and turns. Zara is a Seelie princess who can’t shift and her stepmom disapproves of her. Elara (stepmom) negotiates for Zara to marry the prince Leer. They all think the Unseelie disappeared. Who can she trust when all goes wrong? Such a great plot that made me think about it when I wasn’t reading it. I had to finish it! It is fantasy and romance with spice in it. If you like fae, some betrayal, and a forbidden love…then this may be for you! I need the next one now! I know this isn’t out yet though officially.