Thank you netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this book. I’m giving this 3.5 stars. The romance between the two main characters fell a little flat for me. The book overall was kind of slow and hard to keep up. It was a good fantasy book but a little to ya for me than others I’ve read before.

I enjoyed this book so much! This is a re-telling of sleeping beauty but with wolves. There were so meany surprises in this story and I very much enjoyed this journey with theses characters.

This was such a good read! I loved Calla, she was a very strong FMC with determination and the bravery to journey to save her sister (and take back her kingdom!) instead of waiting around for someone else to save her. I didn't particularly care for the relationship between Calla and Grae, I think because it started with them both secretly pining for each other (the friendship was already in place), and you didn't get to see that relationship develop. The author did have the characters reminisce on their childhoods together so you kind of got an idea of what they were like together and how they became important to each other, but I love reading the banter and chemistry develop and you don't get that (it quickly went from 'we're friends' to 'I love you'). I actually really liked the villain in this book. She isn't black and white, and while she definitely did bad things, her backstory made me sympathetic to her. I'd honestly really enjoy a book from her POV from when she was younger. If you like fated mates, wolf-shifters, spicy romance, and a dangerous quest you'll enjoy this book!

3.6

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*Recieved an eARC from netgalley for an honest review. Thank you!

I am actually pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this book for the most part. The writing isn't jaw-dropping, but it's not irritatingly repetitive and it flows fairly well, plus the pacing was done well enough that I was always engaged.

Now, I did not know much going into this book aside from the small blurb. I definitely was not expecting to read a book about fated mates, which I have a very negative experience with. From my previous experience with books that contain this trope, gender essentialism is just rampant and in your face. However, I have to give props to the author for including the fated mates trope in such a way that includes a variety of identities that I scarcely see in other books. It also wasn't just thrown in there to get brownie points. The world the author builds to be inclusive is actually organically done, most of the time. There were certainly parts where it felt a bit off or cringe, but in general, I think the author truly wrote this with the good intention of creating a world where we see a fantasy, medieval society fighting to be inclusive.

The main character, for instance, initially starts off their journey to take back their kingdom with the sole purpose of avenging their family, protecting their sister and returning home. However, they learn that reclaiming the throne is more than just those initial desires; It also comes with overturning old traditions that segregated their people, ending the patriarchy. welcoming people of different backgrounds etc. And all of this comes with their own self-discovery, which I can definitely appreciate.

Following with this, I think the characters are actually pretty likeable. They're not the most memorable, but they were still written in a way that gave them room to develop and have flaws. The other pet peeve I tend to have with fantasy/romance books like this is that the characters are incredibly overpowered and are perfect in every way, lending them to be the some of the most boring characters ever that rarely face consequences. But in this book, the characters do have moments where they misjudge other characters, or they aren't as strong as they make themselves out to be initially, which they then learn to humble themselves. This is executed really well with the humans and wolf-shifters' relationship, for instance. I actually found the main character's interaction with Ora, one of the human bards that the mc travels with, the most endearing.

Romance-wise, it wasn't the most mind blowing thing either, but I honestly am not annoyed at it. I think the mc and their love interest had a relatively realistic relationship development. It may seen insta-lovey, given that a lot of the build up of their friendship is offrecord (before the events of the book), but I enjoyed that the actual romantic part of their relationship was pretty tumultuous at the start, and it took time for the love interest to earn back the mc's trust. In doing so, he became a better character in my eyes. Plus, he knows how to support the mc without try-harding to be a feminist king, like some certain character from another certain book.

There's sex btw. Quite a few attempts, some successes. There was one sex scene I was not on board with because the timing was incredibly off. The other thing I find myself despising is how fanfic-y most fantasy romance writing ends up being when sex is involved, but this was okay.

Overall, this book actually felt whole and complete. The pacing was done fairly well, the characters had actual development, and I liked the themes that the author included in this.

4.5⭐️
A river of golden bones is a twist on Sleeping beauty where instead of waiting for her prince to save her, Sleeping beauty’s twin steps out from the shadows and kicks ass to free her sister.

Set in a world where wolf shifters rule the humans, we follow Calla, a wolf shifter royal who was hidden with her twin Briar, away from the world for twenty years. The twins come out of hiding for Briar, the heir of the Golden Throne, to accept her role as the bride to Prince Grae, the heir of the Silver Throne, joining their two courts. When the evil sorceress who had taken Briar’s throne finds out about their return she places Briar into a deep sleep. Calla risks everything to save her/their sister finding friends, family, love and her/their trueself along the way.

I adored our main character, Calla who was underestimated every step of the way. I loved the way she/they connected with others, which helped us to really see her/their true nature. Her/their relationship with Briar was so genuine and loving, her/their love for Grae was complicated but beautiful, her/their care for the humans and wolves she/they travelled with lovely. Even the way that Calla grieved over her/their actions towards her/their enemies showed her/their heart. So much heart yet so fierce and brave.

The remaining cast of characters were all uniquely amazing and played off each other in such a fun way, in typical AK Mulford style. Part of the fun of the story is finding out who Calla connects with, so I won’t share any details here!

This was quite the emotional read, bringing me to tears many times. The secondary storyline of Calla stepping out from the shadows of her/their sister to start to see herself/themself as she/they wants to be and to eventually embrace her/their true self brought all the feels. It felt like an honour to witness this journey of self discovery.

This was a fantastic read, the world building helped me to feel like I could step right into the book, the journey was focused and the pacing had a lovely variation. I am looking forward to moving onto book two and have my fingers crossed that it continues to be told from Calla’s POV.

This book includes:
- queer characters
- fated mates
- royal politics
- secret heir to the throne
- sleeping beauty retelling
- wolf shifters

Thank you to Harper Voyager and the author for the eARC. I have voluntarily shared my review and all thoughts are my own.

Thank you A.K. Mulford/Netgalley/Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. Much appreciated.

((Please note I've chosen they/them pronouns here for consistency as per their bio, which indcates either they or her.))

I have a tenuous relationship with A.K. Mulford's work. Their other series that I've read--THE FIVE CROWNS OF ORKITH--was a strange ride. The first, I did not like. The second, I did. The third, I did not. I'm yet to read the EVERGREEN HEIR but if we're continuing the pattern stated above, I might like it. Ultimately, that series felt sort of like a generic fantasy-romance with Fae that did not, altogether, bring anything new to either Fae, fantasy, or romance. I'm mentioning all this to give you an understanding of why I was hesitant to request this, but went against my better judgment and did.

This one did not resonate with me, for reasons I'll do my best to outline.

1. A.K. Mulford's prose--their actual writing--has never been fantastic to me. While reading her previous series, I felt I read flashes of excellent writing, bogged down with tropes of the fantasy-romance genre that they did not dig into properly, thus everything felt flat. That is how I felt here. I would like to see A.K. Mulford work on her craft a bit more, to really push themself, because I feel them capable.

2. This work attempts to question and examine gender roles/identity, which at times, felt fantastic, and at other times, felt forced, hollow, and cringe. Going into reasons why is likely spoilery. I will leave that until after release. (Please note this critique comes from my own experiences with gender identity.)

3. I've never been fan of A.K. Mulford's actual sex or romance scenes. They very much fall into the category of trying too hard whilst being wooden--no exception here.

4. The worldbuilding (much like their other series) is embarrassingly flimsy at best, and suffers from someone who wants to write a romance (...see above) and has thrown a bunch of fantasy elements that are not clever, unique, or well-developed enough to drive the narrative forward in a way where the world shapes the characters in an interesting manner. A.K. Mulford suffers from what most romantasy books do: they are often romance writers, not fantasy writers, with little understanding of the fantasy genre to be able to blend the two genres together in a meaningful, and satisfying way. To be a good romantasy writer--you need BOTH.

That's not me saying this book is terrible. At times, it was even mildly enjoyable. Just not good.

'Sleeping Beauty' x wolf shifters, with strong themes of gender identity and gender roles. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy Fantasy and Fairy Tale retellings.

#ARiverofGoldenBones #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. Read more reviews! http://dreamerjbookreviews.blogspot.com

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced copy.


This was good and stayed on trend to Mulford’s other writing. Calla is the hidden twin sister to the crimson princess who has been hidden away for 20 years from the evil sorceress that killed their parents. Calla has been raised to be the protector and shadow which all comes crashing down when they come out of hiding for Briar (calla’s twin) wedding to Grae. The sorceress shows back up and curses Briar after some revelations about each twin. Also, they are the last of the golden wolves and are wanting to get back to their kingdom to reestablish their seat. Calla ends up running to try and save Briar, meeting up with a unique group of performers.

I enjoyed this, though at the beginning it felt a little rocky. There is good inclusion in the book, and I enjoyed realizing some of the conclusions the MC came to about how others were treated matched what I would also think. I’m hoping this is a series and will look forward to both the release of this book and any future ones!

From bestselling author and TikTok sensation A.K. Mulford comes the first riveting, enchanting book in the all-new Golden Court romantasy trilogy--A River of Golden Bones begins a journey of self-discovery, romance, and adventure for a young heir as she/they comes out of hiding to save her sister from a malicious, powerful sorceress and her dangerous sleeping curse.

I love A.K. Mulford's work and this book was no exception. I can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy.

I think the best way to describe this book is calling it Sleeping Beauty retelling x Shifter omegaverse romantic fantasy? There's a lot to unPACK here. Yes, it was funnier in my head.

The book handles a variety of concepts and themes, primarily Calla's journey of self-discovery. For the majority of her life, Calla was raised in her twin sister Briar's shadow as a willing protector for the future ruler of her besieged kingdom that they hope to one day save through her sister's marriage to Grae, prince of neighboring kingdom, childhood friend, not-so-secret crush of Calla.

Throw in fated mates, LGBTQ themes and characters, wolf shifting, spicy romance and it's a fascinating world that would make a killer CW show. It truly does feel like the child of an AO3 omegaverse fic with the storytelling and adventure of a fantasy drama that would air on The CW.

Some not-so-great points: the book features a cliched take that I'm not so fond of in fantasy. There's this huge stigma and class division between the Wolves (the shifters) and the ordinary humans. Humans hate Wolves for their oppressive power but Wolves rule the kingdoms for its "long history of protection".

Calla and the other Wolves up until almost half of the story never think to question this system of power even when Calla is a victim to it. Only when she encounters and interacts with humans on a more familiar level does this change. This is something that just feels bland and overdone and rooted with racial allegory that doesn't sit quite right with me. In particular, there's this massive emphasis on the stigma against humans and Wolves sleeping together. This entire aspect of the world just was disappointing.

However, one aspect of the story that I could particularly relate to and found incredibly appealing was Calla's self-discovery in regard to gender, gender roles, and gender identity. Calla internally rejects the womanhood that her society is accustomed to, yet struggles to verbalize and claim her own identity on the transgender/non-binary spectrum. This was my favorite aspect of the story and one I personally felt was meaningful and well-developed.

Overall, I genuinely liked the overall story and writing that A.K. Mulford brought to life and anticipate the continuation of the series. In the meantime, this definitely piqued my interest in reading some of Mulford's other fantasy books.

I love the LGBTQA+ community representation! It’s something so rarely seen as a MC, let alone in fantasy. This has everything I love in a book and I’m happily waiting for the next one!

Twins Calla and Briar have been told all their lives who they are and who they are going to be. Everything changes when they are betrayed by the very people they put all their hope into. now Calla must break ancient laws, betray her way of life, and abandon everything thy thought they knew in a journey to save not only herself, but their cursed twin. on the way, she learns the truths about what holding on to tradition can cost... and learns what it means to be who they truly are. Some secretes, are worth revealing, and many traditions, are worth tossing away for the betterment of all.

This book, was amazing. following Calla as they discovered the person they truly are, watching hem fight against an oppressive system determined to force her into a box. overcoming everything that was put in their way. the plot was amazing, the characters where relatable and filled with personality. the spice was A+ and the pacing was marvelous. I never felt bored, nor did I feel rushed and the ending was super satisfying.

All in all, I highly recommend this book! especially for anyone who is on a journey of self discovery.

This was a surprising young adult read that I enjoyed diving into. Honestly, I kind of felt like I was missing a whole book's worth of background, but it eventually all started to make sense, but Mulford really drops you into the middle of the day and middle of the action, left to wander around a little bit to figure out what is happening.

I enjoyed the character development, and while I wish there was a little bit more spent on the sister's relationship growing, I totally understand this is a story around our heroine and her soul mate, plus coming to terms with her relationship with herself and her identity. I was a little confused that gender identity/discovery was part of the back-flap blurb, since I didn't really feel like it played into the story's throughline, other than "she doesn't like wearing dresses" and similar nods in the same vein. Maybe I was looking for more dramatic discoveries than might eek themselves into a YA fantasy romance. /shrug

5/5 fantasy world-building with human/wolf transformations
3/5 familial relationship-building
3/5 personal discovery storylines
4/5 character building

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy (ARC) via NetGalley! Always game for reading a new fantasy adventure!

You know those books that make you forget you're even reading and something snaps you back to reality and you remember youre reading and not watchinga brilliant movie or something? This was one of those books for me!

It's 2 am, I couldn't put it down, I loved every second. The found family, fated mates, the plot twists, and the freedom to be as you are touched my heart. ❤️ excited to see what's in store for the next book! I loved Calla's fierceness, and loyalty to those she loves. I instantly liked Grae and his protectiveness, and you can't forgot all the amazing side characters as well, that built this story to be something even better!

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher, and anyone else involved for allowing me to arc read! Review is also posted on Barnes and Noble and Books a Million, links have not came through at this time for me to share.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716855593

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/442586208?source=link_share

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishing and the author for allowing me to have an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I had never heard of this author before now and clearly - I have been wrong to never look at one of their books before now because DAMN. I humbly offer this author my hand in marriage if she could give me the rest of this series now.

As stated before to everyone who know me, I hate romance in books. I'm incredibly picky with what I want to see in a romance and very rarely do I actually read books that focus on romance as a whole. That being said, I supported this book's romance from page one. I do agree that it does feel a bit like insta-love at some points - especially at the beginning. BUT I was pulled into it and fully supported Calla and Grae. Their relationship seemed so very believable. The small bickerings that happened but always uniting together and talking about ever

I think what mostly drew me into this book was the fact that I myself feel the same way Calla does. I saw my emotions, my crisis, my heartbreak, my really everything in Calla. Their crisis and acceptance made me feel like I was being embraced by a warm hug. The casual nonbinary representation with Ora too (who owns my heart). It felt like everyone, regardless of gender identity could be accepted and loved. Inclusion should come natural like this.

I felt loved in this book. If this book has a million fans, I'm one of them. If this book has one fan, it's me. If this book has no fans, then I'm dead. This is a new favorite.

This was a good romantasy book. I enjoyed the fact that this was different from the usual fae/ vampire romantasy's that are very popular. This has wolf shifters, and it was refreshing to read. This book follows the main character Calla who was born into a royal family, but her parents were killed, and their kingdom was taken over by a sorceress. Calla has a twin sister who has been promised to be a queen, while Calla has trained to be a protector and is hidden as no one knows that she's royal.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and descriptions in this, It wasn't hard to understand what was happening. The pacing was also good for the most part, and I was invested and wanted to know what was happening. The middle pacing was a little slow but still flowed well with the story. The characters were really well done, I loved the queer and gender representation and how normalized it is in this world. The romance was spicy, and I don't see a lot of friends-to-lovers trope in fantasy romance, so I liked that aspect. The plot was one of my favorite things, so much, action, political intrigue, adventure, romance, and overall compelling story. The book ended well, and I'm waiting to see what comes next.

Read for:
- Fated mates
- Queer characters
- Wolf shifters
- Political intrigue
- Sleeping beauty retelling
- Strong main character
- Spicy scenes 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager for this arc for an honest review. I'll post my reviews on my blog and social media page closer to the release date.

Beautiful world building by this author.It was amazing to see it emerge and still stay interesting.
Loved the fairy tale angle and the fact that it wasn’t the biggest part of the book.lots of romance and fights and a strong main character.
This was an easy, fun read.Perfect for fantasy lovers.
Thankyou Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC

First I want to thank HarperCollins publisher and A.K. Mulford for the opportunity to read this E-ARC.
I immediately wanted to read this book just from the cover, the description really pulled me in then once I dove into reading the book I had trouble putting it down.
The representation of LGBTQ in this book was done very well, I loved the immediate acceptance from Callas mate Grae as well! I quickly related to the main character Calla feeling like they dont fit in anywhere, I love when the characters are relatable! I definitely got some sleeping beauty vibes from this book but it was a very loose retelling.

The adventure we were taken on in this book was top notch. I really enjoyed the Galen den' Mora the idea was very unique and the authors description of it really helped me picture it.

I give this book 4 stars. I loved it but I'm really burnt out on short curvy main characters and tall huge male main characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, A. K. Mulford, Avon & Harper Voyager for this eARC!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

A River of Golden Bones brings us on an incredible journey with Calla and Briar, twins born to a royal family before their parents were killed and their kingdom taken by an evil sorceress.

One is destined to marry into royalty and live the life of a queen.
The other is a secret. Destined to stay in the shadows forever... or are they?

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞."

A River of Golden Bones is for you if you enjoy:

⚔️ Sleeping Beauty retelling
⚔️ Fated Mates
⚔️ Wolf Shifters
⚔️ Gender Discovery
⚔️ LGBTQIA+ Relationships

This book fully exceeded any and all expectations I had. The world building, the descriptions of both characters and locations allow the reader to fully immerse themselves in this book. A River of Golden Bones is a monster-filled, action packed journey of self discovery and gender exploration. The fantasy genre has too little representation of trans characters and queer couples, I am so glad this book will be releasing to take the literary world by storm.

I am not-so-patiently awaiting the next step in Calla and Briars story and anything else that A. K. Mulford has in store!

I thought this was younger YA but it's not...

The best part of this book was Calla's discovery of herself and who she wanted to be. Her relationship with Ora was lovely bc her relationship with Grae had more of tell don't show element to it. And I think SJM has really ruined the word mate for me forever.

Good representation, quick enough read and a generally likeable group of main characters. The villain twist was interesting; but like all super villains her motivation was skewed.

And hopefully they see this before it goes to print: the expression is 'couldn't care less' not 'could care less' and since it's uttered more than once, I hope it gets fixed!