A Time of Blood

A Time of Blood is the middle volume of John Gwynne's Of Blood and Bone trilogy, set generations after his earlier Faithful and the Fallen series in the same secondary world. It continues directly from the events of A Time of Dread, deepening the conflict between the angelic Ben-Elim and the demonic Kadoshim.

The story follows several viewpoints, chief among them Drem, a quiet young man hardened by loss and hunted by a merciless enemy priestess, and Riv, whose own nature threatens the fragile order the Ben-Elim impose. As secrets surface and alliances shift, the characters are pulled toward a widening war that spares neither the innocent nor the powerful.

Gwynne is known for kinetic battle writing, clear emotional stakes, and morally shaded characters. This installment is a propulsive, often grim continuation best read after the first book, building tension toward the trilogy's conclusion.