Thank you for the ARC

As an avid reader of A.K Mulford's books, I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC to read. A.K Mulford has this magic when it comes to making worlds and characters that you can not only imagine but relate to in such a deeply emotional way. I love her Crowns of Okrith books and this one lives up to her writing style. Calla was so relatable and Grea was by far one of my favorite MMCs their journey through the land and their journey of discovery both apart and together showed so much growth. I loved of course all the side characters whom I can already see who will have their own books and I can not wait for those stories.

Ooooooh my gosh. This book completely throttled my heart. In it, our hero Calla goes on a journey to save her sister, Briar, who's been put under a sleeping beauty-style curse. As she adventures, she learns more about herself, and who she is as she stands on her own and takes her life into her own hands, whether it's her strength, her confidence, or her relation to gender in a society that prefers things to be black or white. Of course, like in all Mulford's books, there's incredible side characters as layered and multifaceted as the MC, and a super hot love interest. This book is a master class on emotion and tension, once I got past the 15% mark I was absolutely gobbling it up. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Briar would rally support through tea parties and balls and, as her guard, I’d muster it with my sword. I was definitely getting the better end of the deal, training in secret to be a killer instead of a dainty, poised princess."

🐺 Sleeping Beauty Retelling
🐺 Wolf Shifters
🐺 LGBTQIA+ Characters

A secret, warrior princess. A stolen kingdom. Wolf packs ruled by greedy men. A River of Golden Bones is a beautiful romantasy filled with so many amazing conversations.

"The roles of man and woman were so rigid, so constraining, completely controlling who we could be and what we would do with our lives."

"No mask I wore felt right— there was always a piece missing."

Not only does this book explore gender and identity, it also explores the idea of political systems we grew up in and never thought to question.

"Wolves took care of their own, and it was the humans’ own fault they didn’t do the same was how I’d always thought. Never mind that they didn’t have the glass houses to grow or enough coin to build one. My naïveté hit me like a slap in the face and, though the logical part of me already understood, I felt even more acutely about how wanting something didn’t translate to having something."

“I wonder sometimes how I never questioned it all before. I suppose I did in the back of my mind, but . . .”

I loved it. I devoured it. It checked all of my boxes:

Badass Main Character. ✔️
Fated Mates ✔️
Fantasy ✔️
Found Family ✔️

Sleeping Beauty with shifters in a fantasy setting. Yes please! I admit, I'm a big fan of AK's work and this did not disappoint. The representation in this book is well done and really helped make this world feel full and dynamic. This felt fresh, new and oh that spice was so sweet. Well done!

A River of Golden Bones had me with the Sleeping Beauty retelling, fated mates, and found family trope, but didn't quite meet my expectations. The pacing was a bit too chaotic, and the storyline too predictable. Overall, it was good but did not blow me away like I had hoped it would.

I just finished this ARC. I loved it so much!!

I love AK Mulford's work. They are easily a top favorite author. Instant buy for me.

This story is amazing, so much growth in the main character as they discover themselves, who they are, what they want and what they will do to obtain it.

Fated mates, secret twin, sleeping curse, evil sorceress and a kingdom to reclaim await you in this amazing story.

I kept almost putting this down. I just didn't feel like there was much happening, but then in the last chunk of the book it started to pick up and things started to go down. I also felt like the events that are set up ultimately don't matter/don't play into the action at the end at all--all of the conflict you expect to come to a head it just brushed past. Everything/all the tropes and ideas were just sort of thrown into the soup but weren't meaningfully layered or nuanced. I saw someone else describe it as a checklist of ideas and I can honestly say that i agree with them. It was hard to feel anything about the characters or what was supposed to be happening because it felt like we were just ticking the boxes of putting things in the story. The characters, though, is where the story really lost me. I didn't feel sad for Briar; I didn't care about Grae or Calla or Sawyn; I just didn't really like the characters at all or the way they largely acted. I can definitely see where this will really work for some people, but this just really wasn't for me, which is okay.

I really loved certain parts of this book, specifically parts with Ora. They were my favorite character. But as a whole, I unfortunately didn't love the book. I will most likely read the 2nd just to find out what happens next.

I really enjoyed this read! I loved the non-binary representation and the journey Calla went on to find themselves. It was refreshing that they were accepted and there was not plot point of anyone close to them feeling mad or "betrayed", just acceptance. The magic system and wolf shifting was super cool and I look forward to the battle against Nero!

I'm not a big fan of this book - I feel as if most of the action happens in the last 30% of the book. Some of the main conflicts (the confrontation with the Silver wolves while traveling and then the run in with the Ice Queen wolf) were not actually conflicts at all and they were brushed over in just a few pages. The main character just kept lamenting about her sister without adding anything new to the story or giving any detail that would strenghten their relationship in the reader's eyes

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable romantasy about werewolf shifters that incorporated elements of Sleeping Beauty into the story. The fated mates and found family tropes were enjoyable and done well. It's a New Adult book with characters that are just turning 20, so predictably it also includes themes of self-discovery and the growth that comes along with claiming your identity and learning to be vulnerable enough to show the world your true self. This is a series opener but has a satisfying ending rather than a cliffhanger, which I really appreciated.

Another good one by A.K. Mulford! Loved the Sleeping Beauty aspect of this combined with the werewolf shifter romance. I’m a sucker for the fated mates & found family tropes and this book does both really well. It also has some good political intrigue + lost princesses in hiding. The representation was really good as it always is in A.K. Mulford’s books.

This was a quick & easy read and the pacing moved right along. If I had to mention something, I would say that it maybe got a little cheesy at times, but overall the romance and Calla’s journey to finding herself were really sweet. The ending was satisfying while also leaving some storylines open for the rest of the series.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

A River of Golden Bones was a unique fantasy with lots of action, adventure, found family, romance, and self-discovery.

Our story begins with Calla, the twin to Briar, the last of the Gold Wolf shifters. Briar is betrothed to the prince of the Silver Wolves, a neighboring Court. But Calla and Grae have always been close,and Calla is struggling to accept the marriage alliance. But Calla has always existed in their sister's shadow, a hidden twin that no one knows about forced to act like Briar's bodyguard rather than a royal princess. But when the evil sorceress Sawyn interrupts the wedding and curses Briar to a deep sleep, Calla knows they will do whatever is necessary to save her sister, even if that means leaving Grae behind.

There was a lot to like about A River of Golden Bones. The wolf shifters in this story were unique, being the ruling class and acting as protectors for the humans, We also had a fated mates situation which I always enjoy, as it creates a really rich romance. As Calla sets out to save her sister, she finds some unlikely allies in the Galen den' Mora, a troupe of travelling human musicians, and Grae and his two Silver Wolf guards. The found family was my favorite part of this story, as the characters were charming and added a lot of heart.

One element that was really well done in this book was having a main character that identified as non-binary and gender fluid. I found this to be such an important element to the story, and something that sets it apart in the NA fantasy landscape. We see more authors adding in queer elements, but often as side characters or relationships. So to have Calla as a main character that is non-binary, as well as many other queer and non-binary characters was really refreshing. It was well explained in the story, and I love how Mulford showed the richness of their relationships and journey of self-discovery.

The story has a nice wrap-up at the end, but the door is clearly open for more to happen with Calla and Grae. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series to see what happens next for the Golden Court. Overall, a fun fantasy adventure with a lot of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Shifters, fated mates, hidden identity, questioning gender norms, self discovery, and a hint of sleeping beauty - this has it all. The beginning was fast paced and I loved it. It slowed down in the middle, but in that time we got to see Calla’s character development as she finally gets to step out of the shadow of what everyone expects of her and become the person that she is meant to be. While I loved the book, that was my favorite part since it touched on a very real situation that many struggle with. I felt the final battle was a little hasty, but I loved the plot twist. I appreciated that while there wasn’t this huge cliffhanger there was still a taste of what is to come next.

This book is in my top reads for the year. Not only does it include so many of the elements I want in a romantic fantasy book, but it also includes representation that we rarely see in these books.

Calla as our FMC was frustrating to me at first. Her constant need to do things on her own, remain in her sister's shadow, and continually push away the love that was being given to her unconditionally made me want to shake her UNTIL her confession of not truly knowing who she was came out.

The more vulnerable Calla becomes, and her growth once she is with those she trusts and cares for made me want to hug her and root for her success through the end. The found family trope in this book is strong and adds so much to the overall plot.

Overall, this book was fantastic. It was fast-paced, had LGBTQ rep that wasn't simply glossed over, and kept me on my toes.

4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A.K. Mulford's "A River of Golden Bones" is captivating from start to finish - this story is beautifully written with a great rhythm to the pacing of information. I fell in love with our main character, Calla. Calla goes through so much within these 400 pages - she is the secret twin of her sister, they are the last of the Gold Wolves & descendants of one of the greatest love stories known throughout the lands. Her twin was dubbed The Crimson Princess at birth, with a duty to fulfill by marrying the Heir to the Silver Kingdom, Grae. Calla must stay in the shadows, keeping her identity as the Gold Wolf a secret.

However, Briar is cursed at what should have been her wedding and put under a spell by the evil sorceress -- and Calla must step out of the shadows and adventure to save her sister and the kingdom. There's lots of secrets that we learn as we turn the pages...

Calla has struggled with her identity throughout her entire life - she finds herself identifying with the feminine and masculine parts of herself but doesn't feel like she completely fits one or the other. During her journey to rescue her sister she meets up with some musical humans who help her see the world with a new perspective. This "found family" help Calla realize who she truly is, meanwhile her childhood friend, crush and turned mate, Grae helps her accomplish her goals and shows her that she can be accepted and loved just the way she is.

I wasn't expecting the level of spiciness in this book - which was certainly a satisfying surprise!

This is definitely an LGBTQ+ positive and inclusive book which is one of the first that I've read to tackle being non-binary and challenging the traditional gender roles. I would highly recommend this book to those who are fans of fantasy, royal politics, fated mates, wolf shifters, and seeing the world in a new way. I look forward to consuming more from A.K Mulford in the future and continuing with the series.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free arc* *all thoughts are my own*
*mild spoiler for one small scene*
This was a really good book and was very enjoyable. It had me giggling and smiling through a good chunk of it. too.
First half and ending were really good, second half was pretty good too, just got a wee bit cheesy at parts like with a whole "beautiful singer starts singing without realizing other people were listening and the crowd applauded the wonderful voice" trope.. which did have me cracking up a bit, I will admit.
I really really liked the self-discovery of the main character though. it felt super natural and I loved how Ora helped by just being there and understanding. When Ora and Calla were talking, and Calla finally put the feelings to words was just great, I loved that whole scene so much.
It wasn't the best book ever and I had some issues with parts of it but overall I had a very very fun time reading it which is more important to me lol. It had was kinda cringey and silly and points, but if you want a fun read with a lil touch of smut, and self-exploration from the main character exploring/ figuring out their gender, check this out for sure!

One of my first ventures into a more 'shifter'/werewolf romance. I enjoyed how the book was written, with Calla being a strong character who didn't think they needed anyone but learns they cannot save their sister or their kingdom on their own. The representation within this book is also magical, I liked how it showed the breaking of the binary with different words. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had more 'spice' than I had anticipated, but it wasn't bad. There is a lot of 'fated mate' trope which I haven't read too much of in this sort of world, but would be excited to see it used again.

Here are the ingredients.
Princess
Princess.....the heir to spare and kept in secret (of course).
Prince........best friend to secret princess BUT engaged to older twin (because, of course)
Sleeping Beauty
a little Anastasia
A curse
so, more Disney princess 'things'
The royal family's plans
a planned marriage
Werewolves
fate
New Adult
coming of age
NOW stir it all together and you get a book I originally wanted to read because of the cover and then fell in love with the pages laid inside. Phenomenal!

I'm having a tough time reviewing this one because I am generally a huge fan of A.K. Mulford. She's a sweetheart and I've loved her previous works. This one, however, had a lot of potential but still fell flat.

A River of Golden Bones is a sleeping beauty retelling with just enough twists and turns to make the story feel refreshing and new. It included all the elements that you might want in a romantasy: LGBTQ+ rep, fated mates, political intrigue, wolf shifters. However, it almost felt like all these elements and tropes were layered one on top of another with no seamless integration or reasoning. It felt more like a checklist than anything and I never quite felt engaged. I didn't really care about Calla or Grae, I didn't feel sad for Briar, I didn't feel conflicted about Sawyn during the climax. Nothing hit home the way it should've if the story were crafted better.

I genuinely think that this series has potential and I have hope that future installments will resolve some of these issues.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my review <3