Actual rating: 3.5-4.0 stars.

The sequel to The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond, The Bloodless Princes continues the adventures of former dragon-slaying Knight of the Stairs Maddileh and now-High Mage Saralene. Resurrection has unforeseen consequences--former High Mage Hosh repeatedly tries to possess Saralene from beyond the grave, and it is up to Maddileh and their newfound friend Mienylyth the White Lady to rescue Saralene--and themselves--from the Bloodless Princes, the rulers of the human afterlife. As Luciel, Guardian of the Perilous Bridge, warns: preconceptions will aid no one in this quest. This is an underlying theme of this sapphic fantasy novella series. For one thing--who knew dragons could be this adorable?

My personal experience reading this book has been an unusual one. I ended up reading The Bloodless Princes first, which informed my experience with The Fireborne Blade, which in turn furthered my thoughts on The Bloodless Princes when I reread it, this time in proper order. The Fireborne Blade feels much more plot-heavy, while The Bloodless Princes utilizes the limited space of a novella to explore the three female characters in more depth, which plays to the story's strength. Something I felt was missing in Blade was a deeper, more solid sense of who Maddileh and Saralene were as people, rather than simply as reactionary products of their society. While there are still some gaps, especially in their backstories, I did feel like more answers were provided in Princes. Also, while I'm not averse to flashbacks and non-chronological narratives, the structure of Blade was confusing at times with the time jumps, and some of the major plot twists felt somewhat ret-conned. In Princes, Bond chooses to alternate narrative perspectives instead of time skips, which works in the novella's favor.

One of my personal favorite aspects of these books is the strong mythology that Bond weaves into the story, both as useful reference and as world-building. This was effective as exposition in Blade, and even more so in Princes as the tales now include draconic mythology, which lends an alternative perspective from the human-dominated one in Blade, thus reinforcing Bond's thematic point. While Maddileh and Saralene's romance is rather subdued compared to the main plot, Mienylyth's character shines through loud and clear. I strongly agree with Bond's sentiment in the Acknowledgments--can we have a book about her next?

This is a good choice for readers interested in a more adult version of Tamora Pierce's The Song of the Lioness and The Immortals quartets, as well as fans of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, The Unbroken by C. L. Clark, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and readers who enjoy classical mythology, especially about Hades/the Underworld.

Hello? The world-building? What I wouldn't give to be able to read whole novels set in this world. What Charlotte Bond manages to pack into duologies around 160 pages each is impressive.

The small brief mention of the Bloodless Princes in The Fireborne Blade was enough to make me curious, and then to see this pop up? I have never been more eager to read the second part of a duology. The Bloodless Princes is a story that builds on the miraculous ending of 'The Fireborne Blade,' our protagonists are forced to consult the dragon they'd previously killed to find a solution to the haphazard resurrection.

I love Charlotte Bond's writing. Her worlds are so rich, her characters so bold and complex. I could spend forever in these pages!

The followup to The Firebourne Blade, this book takes place a few years after the events of the first book. The two main characters are still pining over each other, and Saralene is having some extra difficulty with the wizard she trapped. Because of this, the two characters make an unlikely friend and go on a quest together.

This book is well written, like the first book, and worth a read if you enjoyed the characters in the Firebourne Blade. I will say that some of the things I loved about Blade are not present in this book, because they would not have worked with the story. It is a more straightforward story, and the way it is written reflects that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

Unbeknownst to me, this was a sequel and I hadn't read #1. After reading a summary I found the characters, story and world-building interesting but I was not really intrigued. I could foresee many plot twists and was a bit bored? But that might've also been my COVID brain.

Loved the dragons, found the love story cute!

3 stars

The Bloodless Princes didn't quite live up to its predecessor. It felt both rushed and slow. However, if you're looking for quick reads to round out your year, this and The Fireborne Blade would be a good choice.

Unfortunately I really struggled with this book compared to book one. Despite the short page count, this book felt simultaneously rushed and slow, and I struggled to keep track of what was going on. While I thought the journal entries were a clever world building device in book one, they didn’t work for me in book two and really took me out of the story. Overall I didn’t connect with this book the way I did with book one, and I will enjoy The Fireborne Blade as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

i feel like this can still be enjoyed even without having read the first one, as i did.
a short and sweet romp through magical worlds and underworlds, visiting corrupted princes, and learning lots about the lore and mythology of the world.
the dragon was my favourite part, she was so funny and their ability to change forms was awesome. her lore was also very interesting.
its also a sapphic book so immediately that bumps it up in my mind i love slightly bickering sapphics going on a quest it fulfils me.
even though i didn't feel the strongest connection to the characters i did still find myself rooting for them often.

I adore this series so much. Though the books are small there is so much world building that it makes the world seem huge in such a small amount of time. I really enjoyed being able to see the relationship between the characters grow. I also find the underworld very intriguing and it played out so well. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book!

The Bloodless Princes is a continuation of The Fireborne Blade series. The story continues following Maddileh and Saralene. Maddileh is now Saralene's champion which means the two are now working closely with each other. Maddlieh and Saralene realize that Saralene has been cursed by the previous high mage. To break the curse and save Saralene, the two women must visit, and then escape the underworld by requesting the help of the Bloodless Princes.

I loved The Fireborne Blade, but The Bloodless Princes exceeded my already high expectations. This novella was so intriguing and fun. I loved the story of the underworld and Saralene and Maddileh's journey. The magic system/world and the way dragons are included in this story is so different. I feel like most of the fantasy I read are tomes, so I am impressed by this series' depth and complexity. I love the characters and the way their stories blend with the history and lore of this world. I also love Maddileh and Saralene's relationship. It is quite slow burn, but it evolves quite a bit in this installment.

I enjoy this series so much and I hope it continues. If you like fantasy, dragons or LGBTQ+ representation in your books, check The Bloodless Princes out!

e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No me gustó nada la primera entrega de esta duología, The Fireborne Blade, pero decidí darle una nueva oportunidad a Charlotte Bond sobre todo porque The Bloodless Prince era una lectura cortita que tampoco me robaría mucho tiempo. Y no ha conseguido redimirse, pero también es cierto que la historia completa ha dejado un mejor sabor de boca que la primera parte, que no había por dónde cogerla.


Lo primero que mejora significativamente son las entradillas de cada capítulo, donde veremos los orígenes de distintos mitos religiosos desde distintos puntos de vista, algo que resulta atractivo y que sirve también para cimentar la historia que transcurre en el presente.

Saralene y Maddileh deberán visitar el inframundo tres años después de los sucesos acontecidos en The Fireborne Blade, para librarse de una maldición. Lo harán acompañadas de una dragona gata (Mienylyth) cuya presencia mejora bastante el ritmo de la historia, que no acaba de decantarse ni por el romance ni por la fantasía más mitológica, quedándose a medio camino de todo sin llegar a ser un relato completo. No sabría decir si es que a la narración le falta sustancia o si es que a Charlotte Bond le falta oficio, pero es una novela que se escapa entre las neuronas sin dejar ningún poso tras la lectura y sin terminar de despertar el interés durante ella. Tampoco creo que la longitud de la novela haya ayudado mucho en este caso porque gran parte del libro está acelerado innecesariamente.

Me interesaba mucho más la historia de los dos hermanos que comparten el gobierno del inframundo que no lo que le pudiera pasar a las dos protagonistas y eso no es bueno. En general, las historias secundarias deberían ser eso, secundarias, y Charlotte Bond no lo ha conseguido en esta novela corta. No me arrepiento de haberla leído, pero tampoco puedo recomendarla realmente, así que creo que no le dará mas oportunidades a esta autora.

This was an enjoyable sequel, but I think I preferred book one with its banter and sarcasm. Love the dragon though and myths that are woven into the story.

When you go against death, there are bound to be consequences. A story that builds on the miraculous ending of 'The Fireborne Blade,' our protagonists are forced to consult the dragon they'd previously killed to find a solution to the haphazard resurrection. With the previous body's soul insistent on taking over, our knight and high mage must embark on an Orpheus-like journey to the underworld ruled by the Bloodless Princes. When these realms do not appear as they seem, can our heroes safely return to the land of the living?

I really enjoy the characters and world Bond has created here, and I hope there are more books to come! This sequel didn’t land as well as the first for me, and that’s due to pacing. It felt like 2/3 of the book was spent setting up the conflict, then the last 1/3 moved at a lightning speed to resolve it. I will say, Mienylyth was the star or this book, as dragons should be. And as a dragon kitty cat!? OMG I was obsessed. While this book focused more on the relationships between the characters, I wish it spent a little more time with its conclusion so our characters could settle into the relationships they saved. Another novella that I wish were a full-length novel, or maybe I just need to roll with the concept that short-form fantasy is its own genre and I can’t compare it to what it could be if it were longer. But it was fun, i giggled, I gasped, and I want more!

I was so excited I was able to snag an ARC of this follow up novella to The Fireborne Blade, which I absolutely loved. This sequel didn't quite live up to the expectations, but I still really enjoyed it and if you're looking for a quick duology to get your reading goal in this year, definitely recommend it!

While the first novella had many more plot twists (an epic reveal I didn't see coming), and more wittiness and snark, this one focused a lot more on relationships, and for it being a supposed romance, there honestly wasn't much there. Maybe this would have been better served as a full length novel. We would have had a lot more depth and complexities to the characters that there simply wasn't time for in this short of a story.

I absolutely LOVED the myths and tales woven into the story again, along with the dragon lore, and of course, we find out not all is as it seems. Mienylyth as a dragon disguised as a cat with wings was honestly the cutest thing ever, and pretty much stole the show. I'm also a sucker for creature sidekicks.

I did feel the 'villains' were vanquished quite quickly, so that wasn't as satisfying either. There were also a couple moments Maddileh irked me with her decisions. She also didn't seem as strong in this book as in the first one.

If you like the grimdark vibes of the afterlife of Richard Swan's The Justice of Kings, but make it with dragons, I think you'll enjoy this duology. I also loved the narrator, and was able to do my preferred immersive reading style (audio while reading along)! The different accents were fantastic.

Definitely still recommend picking them up, and many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for copies to review.

I love Charlotte Bond's writing. Her worlds are so rich, her characters so bold and complex. I could spend forever in these pages!

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.