The Bloodless Princes

Bond ramps up the action in this far more successful follow-up to The Fireborne Blade. It’s been three years since Maddileh went into the dragon White Lady’s lair and saved her lover, Saralene, with both of them coming back from the dead by commandeering the bodies of Petros and Hosh. Now, Hosh attempts to reclaim his life by trading places with Saralene once more. As Hosh becomes more daring in his efforts to resurrect himself, Maddileh and Saralene return to the White Lady’s lair to seek her assistance. The dragon proposes that Maddileh burn Saralene’s body to cut her ties with Hosh, sending her to the Gravelands, or the underworld. Maddileh and the dragon must then descend into the Gravelands to negotiate with the princes who rule it, reclaim Saralene, and use the Fireborn Blade to forge a way out. Bond expertly expands the lore of her series and ties up the loose ends that frustrated in the first book. Series readers will be satisfied. (Oct.)