Princess of Blood (The Shards of Magic, #2) by Sarah Hawley 
Series: The Shards of Magic #2
Published by Ace Books on September 30, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 512
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Once a servant, now a princess, a young woman thrust into power challenges everything about the underground Fae realm in the next installment of Sarah Hawley's new romantasy series.
Kenna Heron is still reeling from her lover's betrayal and the threat of an impending war. With only 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 her own house.
With the king dead, three candidates are vying for the right to wear the crown next. A princess who claims the throne as her birthright and two rebel princes, both of whom are depending on the support of Blood House to break the stalemate between them. Old loyalties fray as new, dangerous alliances form, and Kenna finds herself caught in a web of violence, deceit, and unexpected passion.
Kenna has the power to shape Mistei's future... but someone's willing to kill to make sure she never gets the chance.
I was so absorbed in this story, then…cliffhanger. *Scream!!!*
SPOILERS FROM BOOK 1!!! LOOK AWAY!!!!
When we left Servant of Earth, Kenna had killed the king and she rescued her friend Anya Hayes, who survived the original trek to the fae lands through the bog but she had been kept in the brothel and tortured by the king and his illusions. And most importantly, Kenna is now Princess Kenna, leader of Blood House, and she has taken Lady Lara (her former boss) to Blood House since Lara’s mother, Princess Oriana of Earth House has disowned her for failing the trials. Ready?
Now an alliance between Blood, Void, Fire stands against the houses of Light and Illusion with Earth House still pretending they are Switzerland. Both Prince Drustan (Fire House) and Prince Hector (Void House) want Kenna to back them as the next king. Kenna isn’t a big fan of Kings to begin with. Setting aside her prior relationship with Drustan, as he his leadership and loyalty have fallen short, nor does she know anything about Prince Hector, so Kenna tells them to put it in writing. She wants to know each of their plans for Mistei, for the humans being held captive, for the mixed-blood children of the fae, and for everything else these new Kings intend to do before she decides who she will give her allegiance to. Go Kenna!
Kenna also is quite aware that she has no idea how to be a fae princess or how to lead the Blood House. Unsurprising to me, she has a friend in dark, sexy Void House Lord Kallen. First order of business in order to lead the House, Kenna has to not die since everyone will be out to get her while she is only a House of five. Kallen agrees to train Kenna in combat. While, of course, he wants her to choose Hector as the new King, he wants to help Kenna as we can clearly see he has a personal interest in her safety. Yay!
Unfortunately, while Kenna is waffling on her choice of King, the new leader of Illusion House, Imogen, has named herself Queen and she is backed by Torin and his crazy girlfriend Rowena. The are currently naming themselves leader of Light House, but Gweneira is also fighting to lead and she is a supporter of– let’s all it the dark alliance.
Queen Imogen has declared that the next month there will be a detente for the next month while everyone settles into this new leadership, which means no House can attack another House–or as everyone knows, this gives Imogen time to strengthen her forces before anyone can attack her. Everyone has to go along with it or else look like the bad guy, although I like that Kenna keeps reminding Imogen that no one agreed to her as Queen and refuses to call her Queen to her face. Love it!
In typical fae fashion, there is a lot of backstabbing anyway and everyone tries to skirt the “no killing” rule by sending someone else to kill you while hiding who is actually behind it. So sorry you’re dead but wasn’t me. Can’t prove it.
And while everyone is trying to get Kenna’s vote, Kenna is throwing all the fae kingdoms into a tizzy by inviting not just humans to come to the safety of her House, she is opening her doors to all the fae and lower fae who have been disowned by their Houses or simply want to get away from their own In-House battles. Most, especially the lower fae and humans, who come are trying to get away from abuse at the hands of the upper fae and Kenna declares that everyone is equal and there’s the door if you don’t like it. More yay!
But while Blood House is just beginning to grow and flourish, what concerns Kenna most is that Anya’s behavior is devolving since she was rescued from the brothel. Anya does nothing but drink herself into a stupor and refuses to even talk to Kenna. Kenna is winning her House and losing her best friend.
Things are starting to heat up between Kenna and Kallen when everything goes sideways and…the author LEAVES US HANGING AND I START SCREAMING!!!!! The story was building and building and suddenly there were no more pages. This was not how I was expecting the story to go.
This book does not even come out until September so I don’t anticipate the conclusion until at least Spring of 2026. I hate cliffhangers. This sucks!
Favorite Scene:
Swallowing the last of the wine, I set the glass on the tray of a passing servant, the hurried towards the dais before I could talk myself out of it. As I mounted the steps, the faeries twirling nearby slowed their movements, turning their head to watch.
I stood on the platform in front of all of Mistei, pulse racing and skin dampening with nervous sweat. “Blood House has been resurrected,” I announced. My voice couldn’t come close to filling the cavern, but Mistei’s rumor mill would do the rest. “We’re seeking new members.”
Shocked murmurs went through the crowd. Most of the dancers stopped entirely, and even fiddle music broke off.
Imogen watched me with narrowed eyes. I met that look and raised my chin, imagining a crown on my own brow. Not Osric’s, heavy and cruel, but something that would make me hold my head higher to earn the honor or wearing it.
“Too many of you have been suffering under the rule of tyrants.” I continued, staring Imogen down. “Blood House will be different. If you don’t feel safe where you currently are, come join us. If you hate your masters, come join us. If you crave freedom, an escape or a new start, come join us. Regardless of house affiliations, species or magic–if you want a new home, you may have it.”
That was as much of a speech as I felt capable of. I was no Drustan, with charm in abundance and all the right words to win people over. So before I could ruin the words I had managed to get out, I gripped my skirts, raising them out of the way as I descended the steps.
For a moment everything was silent and still. Then the music started again, the fae resumed their dancing and the laughter and glitter swept back in, covering everything in layers of pretty deceit.
Nothing had changed on the surface. But faeries were watching me now out of the corners of their eyes–and the ones looking most closely were the servants. I smiled, feeling the heady rush of triumph It was too early to know what changes would be wrought as a result of that speech, but at least they all knew the truth now.
Blood House had entered the game–and I was going to play by my rules.
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