A High Stakes Follow-Up...You Cannot Go in BLIND!
Princess of Blood
Shards of Magic (Book 2)
Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Ace
September 30, 2025
ebook, hardcover, audiobook
512
Once a servant, now a princess, a young woman thrust into power challenges everything about the underground Fae realm in the spellbinding sequel to Sarah Hawley’s USA Today bestseller Servant of Earth.
Kenna Heron is still reeling from her lover’s betrayal and the threat of an impending civil war. With only a sentient dagger and her two closest—and most powerless—friends by her side, she must navigate the treacherous politics of Mistei while coming to terms with her new identity as not just Fae, but princess of the reborn Blood House.
With the corrupt king dead at last, three candidates are vying for the crown: a princess who claims the throne as her birthright and two rebel princes, both of whom are courting Kenna’s support to break the stalemate between them. Old loyalties fray as new, volatile alliances form, and Kenna finds herself caught in a web of violence and deceit—and swept up in a forbidden romance as passionate as it is dangerous.
Kenna has the power to shape Mistei’s future… but someone’s willing to kill to make sure she never gets the chance.
“Neutrality sounded ideal in principle—to be a watcher of history, to document the truth without bias and stand apart from the violence so easily inflicted by others—but in the face of monstrous evil, it became complicity.”
Spoilers Beware!! There is no way to sugar coat this: you must read Servant of Earth
prior to starting Princess of Blood. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor. Princess of Blood,
Sarah Hawley’s second installment of The Shards of Blood series, picks up right where
Servant of Earth left off. The cliffhanger of book one resoundingly culminates in a
whirlwind experience for our newly changed Kenna, and sets her on a path that could
even be more deadly than when she was mortal…
“If life was fair, we wouldn’t need to fight about it.”
Kenna soon realizes that she may have had more freedom as a human. Her alliances
that she once thought were solid, now begin to crumble under the weight of the chess
match of courtly politics. When new rivals to the throne begin their bids to rule, Kenna is
charged with the task of being the eyes and ears for someone whom she didn’t think
she could trust.
“It’s better for our enemies to believe us monsters than to know what we truly care for.”
Sarah Hawley truly brings a new level of intrigue with Princess of Blood. I so admire the
attention to the emotions that Kenna goes through during her character arc of this
storyline. There is so much depth and heartfelt emotion that I truly felt like I was
experiencing the same things as Kenna throughout the story. There isn’t the carnal heat
that we experienced in Servant of Earth but Kenna seems to have matured during her
change and I think Sarah Hawley shows her growth in a well-measured way.
Princess of Blood left me ready for more. The way this world is so immersive, it makes
for such an enjoyable reading experience. My mind comes alive while the words blur on
the page because I am so engulfed in what is happening with Kenna. Sarah Hawley
truly has created a world so unique and a storyline that is entirely addictive. I cannot
wait to see what happens next! If you’ve read this far and haven’t picked up the first
book yet, then what are you waiting for? Go get it now!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
