I absolutely loved book 1, A River of Golden Bones, and was so excited for this book, A Sky of Emerald Stars. But it just didn’t meet expectations for me.

What I enjoyed:
- Dual POV: we still get Calla’s pov but we also get Sadie’s POV and I really enjoyed that
- Character development: I feel like we got to see some really good development from Sadie and Calla, as well of some of the supporting characters
- The setting: Mulford never lets me down on her settings and the continuation of this world is no different! It was cool to get to explore more of the world in this book


What I didn’t enjoy:
- The plot didn’t really get anywhere. Like yes this is obviously stuff we need to know to move forward in the series. Setting up for a war and trying to acquire allies. But it just didn’t seem like the plot moved forward. It felt like a side quest.
- The pacing: this dragged. I was tandem reading (ebook + audio) and I still had to take a break because I got so bored.
- The romance between Sadie and Navin: I hate second chance romances. It is so hard to convince me that they can actually make things work a second time. This romance was on the way to convincing me and then!!!! <spoiler>All of a sudden (IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT) all is forgiven and they’re saying “I love you”. I went back to reread because I was SURE that I had missed something. I hadn’t. </spoiler>

I honestly feel like this could have been a novella and It could have been a 5 star read. But here we are almost 400 pages and a 3.5 star.

** thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an eARC and an ALC**

The second book in the Golden Court Series continues with Calla the wolf shifter. After reclaiming their land, war is still brewing in another court. Enter Sadie, another shifter who is the second POV in this story. She’s on a journey in a magical wagon to gain allies but she’s stuck in a forced proximity situation with her ex.

You do need to read book one, but I will say that I enjoyed book two even more! I had a really good time with this story and these characters. I loved the gender fluid representation.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, A.K. Mulford, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on December 24th.

A really good sequel. I enjoyed it a lot. Would recommend especially if you enjoyed the first book and the genre.

Gosh I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this book. The characters, the storyline, all of it!! It was such a good continuation of book 1 and I loved how everyone developed even more.

This was a great continuation to the first book. I enjoyed the pacing of the book, which is not rushed, but allows you to settle into the characters and the story. Having the dual points helped to keep track of everything going on, and the two narrators were amazing.

A secret song. A Hidden fortress. A world on the brink of war.

A Sky of Emerald Stars is the second book in the Golden Court series, continuing on the same trajectory that its predecessor left us with. While remaining in the mind of Calla and continuing their journey, we get to also learn more about Sadie, a wolf-shifter who has pledged her life to the Golden Court, but whose heart is also broken after a break-up with Navin, a human singer, and is grappling with the fact that she feels as if she doesn't have a place in this new world. When a friend of Calla, Ora, is captured, this forces Sadie to go on a journey alongside her ex in order to save them from the King who wishes to destroy the Golden Court and Calla. We revisit old friends and discover new secrets that threaten to upheave the very court that Calla and their friends have created.

I loved this book. It pieced so perfectly with the first that I decided to do a quick read of the first in order to bring myself back into the world of Aotreas. A.K. does it again, bring a rich world to life, creating characters that experience growth within themselves as well with others, and they have a way of bringing depth into the characters where you want to root for as well as feel a connection to.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ALC as well as A.K. Mulford for the Arc, as I am in their Patreon. I absolutely hope you give this book a listen, a read, and dive into the world of Aotreas as well.

A Sky of Emerald Stars is the second book in the Golder Court series. In this book we catch back up with Calla Grae but we also get to hang with Sadie and Navin on this new adventure they are on to save the kingdom and our beloved Ora from the clutches of King Nero.

What I love about Mulford is she has engaging and endearing characters that you cant help but fall in love with without sacrificing the swoon-worthy romance and storylines. The world building is solid and the character growth is unmatched.

A.K. Mulford is one of those authors that I will instantly buy when they have a new book out!

A Sky of Emerald Stars is the second in the Golden Court series. Mulford is particularly good at world-building and this story does not disappoint. If you like queer love stories, shape shifters, and political drama, this book is 100% made for you!

I’m sitting here, starring at this book, while frantically checking to see when the third book will be released.

While I enjoyed the first book, this one took it to a whole new level. I loved Sadie and Navin’s dynamic, and Maez was hilarious and endearing at the same time. Once again there was significant LGBTQ+ representation, and the themes of found family and dealing with societal prejudices were central to the plot.

I was able to listen to the audiobook and read the physical book courtesy of ARCs from NetGallery and Harper Voyager (thank you!). I enjoyed the narration as well, and felt like the pacing of the book was perfect.

I cannot wait for book 3!!!

3.5⭐ I liked this one sooo much more than book 1! The plot and characters felt way more developed, and I found myself way more invested in the overall story. There were so many shocking twists—one plot reveal had me gasping so hard I literally started choking.

That said, I do have a couple of complaints. Navin should have done way more groveling, and while the smut was really good, some of it felt a bit misplaced. It kind of seemed like a few of the spicy scenes were just there for the sake of it, which took me out of the story a bit.

All that to say, I’m so glad I stuck with the series, and I’m definitely interested to see where things go from here!"

“I pinched off my heart from the many faces of this man: a baker, a songwriter, a magician, a liar.”

I was so excited to be back in Aotreas with Calla, Grae and their friends and family. I wasn’t sure about the two separate story lines, one following Calla the other Sadie, at first but it grew on me as I kept reading. I love having dual POV stories and this was a different take on that, as the two characters were not experiencing the same things. I was happy to read Sadie and Navin work through their issues, they are my second favorite couple. This book was definitely spicier than book one, so be ready!
The secret magic that was a big part of this story was amazing! I haven’t read anything with that type of magic and it was refreshing to see something new.
My heart is breaking for Briar and Maez once again.
Last but NOT LEAST! The LGBTQIA+ representation in this series is just amazing!

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy. I can’t wait for book 3!!!

It's always a rare thing when a sequel is even better than the first one, and A Sky of Emerald Stars definitely delivers! This book had me captivated the whole time. I loved the dual point of view, the plot twists, and the romance. And of course I am always and forever a fan of A.K. Mulford's writing. This was an easy 5 stars and I'm DYING for the next one.

Just wasn’t it for me. I enjoyed the first book, so I thought I would enjoy the second book in the series. It just was a letdown. I wasn’t engaged with it as I was with the first book. I kept finding myself bored at times that I left to read something else.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

This book was absolutely beautiful. I love all the representation that is present and the characters, in my opinion, are well-developed.

This is the sequel to, A River of Golden Bones, a wolf-shifter romantasy. This book continues with queen Calla and her friends' story, as a war is on the brink between kingdoms. So Calla, her mate, and a couple of their close friends decide to go seek the help and an alliance with the queen of the ice wolf pack. In this book we get Calla as well as Sadie's pov, she was a side character in the first book. Calla sends Sadie and some of their other friends on their own mission, to save their friend Ora, who has been kidnapped by the king that is trying to start a war. Both Sadie and Calla and their groups of friends encounter difficulties during their missions, things go wrong, secrets are revealed, betrayals happen, as well as some more kidnapping. This book didn't lack action or adventure that's for sure! It was so fun to be back with these characters, and with the way this ended, I don't know how I'll wait until book 3 to find out what happens next! 💚📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of A Sky of Emerald Stars, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, the world continued to be an inviting atmosphere. While all characters have grown since the first book, there were moments where both Calla and Sadie felt reduced to one characteristic or emotion. Nevertheless, the twists that Mulford introduces feel new and tie well into previously established plot points. As always, Mulford writes a spicy, constantly tempting romance that perfectly fits the story. I would recommend this book to others interested in the genre.

Such a page turner! Strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, Fast paced book with multiple POVs and strong character development. It was great to visit beloved characters from the last book while also getting a new perspective from Sadie. This felt distinct from book 1 but in a good way. Found family is still a large part of the book which I really enjoyed. It felt authentic and natural. You really felt for the character and understood and loved them. "Maybe home isn't a where but a who". The last 100 pages had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put the book down. I was audibly gasping out loud. I am hooked and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!!

First off, I just love AK Mulford's writing. This is one of the very few wolf shifter series I enjoy. I loved book 1 and I think this book is a great continuation of the series.

I liked the parallel storylines as the golden court splits up to go gather allies for the war they know is coming with the silver wolves. And I love that we still get Calla and Grae. Gosh do I love them.

Sadie and Navin's relationship gets a lot of attention in this book. I can't say why this romance worked for me but it just did. Normally, I don't really like reading so much volatility in relationships but it worked for me here. I think because the author did such a great job of taking me on the emotional roller coaster that Sadie was on. I really felt for her. Sometimes I thought she should just go ahead and kill Navin.

The narration is great once again. I love the addition of a second narrator for this book. It made it so easy to follow the POVs.

I am ready for the next book! I can't wait to continue reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It was so amazing to rejoin Calla in her quest for her kingdom and self discovery. It was also amazing to see more of Sadie! But I’d also love to shout out Mumford for the growth of their writing, with each book I’m more and more enchanted.