Happy book birthday to Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley!
The Princess Bride meets Six of Crows in this queer Scandinavian fantasy romp, where a pair of rival assassins must team up to kill the mysterious leader of their city’s illegal magic trade.
Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city’s illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.
If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.
As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.
“Swashbuckling adventure, sweeping romance, and wit as sharp as an assassin’s knife come together to create a quintessentially delightful read.” —S.T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood
“Oceans Eleven meets queer nordic assassins in this thrillride fantasy debut. Valour and Petrichor are a fatally flawed (and flawlessly fatal) duo who must overcome their distaste and distrust of each other in order to outwit a target who will otherwise destroy both of them.” —Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters
“Bursting with twisty intrigue, fascinating worldbuilding and two leads whose tongues are as sharp as their knives, Snowblooded is a banter-filled fantasy delight.” —Frances White, Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned
