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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Caraval / Legendary / Finale / Spectacular
Another lush morally-grey fantasy where a deadly game hides cruelty, though it trades battlefield grit for dreamlike spectacle and a central romance.
Once Upon a Broken Heart / The Ballad of Never After / A Curse for True Love
Keeps the arrogant, dangerous-prince appeal and bloody fairy-tale stakes, but centers a swoony villain romance instead of military brutality.
Shades of Magic : the Steel Prince
Same arrogant prince, same bloody port-city brawling, just collected in one volume rather than serialized issues.
Vengeful
Schwab again writing ruthless, power-hungry men you root for anyway, but in prose thriller form instead of panels, and colder.
Black Sheep
Another charismatic killer protagonist and gory stakes, though here the violence wraps around an explicit, slow-burning romance.
A Heart of Bitter Poison
Morally-grey fighters, torture and war, but far darker and openly romantic with vampires and steamy enemies-to-lovers tension.