Shades of Magic : the Steel Prince
No romance or no physical intimacy at all.
Closed door. No anatomical or crude language.
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Blurb
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab and torn from the universe of the Shades of Magic sequence, this all-original comic book prequel to A Darker Shade of Magic is perfect for fans of bloody, swashbuckling adventure and gritty fantasy! As V.E. Schwab says, "the comics are going to bridge the space between Shades of Magic and Threads of Power." Delve into the thrilling, epic tale of the young and arrogant prince Maxim Maresh, long before he became the king of Red London and adoptive father to Kell, the lead of A Darker Shade of Magic! The youthful Maresh is sent to a violent and unmanageable port city on the Blood Coast of Verose, on strict orders from his father, King Nokil Maresh, to cut his military teeth in this lawless landscape. There, he encounters an unruly band of soldiers, a lawless landscape, and the intoxicatingly deadly presence of the newly returned pirate queen, Arisa... Collects Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince #1-4.
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The Steel Prince, Night of Knives
A Darker Shade of Magic
Caraval / Legendary / Finale / Spectacular
Also a lush, cutthroat magical world with morally grey players and sibling loyalty, but built around romance and glittering game-play rather than battlefield grit.
Once Upon a Broken Heart / The Ballad of Never After / A Curse for True Love
Keeps the dangerous, charming morally grey prince archetype and cursed royal intrigue, though it trades bloody port-city soldiering for fated fairytale romance.
The Stolen Heir
Shares ruthless royal politics, violent quests and a prince with blood on his hands; colder, more romance-forward and less swashbuckling.
The Queen of Nothing
Same appetite for brutal court scheming, murder and cruel princes, but the throne war is entangled with an enemies-to-lovers arc.