I came across The Fireborne Blade at the library, and between it being a novella (tis the season (IYKYK) lol) and having a dragon on the cover, I took a closer look. I’m so glad I picked this up, and between picking it up and starting it, I swung by the library again and happened to see the sequel, The Bloodless Princes (it was one of those “why is this look familiar? Oh! Same series!” moments).
The Fireborne Blade does a lot of typical dragon fantasy expectations between a knight off to kill a dragon for grand treasure and a magic society that thinks women don’t belong in their ranks, but then it does some really cool things with story telling and even expectations. One of the elements I especially loved was how the world was supplemented with excerpts from The Demise and Demesne of Dragons, a collection of volumes that collect the stories of various knights and their interactions with dragons, setting expectations for how things will go for Maddileh when she attempts to kill The White Lady and acquire the Fireborn Blade, a sword made using dragon materials and kissed by Death. The story also plays with linear storytelling because what you think is going on doesn’t turn out to be the whole truth. I also really liked Maddileh’s dynamic with Saralene, a mage who’s been being taught in secret and must be rescued from the dragon.
After finished The Fireborne Blade I had to immediately start The Bloodless Princes, which takes place three years after the end of the first book. Maddileh is now the High Mage’s champion, and the High Mage is Saralene, and things seem to be overall peaceful and hopeful for them, until Maddileh starts having dreams where the White Lady talks to her, and Saralene is facing consequences from how she became High Mage. They must go on another adventure, this time to the underworld to convince one of the Princes who rule that realm to free Saralene from the curse she finds herself under.
This is another example of interesting storytelling choices because in The Bloodless Princes we see several different tales that are told in the Fourteen Realms, but the best part is seeing the same stories from the dragons’ perspective, showing how who tells a story changes everything about what is being shared. I also liked that it played with expectations and preconceptions about the Princes and the underworld.
These two novellas were both great experiences and I really love the world Charlotte Bond has created. I really hope there will be more stories in the world, especially with the ending and C’sava; there’s definitely room for more stories to be told starring Maddileh and Saralene.