While the first three books in The Severed Realms are interconnected standalone novels, this book is not a standalone. It should be enjoyed only after reading A Word so Fitly Spoken and A Bond of Broken Glass . A Throne of Blood and Ice is the first in a two-part finale to the series. Blaise wasn’t supposed to be the villain. She was supposed to charm the prince, the male she’s loved for years. That was all the potion was supposed to do—give her another face, and only for a few hours. All so she could prove the prince loved her.