Kingdom of Waves Books in Order

Kingdom of Waves opens with a strong romantasy premise: a lost sea kingdom, a conquered people, two rival thieves, and a relic that could change history. It is pitched as a heist fantasy, but it also carries the emotional pull of an enemies-to-allies romance and the larger stakes of a displaced culture trying to reclaim its future.

Eban Sadreal and Gineth Strong are the key players.

Both come from Ophir, a once-great kingdom now pushed beneath the power of Lacon. That political background matters because it gives the treasure hunt more weight than a simple adventure quest. The relic they chase is not valuable only because it is magical. It carries the possibility of restoration, memory, and power for a people forced into second-class status beneath another nation's rule.

That setup lets the series do a few things at once. It can deliver the fun of competing crews, dangerous missions, and unresolved attraction, while still grounding the story in loss and resistance. The sea setting adds to that mood. A floating kingdom swallowed by invasion already feels legendary, and the books lean into that atmosphere of beauty half remembered and half buried.

This is also one of de la Cruz's more openly current-feeling fantasy launches, written for readers who like fast-moving YA romantasy with a clear hook. The world-building is there, but the focus stays tight on chemistry, danger, and the question of whether old magic can really undo the damage of conquest.

If the idea of thieves from a fallen kingdom chasing mythic power sounds appealing, this series is aiming squarely at you. It promises adventure, romance, and political stakes in the same package, with a setting built around water, memory, and the possibility that what was lost might still be recovered.