BLOOD METAL BONE

A story that reaches from the stars to the depths of the planet Dohrsar.

After Crown Prince Soahm, Sonara’s older brother, is abducted in front of her, their mother, Queen Iridis of Soreia, who holds her responsible for his presumed death, kills her. Through the power of the Shadowblood, Sonara receives a second chance at life that is granted to some of the Dohrsaran, and as the Devil of the Deadlands, she creates a new existence but never stops hoping to solve the mystery of her brother’s fate. On the edge of the Milky Way, low-status smugglers Karr and his brother, Cade, are on their last job. They’re headed toward Dohrsar on an assignment from a wealthy man—one of the few human survivors of the Reaper’s Disease who is now living on Beta Earth—to pick up a rock that will revolutionize science. Immense power is hidden in the heart of the planet, but which faction will get to it first? The humanoid alien Dohrsaran live in a world of magic and mystery. The novel’s pacing is excellent, jumping among the perspectives of Sonara, Cade, and Karr, with each character having their own problems and histories; readers are dropped into the action, and past intrigues, as with Sonara’s love life, are filled in. Characters are racially indeterminate.

Melds science fiction and fantasy elements into a delightful blend.