Review: "The Bloodless Princes" by Charlotte Bond

Perfect Conclusion to an Almost Perfect Duology

One of my favorite reading experiences of 2024 was spending a day reading The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond. This novella about a female knight going on a quest to slay the formidable dragon known as The White Lady in order to recover the mythic Fireborne Blade and regain her honor had me hooked from the first page and didn’t let me go until its mind-blowing ending. As soon as I finished it, I preordered its sequel, The Bloodless Princes. However, due to the holidays and other things that popped up in November and December, I wasn’t able to read it until last week. Although it didn’t blow me away like its predecessor, I still loved every moment with The Bloodless Princes.

With the help of her companion Sir Maddileh, High Mage Saralene was able to overthrow her predecessor and prove that women are as equally adept at magic as men. But her victory did not come without a price. The man she usurped was able to place a curse on her that, left untreated, will trap her in the afterlife forever. At the same time, Maddileh discovers that the White Lady is still alive and may be able to help them. Maddileh, Saralene, and the dragon form a simple plan: Saralene will let herself be dragged to the afterlife, Maddileh and the dragon will follow behind, and together they will ask The Bloodless Princes who rule the afterlife to allow them to return home alive. But soon these women and their dragon discover that not everything is as it seems and they may need more than their magic and sword to escape back to the world of the living.

While the full extent of Maddileh and Saralene’s relationship is mostly hinted at and only from Maddlieh’s perspective in the first book, The Bloodless Princes brings us into both of their perspectives and shows us more of their dynamic. I loved seeing their relationship from both perspectives as it grows and develops into something much deeper. It does not take up as much space as it would in a longer book aiming to be a romantasy, but what we see is effective in selling the love between them. The way Maddileh cares for Saralene as she struggles with her curse is heartwarming as is her commitment to bring Saralene back to the land of the living at all costs. Maddileh’s inner monologue as she talks about her love and commitment to Saralene is incredibly sweet.

In addition to Maddileh and Saralene’s relationship, I loved the dynamic between Maddileh and the White Lady a.k.a. Mienylyth. Mienylyth has such a snarky and fun personality that really played well with Maddileh’s more knightley, no nonsense approach to things. I love how she ends up bringing out a more playful and clever side to Maddileh that up to this point in the series has been absent. It gives definite fantasy buddy cop vibes and I am so here for every moment. Also, at one point Mienylyth turns into a little cat with wings and it’s just so adorable.

Charlotte Bond continues her commitment to interesting world-building in The Bloodless Princes and even takes it one step further. Just like in The Fireborne Blade, the lore of the world is shown through in-world official records and written tales with the reader given just what they need when they need it. This time, though, Charlotte takes these official records and tales and uses them to show how the truth is not always what it appears to be. Whether it be through tales that offer contrasting versions of the same events or having the accepted truth be immediately contradicted within the story, time and again our protagonists are confronted with the fact that history is not without bias. For Saralene and Maddileh, their journey to the underworld begins with uncovering that an entire perspective towards dragons has been suppressed and ignored. Their quest through the afterlife becomes one not just of enduring love, but also one of discovering the true nature of their world.

I especially liked how so much of the disproven lore was centered on dragons and the villains of the tales. Dragons are not the heartless evil monsters incapable of higher thought that the chroniclers portray them as. The supposedly evil Bloodless Prince turns out to be more merciful to his subjects and open to change while the “noble” one turns out to be a tyrant. It’s a stark and effective reminder that life is not so simple as “good” and “evil” and that those deemed “monsters” by the ones in power may not be so monstrous. It’s a reminder that we need now more than ever.

Altogether, these threads of love, friendship, and discovering the truth behind the stories coalesce into an expertly crafted story set in a rich world that I really enjoyed spending time in. The ending was clever and exciting and made me both wish for more and happy with where our heroines ended up. While I don’t think this duology needs a sequel, I would absolutely devour another chance to go on an adventure with the High Mage Saralene and her champion Sir Maddileh. I would even take a short story where we get to see them spending time together around the castle. Just give me more of these two.