The Bloodless Princes is the thrilling second novella in the Fireborne Blade series, an epic fantasy proposal written by Charlotte Bond, and published by TorDotCom. A sequel to the Fireborne Blade that explores the underworld of this universe created by Charlotte Bond, while developing the relationship between Saralene and Maddileh, in a plot that still has surprises for us, blending together Orpheus with A Natural History of Dragons.

Cursed by the previous practitioner in her role, High Mage Saralene visits the afterlife with a boon to beg of the Bloodless Princes, two entities that rule the underworld, all following the advice given by the White Lady. Separated from sir Maddileh, her protector, she will have to navigate the afterlife city, discovering that all research might be inaccurate; and that appearances and concepts such as justice can be difficult to apply if they are taken to the extreme. 
On the other side, we have a sir Maddileh that will need to take an alternative route to reach the afterlife, together with a new companion (and I don't want to spoil this surprise, because I absolutely loved it) and armed with her Fireborne Blade; reuniting with Saralene will just be the first of the challenges she will have to face, and probably the easiest in comparison with how complicated are her feelings for Saralene.

In this sequel, Bond offers a unique vision of the afterlife, a complicated world ruled by two brothers and which represents opposite poles of the same vision; it is interesting how the concept of good and bad gets substituted by a big gray morality, symbolizing how things are not simple. 
The lore of the world is expanded, including more stories that are introduced as interludes across our main plot; dragons are still relevant, but pass to play a secondary role.

We have a really intense sequel from the emotional standpoint, as the author explores the relationship between Saralene and Maddileh, how they are attracted and how their roles can be a barrier; not only that, but also the fear of being rejected by the other, choosing to stay in a middle situation that doesn't satisfy anybody. It also mimics that fear that queer people have of being discovered and deemed as weird, or being ostracised by those that they love.

The Bloodless Princes is an excellent second novella, the perfect close-up for this duology, and again shows Bond's talent to create a compelling story; if you want a great and feminist take-up on epic fantasy, I totally recommend you to read The Fireborne Blade duology.