The Fireborne Blade

Bond (The Watcher in the Woods) gets her new fantasy series off to a rocky start with this murky adventure. The knight Maddileh sets out on a mission to prove herself by recovering the Fireborne Blade, a mythical sword forged by dragons, lost by humans, and rumored to now be in the possession of the infamous dragon known as the White Lady. Maddileh’s squire, Petros, has his own goal for the mission: to rescue his sister, Saralene, who was abducted by the dragon. Together, Maddileh and Petros brave the White Lady’s lair, where they encounter the murderous ghosts of knights killed by the dragon in the past. The duo’s relationship, including how they came to be working together, feels somewhat muddled for much of the book, but their odd dynamic is explained in an explosive final twist that recasts much of what came before. It’s an impressive trick, but it can’t make up for the half-baked magic system and rushed plotting. This is a strong concept that falters in the execution. (May)