Book Review of 'She Dreams in Blood' by Michael R. Fletcher.

‘She Dreams in Blood’ is the sequel to 
the brilliant ‘Black Stone Heart’ and  
is the second book in the ‘Obsidian Path’ series.
Khraen’s main objective is to collect and 
assimilate the shards of his obsidian heart  
from his other-selves. At the same time, he is 
trying to figure out the truth behind his rule,  
his wife ‘Henka’, and who he ought to be. 
The story is set in the Southern Islands,  
a land that consists of small fiefdoms 
and, far more savage than the North.
In addition to the established 
characters like Khraen,  
Henka & Nhil, ‘She Dreams in Blood’ 
introduces a few more complex characters.
The stand-out is ‘Bren’, a sailor on the ship 
that Khraen & Henka take towards the end of ‘Black  
Stone Heart’. Bren is like a counter-weight to 
Henka, with Khraen using him as a moral compass.  
Bren is not an innocent who always 
chooses the right thing – instead,  
his advice is pragmatic and human, something 
Khraen realizes he lacks. Bren’s presence  
shows Khraen’s growing mistrust of 
his history as well as Nhil & Henka.
Nhil continues to be my favourite supporting 
character, though. While being an active  
sounding board for Khraen, his snark is 
entertaining and mysterious at the same time.  
Questions remain as to his exact relationship 
with Khraen and what his ultimate plan is.  
Henka’s motives are also suspect, but her 
character is not as interesting as the others,  
given that she seldom has 
doubts about her actions.
Khraen continues to be amongst the 
best characters

I have ever read.
He is not a hero, and the more he is pushed,
the more his actions make him a villain than an
anti-hero. His inner monologues (
and sometimes external dialogues)
are as compelling to read here as in ‘Black Stone
Heart’. We can see his desire to be a better
person, but circumstances and actions make him
behave more like the Demon Emperor that he was.
Khraen wrestles with existential
questions this time too.
What if the only way to save the world is to
become a reviled person like who he was before?
Is it worth sacrificing a few to save the world?
I like that these kinds of philosophical questions
are an intrinsic part of the plot since they make
character development so much more nuanced,
and they help provoke the reader into thinking.
I will use ‘Black Stone Heart’ as the
benchmark since that book is almost perfect,
in my opinion. There are many things that I love
about ‘Black Stone Heart’. The express pacing,
the brilliant writing, the
characters and the moral dilemmas.
‘She Dreams in Blood’ has all these strengths and
is a worthy successor to ‘Black Stone Heart’. The
writing is as strong as ever with ‘punch’
dialogues and how Michael Fletcher draws
the reader into the story. The pacing is a
bit more sedate. I suppose this is because
while in the first book, Khraen was starting from
zero, in this one, he is consolidating his plans.
‘She Dreams in Blood’ has a faster pacing
than most other books in this genre.
As far as world-building is concerned, we
get to see more of the Southern Islands.
Most of the story takes place on an island
that is a bit evocative of Dr Moreau.
The rest of the story is on a larger island
that is the unofficial hub of the archipelago.
I found the latter setting more
interesting in terms of world-building.
But when it comes to the climax and ending, it
edges out ‘Black Stone Heart’. The climactic
scenes are way better in terms of both action
and Khraen’s deeds & decisions. The intriguing
ending leaves the reader in suspense, and I will
be eagerly looking forward to what happens next.

If you like the grimdark genre or are looking for
morally ambiguous characters, you should not miss
this series. ‘Black Stone Heart’ is fantastic,
and ‘She Dreams in Blood’ takes it to 11.