I picked up The Bloodless Princes (mostly based on the winged cat on the cover) without realizing it was a sequel and found it relatively easy to catch up. Planning to go back and read the first one to fill in some of the gaps!
The lore and mythology of the book is absorbing, and a major reason I kept turning the pages. The protagonists balance each other out as characters, and their dynamic works as mage/protector, friends, and a touch of will they/won't they. Add to this a sassy dragon, a suspenseful journey through the underworld, and some deals with trickster-like gods, and you get an adventure that strikes a perfect balance between dark and lighthearted.

This second novella in the fireborne blade series cements Maddileh and Saralene's relationship as the later becomes the High Mage and the former her dedicated protector.

Only a curse on Saralene means that she, Maddileh, and the White Lady (in winged cat form) must venture into the under world where the bloodless princes reign.

Like in book one, Maddileh and Saralene's story is interspersed with lore from the world they inhabit, this time the legend of the bloodless princes.

I enjoyed the story, the worldbuilding, and the growing romance.

Ahoy there mateys! I loved this second novella even more than the first!  (Check out the awesome cover).  Maddileh, a female knight, is continuing to guard the magician, Saralene.  But Saralene is under a curse.  How can Maddileh help fight that?  With the help of a dragon and a journey to the underworld, of course.

The first book had excerpts of the mages "The Demise and Demesne of Dragons" interspersed throughout the story.  In this book, there are the myths and folktales handed down through the generations.  But the awesome thing is that each story is given from both the point of view of the dragons and the humans.  Reading the "truth" from both perspectives was wonderful.  I love when authors do that.  I have to admit that I was a lot more sympathetic to the dragons (who isn't?).

I thought the addition of the dragon into the action of this book was excellent.  I also very much enjoyed watching Maddileh and Saralene's relationship grow.  The underworld was an unusual and fascinating.  How the story concluded was surprising.  The story could be wrapped up with this book but I am hoping there will be more adventures to come.  Arrrr!

4.5 rounded up

This was an enjoyable read but it lacked the oomph of the first one. The first one had more worldbuilding and plot twists. This one had a more beginning to end story, but it left it feeling a bit simplistic overall. I enjoyed the story, especially the dragon who was by far the best character, but I was never really surprised or overly moved by events.

The audiobook was well done and enhanced the reading experience. The narrator did a good job with the different voices.

*Thanks to tordotcom and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for me.

A good follow-up to the previous book. Decent worldbuilding, interesting dragon, and nice to see the relationship developments between the two main characters. Looking forward to the next book from this author.

I liked this book! It still feels a bit fever dreamy, same as the first one, but I feel it's a bit easier to follow. I like the characters and yes, the tiny dragon cat from the cover plays a part.

I really enjoy the sense of humor and, at parts, nonsensical nature of this series. The only thing I'm sad about is the length of books- I feel like we could have a chance to know characters way better in a full length story.

3,5 ✨ rounded up, but I'd gladly return to this world!

I liked the main story line, but there were aspects of it that I don’t care to read about. I would have much preferred there to just be a friendship between the main characters.

I accidentally read this book before I knew it was the second of a duology! It still held up great. The characters were enjoyable and the plot had me invested from the start. I really enjoyed how the author weaved fables into the story. I'll need to read the first one now!

If you read book one of this novella duology and thought that you wanted to see more of the dragons, then you will be delighted by this one. It is again a very quick read (~2 hours for fast readers), but it works well for this story. We get an interesting look at the afterlife of this world and a dragon that transforms into a cat, which kept me hooked and reading this. If you’re looking for a short fantasy tale with a satisfying conclusion then you should pick up The Fireborne Blade and The Bloodless Princes.


Thank you to @tordotcompub and @macmillan.audio for the ARC and ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Tordotcom for this ARC Copy! 3.5 Stars

The conclusion to the Fireborn Blade Duology did not disappoint at all. A fantasy series with dragons, magic, and a dungeon crawler world building is taken to the next level when the characters are forced to journey into the underworld, and somehow find a way out. The Sapphic characters and the snarky dragon companion made me love every minute of this book, I just wish there was more.

Cette suite de The Fireborne Blade m'a complètement convaincue ! On y explore les enfers dans une catabase intrigante, avec un joli morceau de romance slow burn. On y approfondit le lore des dragons, de l'univers au global et vraiment j'ai passé un excellent moment. Moins convenu que le premier tome c'est un excellent follow up qui donne toujours autant envie de continuer à explorer ce monde. Une autrice à suivre.

8/10
Hello again dear reader or listener, I once again have a bite-sized fantasy treat that will nonetheless leave you fulfilled and satisfied, curtesy of Charlotte Bond and her brand-new novella in her Fireborne Blade series.

With thanks to the TorDotCom team for approving my NetGalley request, let’s get to it!

The Bloodless Princes is a solid follow-up to its predecessor, reproposing much the same structure of one fairly simple plotline alternating with chapters that chronicle and enrich the world of the 13 realms. While in The Fireborne Blade these interludes where accounts of dragon slaying, this time we often find two versions of the same folk story but from two different points of view. This is arguably one of the best things about this novella to me, as I love seeing the different ways in which bias works! Bond works so much nuance into this seemly light and breezy fantasy tale, it’s pretty brilliant.

We also get to enjoy the tender awkwardness of two lovers that both have deep feelings for one another but do not know whether they are reciprocated yet, while they find themselves wrapped up in the consequences of their actions in the previous entry. Not only that, but they need to contend with things not being what they initially appear in their quest to get out of the underworld alive and whole.
Overall, this was another wonderful little novella perfect for readers that want to scratch the fantasy itch but are not feeling up to signing up for a long or more convoluted series just yet. There is magic, folk tales, dragons, and a simple yet genuine love story.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

The Bloodless Princes is book two in The Fireborne Blade series by Bond. Once again Bond is a master at packing a full length novel into a novella. There’s no unnecessary additions while also leaving readers fully satisfied. I loved how Bond approached the different lenses of stories and how they change based on who’s telling them. I’m also a sucker for dragons, so that already made the book a win for me. I felt that this story was well paced and kept my interest from start to finish. I combo read this between the audiobook and ebook, but there’s just something so satisfying about listening to Helen McAlpine narrate the adventure that should not be missed. I can’t recommend this fantasy duology enough for readers looking for shorter fantasy stories.

Sir Madilleh and High Mage Saralene take on a very dangerous quest to go into the afterlife world to get a favor from the leaders of land of the dead.

This is a fantasy series full of adventure with a page count under 200 pages. The main characters are amazing strong women with a bit of a romance between them. There is an amazing adventure full quest at the center of each book. I would recommend this to fantasy fans with sapphic elements and looking for a shorter read.

In The Bloodless Princes, Charlotte Bond delivers another immersive read following the adventures of High Mage Saralene and her unwavering champion, Sir Maddileh. Cursed by her predecessor in her new role and grappling with the consequences of an "incident" involving a particularly formidable dragon, Saralene faces a deadly challenge in the underworld. Here, she must seek an audience with the mysterious Bloodless Princes, rulers of the afterlife, with hopes of securing a boon that might help her return to the world of the living. But as she and Maddileh soon discover, relying on ancient tales alone won’t be enough; survival will require all of Saralene's wits and more than Maddileh’s legendary Fireborne Blade.

One of the most intriguing parts of The Bloodless Princes is the expanded role of dragons, a treat after their more limited presence in The Fireborne Blade. Bond’s portrayal of the underworld is vivid and welcome inclusion in this world, and the story is interspersed with bits of lore and myth that add depth to the world-building, something I found myself enjoying more than the main plot at times.

While the storyline in this installment didn’t captivate me as much as The Fireborne Blade, the enduring bond between Saralene and Maddileh remains compelling, and their journey feels as authentic as ever. Bond has crafted a fantasy world that get richer with each book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Always happy to step back into this universe! This was a super fun followup to the first book. I loved the Orpheus vibes most of all. Looking forward to the next!

I LOVE high fantasy, but I don’t always love picking up a 500+ page read when I have a lot going on - this series is perfect! I loved The Fireborne Blade, and The Bloodless Prince had all the right hit fantasy energy with just a touch of David Bowie’s The Labyrinth. I’m so glad I finished this before heading to my local Red Faire this weekend!

Thank you so much to Bramble Romance for sending me an ARC copy!

The Bloodless Princes, the second part of The Fireborne Blade bilogy, follows Saralene, the royal sorceress, and Maddileh, a female knight, on a journey that will take them to the underworld itself to discover what lies behind the voices that haunt Saralene. A journey in which they will discover that the old legends about the rulers of the underworld are not entirely true and where the line between good and evil is finer than they first thought.

A story that initially took me a while to get the hang of (as I haven't read the first book in the bilogy), but which I ended up reading in a single afternoon. A short, entertaining book full of endearing moments between the two main characters and the ‘pet’ that goes with them. Even so, and although I liked the story, the plot lines were resolved faster than I would have liked, so I think that a couple more pages were needed for the stories to have the ending they deserve.

(Thanks a lot to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC)

It’s a good pair of novels but I will say you definitely have to have read the first one for this one. I did like the first one better I think. It stood alone better and was a fresh feeling story of a woman knight in a culture that wasn’t really set up to deal with it. The plotting felt tighter which is important in a novella. In this one they women have to do a Orpheus thing to get one of them out of death. With smatterings of other things that felt like countless fairytales tucked into every possible corner of the story in fragments. Good, and more towards the literary end of the genre but just a touch rambling for a short book.

This was a fun follow up to The Fireborne Blade, and I actually think I loved this one a little more than the first one! This book continues where the first one left off, and I loved the inclusion of Mienylyth! If you like animal companions you should definitely check out this series. The relationship between Saralene and Maddileh was so sweet, and I really enjoyed watching them fall in love with each other. I also loved the way the lore of this world was shown through tales that may or may not be accurate, because we all know how history can be told differently depending on who is doing the telling. I loved this version of the afterlife and the mythology behind it. I'm really hoping there will be more novellas in this world because I had such a good time with this one!