This was a really unique sequel. It still had the same slower pace as The Fireborne Blade, but there was such a unique expansion to the world building. I especially loved the unique folklore we got showing the differences between dragon tales and troubadour that highlighted how history can differ based on the perspective. Plus the cat is the best.

I recently delved into The Bloodless Princes, the second installment in Charlotte Bond's Fireborne Blade series, and it was a captivating journey into a richly imagined underworld. Picking up a few years after The Fireborne Blade, this novella follows High Mage Saralene and her steadfast champion, Sir Maddileh, as they confront haunting nightmares that blur the lines between dreams and reality. Their quest for answers leads them into the realm of the Bloodless Princes, rulers of the underworld, where they face challenges that test their courage and the depth of their bond.

Bond's world-building continues to impress, seamlessly weaving in folklore and history that enrich the narrative. The interspersed tales about human-dragon relations and the intricacies of the underworld added layers to the story, making the setting feel both expansive and immersive. The portrayal of the underworld, with its vivid and sometimes gruesome imagery, was particularly striking and showcased Bond's talent for creating atmospheric scenes.

The evolving relationship between Saralene and Maddileh is a highlight, reflecting a deepening connection built on mutual respect and unspoken affection. Their interactions are heartfelt, and the tension stemming from their unvoiced feelings adds an emotional depth to the narrative.

However, I found that the pacing occasionally lagged due to extended internal monologues, which disrupted the story's momentum. While these introspective moments offered insight into the characters' thoughts, they sometimes felt overly drawn out. Additionally, the inclusion of in-world folktales, though enriching, occasionally overshadowed the main plot, making it feel secondary at times.

Despite these minor issues, The Bloodless Princes is a commendable continuation of the series, offering a blend of adventure, introspection, and rich lore. For readers who appreciate intricate world-building and character-driven stories, this novella is a worthy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this novella.

Upfront and honest: novellas aren't my thing. I love a long book. I love an involved series. It's not that I don't want novellas to be my thing, but novellas and I just usually don't vibe.

I seem to be the odd one out in that I enjoyed this much more than the first! I think we got a more in depth view of the magic and lore in this world. It seemed to be the focus of this novella where as banter and action was more so the focus of the first.

This is not to say there is not action here! I enjoyed the quest like feel of the action.

Saralene's character surprised me in particular. I enjoyed watching her character growth and even preferred her character by the end. I still very much enjoy Maddileh, but I did in the first novella as well. Her growth seemed to be more frontloaded than Saralene's, understandably so.

I would have loved to see more of the romance element (LASY KNIGHT SAPPHIC ROMANCE?!), but you have to draw the finish line somewhere with a novella. SIGH, I get it, I really do. Charlotte Bond, if you hear this, you can always write another novella for us!!

The Bloodless Princes further builds on the positives of The Fireborne Blade, and I feel really offers something special, giving the reader a great dose of escapism and discovery.

I would say that the world and the plot here become even more fantastical than book one and for me, I enjoyed this development.

In this book, Saralene has no choice but to enter the underworld, with Maddileh and her ‘cat’ (dragon cat) following close behind to try and free her. There is darkness in this book but always a sense of prevailing light being possible. There are some moments of comic relief to juxtapose darker moments especially in the form of the dragon Mienylyth, who I really enjoyed.

I loved the snippets of folklore and tales interwoven in this book for context to the wider story and it gives a real fairy tale vibe. This fairy tale quality creates a feeling of escaping to and discovering the world Charlotte Bond has created and it’s a real pleasure to learn more and experience added depth.

While I previously wished for more a broader sense of depth in Book 1, Book 2 proves that length isn’t everything. This novella format works well here, offering a rich, immersive escape without demanding a huge time commitment. The increased use of folklore, embedded short stories, and a definite personal stamp to the book really gives it a unique feel . It’s comforting, like a hot cup of cocoa, but also transportive in a way that reminds me why so many of us fell in love with fantasy in the first place. Bond’s writing style also flows beautifully. Other than 3 occasions of the word ‘mphasize’ (which I imagine is a typo or editing mistake as the word emphasise is also used) this really reads seamlessly and helps the flow of the book.

What also makes this book stand out is how effortlessly it blends that childhood sense of wonder with a more refined, well-crafted narrative. It doesn’t just tell a story—it evokes a feeling, a warmth, a nostalgia for those bedtime tales that first introduced us to magic.

At the same time, it never feels derivative; instead, Bond has truly found her voice, carving out a distinct storytelling style that feels fresh and uniquely hers and that’s something that really stands out to me here! It is a great dose of escapism that I believe fantasy readers will really appreciate as a refreshing change of pace. It may not be the most in- depth or ambitious fantasy you’ve ever read, but it may just be exactly what you need.

This book has a lot of heart, a great sense of adventure and a fantastic folklore-ish feel. Read it curled up with a hot drink and escape to another world.

I love short novella like stories and this one was no exception. Much like the first we are thrown into a world that allows us to engage with the plot on our own time, while pieces of the story and the past come together. loved it

Brilliant!

I loved Maddileh and Saralene in the Fireborne Blade, and this continuation lived up to my expectations!

My absolute favorite part of these short reads is how much history and lore is packed in. The actual plot is great, but it’s the stories and the depth that make the whole read so enjoyable for me. I loved the creation myths and the stories of early time, especially with the viewpoint of how skewed they can become and getting to experience them from multiple POVs. I loved the commentary on justice and the afterlife wrapped into the princes.

And on a much lighter note, I loved the fact that a dragon chose to shift to cat form. It made me giggle.

Please read this book! If you’re like me and love strong magic and worlds, you’ll be amazed at how much can be packed into what really is a relatively quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the title to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I was impressed by how the author managed to build out the world and history more. I loved how the dragon transformed into a winged cat with horns. The story felt more clear and understandable, it was good to see the characters come together and grow.

The Bloodless Princes feels like a very different novella compared to to The Fireborne Blade, with a move away from the focus on dragons and their magic and towards the magic of human mages and the battle between the two lords of the underworld (the gravelands).

The mage Hosh attempts to swap his place in the gravelands with Saralene by taking over her body. In a desperate bid to save her partner, Saralene’s champion knight, Sir Maddileh, finds a very unlikely ally–one who was assumed to be dead. Together they must venture to the gravelands to request the aid of one of the Bloodless Princes, the rulers of the gravelands with one controlling the day and the other the night.

Bond continues to showcase the more experimental allowances that I feel come with writing shorter form fiction. The Bloodless Princes could almost be a stand alone novella, the feel of it is so different to The Fireborne Blade, and I think that’s a good thing. The same familiar bones of the world are there, but this read is a very different (and still great) experience to its predecessor, and I think those differences and new ideas and concepts are so easy to take on because she has such mastery of story construction in under 40,000 words.

Once again, I really enjoyed Bond’s use of book chapters from the in-world mages’ non-fiction library to provide extra context and detail. This time Bond uses a dragon history juxtaposed against a human history to showcase two sides of the same coin.

Compared to The Fireborne Blade, this felt less dark and a little more focussed on the burgeoning love between Maddileh and Saralene. That’s not really where my areas of interest in reading lay, so I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the story so much, when I consider it against what I loved about The Fireborne Blade.

What I did massively enjoy was the character of Mienylyth and the perspective provided on the dragons. I also like Bond’s depiction of the two underworlds, and her playing with the mythology versus the fantastical reality. These two aspects alone made it worth the short time investment to read The Bloodless Princes.

While the shift in feel and themes probably wasn’t my favourite thing ever, this is why I love novellas so much. Authors have the freedom to experiment more with less risk to a reader should it not work out for their reading experience. The Bloodless Princes delivers more of the wonderful fantasy duo of Sir Maddileh and Saralene, and I’m hoping to read more about them the years to come.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3.5
I absolutely adored The Fireborne Blade and was so excited to read more of Maddileh and Saralene!
This book did deliver on the dangerous quests, dragons, folklore and legends, and a beautiful friends to lovers queer romance. I adore Charlotte Bond’s writing in this duology. I was utterly transported to another time and place and find every word captivating.
Unfortunately, I did want more. Which is both a positive and a negative. I felt at times the story was rushed and I was so immersed in it all that I just wanted it to slow down so I could enjoy the story more. I felt a longer book would have allowed us to explore the magnificent world she was creating and explore these characters and their arcs even further.
Even though I was left wanting, I would still love to read more from this author in the future.

After the unsettling victory in The Fireborne Blade, Sir Maddileh and High Mage Saralene are implementing positive change in their world. But sometimes things are too good to be true…

When they discover Saralene was cursed by Host during the resurrection spell, it becomes clear that they need to travel to the underworld and gain the favour of the rulers there: The Bloodless Princes. Twins charged with reigning over Findara through the day and night cycle.

The front cover of The Bloodless Princes. Two women stand tall, one a knight and the other holding an unusual white cat.

If you’ve seen my review of The Fireborne Blade, you’ll know I LOVE the world and characters Charlotte Bond has created on the page. I’m so glad that we have been given a sequel in the shape of The Bloodless Princes so we can see Maddileh and Saralene embark on their new mission together!

Of course, the other shoe was bound to drop! Their victory came at a cost – A creepy one at that. Host isn’t so easily overcome, and he hadn’t gotten away with his selfish behaviour for so long without cunning and sleaziness. Something that is highlighted throughout The Bloodless Princes.

Thankfully, Bond takes the opportunity to answer the questions we were left with after the events of the first novella. I loved the return and development of The White Lady (Mienylyth)! I think it was crucial to Maddileh’s growth to have that connection with Mienylyth, and be forced to confront the possibility of losing the one she loves.

Like its predecessor, there are inserts of legends and historic accounts of the world and dragons. While I truly enjoyed these snippets as they work double-time to build a three-dimensional world, at the beginning it slowed the pace and was a tad distracting. Once the main story progressed and found its feet, they worked a lot better to complement what was unfolding.

The Bloodless Princes captures several themes well: The lengths one would go for love, that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and there’s always more to the story. If you enjoy tales that hero queer love, loyalty, and the afterlife, you’ll like The Bloodless Princes. And one last selling point? There’s a cat with wings that puffs out smoke when unimpressed! What’s not to love about that?

Thank you NetGalley and Tordotcom for the digital ARC in return for an honest review!

I enjoyed this even more than the first one and I really loved the first one! I hope we get more books in the series and can follow these characters on more adventures.

a fun and adventurous sequel filled with dragons, a quest to the underworld and a lovely continuation of the sapphic relationship!

I didn’t love this story as much as the first one. I had a hard time getting back into this world. The dragon lore wasn’t keeping my attention.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy of the book.

This is a great follow up/continuation of the first book. We are following the duo from the last book through the underworld. It’s a fun, adventurous time.

Rating: 4/5

4.5 stars

A concluding sequel toThe Fireborne Blade that expands upon the worldbuilding of the previous title in a very satisfying way. I’m a little upset that the novellas are so short, because I absolutely love Maddileh and Saralene and want to spend more time with them, but I’m also impressed with the author’s economy of language in expressing such a magical world and endearing characters.

It’s rare for me that a sequel improves so much upon its predecessor, but The Bloodless Princes takes the world established in The Fireborne Blade and runs with it. It’s an absolute delight to spend time in this fantasy setting and discover the many layers to “truth” and “history” within its own self-conception.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and especially of dragons.

For a novella, this sure packs a punch. Dragons are always a win but the in story folklore was interesting for sure. It's fun, and full of adventure.

Thank you so much for the first book and this second arc. Absolutely delightful and honestly, I wish they were longer as it feels like the 3rd of it wraps up a little too quickly after the twist. I very much enjoyed the mythological stories peppered between the duo povs and folk tales that add so much more world building. I loved the yearning between to the protagonists and very much wish we could explore the world more with them.

Overall an enjoyable read. I recommend this book to dragon lovers and those who seek out magical creature kore.

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tordotcom for this arc!

4.5/5 stars rounded up

I enjoyed this book MUCH MORE than the first book! For the beginning it did the same thing as the first, where the chapters alternated between historical accounts/folklore stories and our main characters, but the latter chapters were much shorter this time and the former were much more intriguing. This was a lot of fun packed into a small package: adventure, romance, magic, death, and dragons. I hope there will be another, simply because I want to see more of their relationship!