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Review: Lord of Blade and Bone by Erica Ivy Rodgers

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Lord of Blade and Bone by Erica Ivy Rodgers

Lord of Blade and Bone (Waking Hearts #2)
Erica Ivy Rodgers
Peachtree Teen
Published November 11, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Lord of Blade and Bone

A harrowing companion to the romantic fantasy adventure, Lady of Steel and Straw

The kingdom of Niveaux’s most vulnerable are being hanged—their bones mercilessly collected for an arsenal of wraiths. With young Prince Artus locked away and the Order of the Guardians driven from the capital, Cardinal Lorraine the Pure fixes her gaze on conquering bordering nations. To succeed, she’ll have to convince Captain Luc de Montaigne to embrace the power he’s been running from his entire life.

But even in chains, Luc yearns for the light of Lady Charlotte Sand. Proclaimed an outlaw, Charlotte and her lavender scarecrow Guardian, Worth, are staging rebellion with the underground network, the Broken Bird. Three new Guardians have also woken to aid their cause, but someone in their ranks is not who they seem. And with corruption spreading, the Guardians’ hearts are weakening. Can Charlotte trust Luc to abandon his former master and secure peace for the kingdom? Or will the darkness haunting Charlotte’s Guardian destroy any chance for reconciliation?

An exhilarating second installment in the Waking Hearts duology, this YA fantasy was inspired by The Three Musketeers and offers a beguiling dose of dark magic.

My Review

This book was at the top of my list of most-anticipated books coming out this year. I loved Lady of Steel and Straw. I don’t think I spotted the similarities to The Three Musketeers in that first book, but I definitely loved the whole magic system based on guardians with magical hearts that woke when placed inside a scarecrow body laced with herbs.

Lord of Blade and Bone started off a little rough for me, if I’m honest. It’s been a year since I’d read the first book, so I remembered the broad strokes but no details about the political scene or minor characters. The opening scene doesn’t include anyone I remembered from the last book. It sets up the action in this book nicely. Once I finished the book, I went back and reread that first chapter. It made a lot more sense.

There’s not a lot of recap in the opening chapters of this book, despite the fact that it’s almost 500 pages. While I love that I got to read the whole story at once, I wonder if the book would have been better as two novels so there was a little more time to catch up forgetful readers or introduce characters more slowly.

Because there are a LOT of characters, which is something I generally struggle with anyhow. It would have been cool to see a list of all the guardians and their herb-infused abilities somewhere, too.

Though the book started off a little rough, once I remembered who everyone was and what was happening, I didn’t want to stop reading. Charlotte and Luc’s slow burn romance is so sweet. Micah and Viggo are adorable, too.

The book has a lot of political intrigue and wrestling over whether magic abilities are good or evil. There’s a character recovering from addiction. It’s got a lot of intriguing elements.

Conclusion

Lord of Blade and Bone is packed with political intrigue and reads more like an adult fantasy that’s light on romance. If you liked King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, definitely check out this duology. Be sure to start with Lady of Steel and Straw.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
Wielders use forbidden power to disturb dead spirits, raising them as wraiths who inspire fear, pain, and torment in others. Very rarely, when someone dies, they become a Guardian, or an immortal warrior bonded to a person who will fight someone wielding the dead or settle disturbed spirits as part of the Order of old gods.

Under the cardinal’s rule as regent, the people worship a new duo called the Silent Gods, and the old ways are forbidden.

One theme that emerges in the story explores whether the magical ability to wield wraiths is itself evil or whether it’s a neutral ability that can be used for good or bad.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. References to torture. References to the murder of civilians. Some brief descriptions of execution.

Drug Content
One character is recovering from a chemical addiction. A few references to alcohol served at social events or adults drinking socially.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers

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Lady of Steel and Straw
Erica Ivy Rodgers
Peachtree Teen
Published June 4, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Lady of Steel and Straw

Star-crossed lovers grapple with forbidden attraction and a growing army of ghostly dead in this swashbuckling YA fantasy debut.

After ten years of exile, following regicide in the House of Tristain, an alarming royal edict is delivered to the immortal scarecrow Guardians who once defended the crown: surrender themselves to the church of the Silent Gods, or stand accused of further treason. But with a puppet prince set to take the throne and vengeful wraiths appearing with alarming frequency, something foul and sinister is at work in the kingdom of Niveaux.

Lady Charlotte Sand was born to calm the restless dead. A headstrong heroine, she refuses to relinquish her family’s lavender Guardian to the Cardinal’s Watch—a rash misstep that costs her brother his life and sets her on a path for revenge.

For pious and handsome Captain Luc de Montaigne, it’s an excruciating predicament. His long-lost, childhood love has triggered a faction war that could tear the realm asunder. Now Charlotte and Luc must choose between killing one another and stepping closer to victory—or yielding to the electricity between them.

Heartily inspired by The Three Musketeers, this multiple-perspective narrative features a unique system of bone and herbal magic, sultry banter, and a feisty cast of well-rounded supporting characters. This rousing first entry in a romantic fantasy duology is a gorgeous read and excellent pick for fans of Rin Chupeco and Margaret Rogerson.

My Review

This book has one of the best fantasy worlds I’ve read all year. I loved the lore about wraiths and Guardians and how the Guardians came to be. I also loved the connection to scarecrows and all the references to plants and trees throughout the characters’ expressions. Amazing.

Almost the entire story (except the prologue and final chapter) follows Charlotte and Luc’s perspectives. Charlotte has a very coming-of-age feel to her character, where she begins as a girl in an apprenticeship destined for a small life and longing for more. Luc has risen to a high rank as a soldier and serves as the cardinal’s guard captain, so in some ways, he almost reads more like an adult character, though his childhood haunts him pretty closely, which reminds us how young he is.

Though I really enjoyed the book, I struggled with the slow-burn romance between Luc and Charlotte. I get that there’s some magic or spiritual connection between them, but it was hard to dismiss the fact that Charlotte was bent on revenge against the man who killed her brother but had much warmer feelings for the guy who gives so many orders to harm her and the people she loves. I think a lot of people will be able to suspend disbelief, though, because of how compelling the other story elements are.

This ends with a strong setup for a follow-up novel, and I will absolutely be reading it. I can’t wait for a chance to revisit this incredible story world and find out what happens to these characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Few (if any) race details given.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs and strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Wielders use forbidden power to disturb dead spirits, raising them as wraiths who inspire fear, pain, and torment in others. Very rarely, when someone dies, they become a Guardian, or an immortal warrior bonded to a person who will fight someone wielding the dead or settle disturbed spirits as part of the Order of old gods.

Now, under the cardinal’s rule as regent, the people worship a new duo called the Silent Gods, and the old ways are increasingly forbidden.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Swordfights to the death. Torture. Descriptions of wraiths attacking people. Description of mass murder. In one scene, soldiers escort people to the gallows, preparing to hang them. In another, a girl sees the decayed body of an executed prisoner.

Drug Content
One character has been manipulated into dependence on a drug. Another is an alcoholic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.