Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley

Happy New Year! I hope you, dear reader, had a fantastic holiday season or, at least, a memorable one.

Introduction

Oh. My. Lanta. I recently made a review on Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley (you can find it here: https://www.kayhwrites.com/post/servant-of-earth-by-sarah-hawley). Basically, I begged you to read this book and I'm going to beg you again. Though I read these two books at the end of December, I'm adding them to my 2026 reading log. When I tell you these books got me out of my reading slump, they got me out of my reading slump. So, please, please, please read this series.

Disclaimer: The third book in this trilogy will be released sometime this year; my guess is October or November based on the release dates of Servant of Earth and Princess of Blood. Read at your own risk.

First Feelings

Y'all, this book!! Obviously, I was reeling from the end of Servant of Earth when I started the second book. Personally, I think this one started off better than the first one. It wasn't as slow-paced, there was a lot more emotion, and the tension between characters?! Oh. My. Goodness.

As I continued reading the book, I found myself glued to my seat. I read this book in under 48 hours. It was just that good. There were so many twists, including within the last 100 pages. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas, especially with those dreaded last 100 pages, you'll appreciate Sarah Hawley's narrative. This is the kind of book that had me gasping, crying, sitting upright in my seat. The twists were twisting and the plot was plotting.

Disclaimer (pt 2): This book ends heavily on a cliffhanger. And I am reeling. When book 3 comes out, I will have to reread the first two. Again, read at your own risk.

Description

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 the princess of her own house.

With the king dead, three candidates are vying for the right to wear the crown net. 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.

StoryGraph Overall Rating

Here we are again with my favorite reading app. If you'd like to follow my reading journey, you can find me @kayhwrites.

The overall rating for this book is a 4.3, .09 higher than book two with approximately 993 reviews. Other readers have found the book to have the following moods:

Adventurous	74%
Dark	72%
Tense	68%
Emotional	61%
Mysterious	37%
Challenging	27%
Sad	16%
Hopeful	15%
Reflective	7%
Funny	5%
Inspiring	5%
Informative	2%
Lighthearted	1%

Like last time, if you plan on reading this book, I suggest reading the trigger warnings. This one deals heavily with grief for one of the characters. Be mindful of what you can and can't handle and give yourself grace and care.

My Rating

I gave this book a 5 for the following reasons:

• I was hooked from the beginning and would have done a full read-through if I didn't have to work

• I found myself reacting a lot throughout the book: laughing, crying, angry, sad, the gasps I gasped. It was so good.

• The romance between two of my favorite characters is just so good. It was the perfect slow-burn. Gahhhhhh.

• The ending?! Come on. I did not see it coming. I was blindsided. It was amazing.

Favorite Quote

I can't answer that for you. But I think people who have loved once can love again. They just have to be willing to give without the expectation of getting anything in return.

Music

Like always, here are some songs that remind me of the book. When listening to this music, it gives me that fuzzy feeling and makes me happy. Ugh, please, read this, listen to this, then tell me you agree. Think of it as homework.

Conclusion

Read this book. Please. Here I am again, on my knees, begging you to read this series. I know it's not finished. Just ignore that little fact. All our favorite series aren't finished either.

(Update: I definitely think I found a character worse than Tamlin. Again, it shocked me, too, but maybe it was time we throw TamTam a bone--I can revoke this at any time and, if book three goes as I think it will.)