The Pirate Queen.jpg
The Pirate Queen.jpg

The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

from $12.80
Hardcover:

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have.

Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.

Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon's new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have.

Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.

Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon's new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”

  • Publisher: Doubleday

    Title: The Pirate Queen

    Author: Ariel Lawhon

    On Sale Date: September 8, 2026

    ISBN 13: 978-0385550345

    ISBN 10: 0385550340

    Format: Hardcover

    Retail Price: $32.00

    BISAC: Fiction / Historical Fiction; Fiction / Suspense & Thriller

    Page Count: 528

    Dimensions: 6.41 x 1.08 x 9.52 in

  • Ariel Lawhon is the New York Times bestselling author of six previous novels, including The Frozen River, a Good Morning America Book Club pick and NPR Book of the Year, along with I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène. She co-founded the online book club SheReads.org and lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons.

  • Advance praise is calling it immersive, exhilarating, and heroic:

    • “An immersive odyssey.” — Booklist (starred review)

    • “Her pirate queen is brilliant, beautiful, and fearless…A heroic, exciting, and stormy voyage.” — Kirkus Reviews

    • “A vivid portrait of a larger-than-life figure whose feats of bravery and cunning have become the stuff of legend.” — Library Journal

    • “Exhilarating…This is transportive.” — Publishers Weekly

This book is for you if

  • You loved The Frozen River or I Was Anastasia and want Lawhon’s next bestseller.

  • You want a swashbuckling historical epic led by a fierce, real-life heroine.

  • You are drawn to stories of women who defied the roles history tried to assign them.

  • You enjoy immersive, meticulously researched historical fiction.

  • You want your next book club pick lined up before it hits shelves.

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