Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!
So, after the first book, I thought I was prepared for how spicy this novel was going to be— I was wrong. If I thought the last book was spicy, good lord this one was a Carolina Reaper— and I, famously, have the spice tolerance of a piece of limp lettuce. There was a lot of eye rolling involved.
The spice level would have been fine if the plot had been interesting, but unfortunately, this was a classic second book in a trilogy— a lot of set up for the last book and not a lot of actual plot. What little plot there was just seemed like interludes between the sex scenes, like the characters themselves were annoyed with the fact that they had to do things besides have constant sex. It was a shame, because the plot was actually really interesting, and the book, like the previous one, was really well written! There was just WAY too much sex, and not enough story.
Thank you so much foe the opportunity to ARC read.
Things I liked: I liked the variety of characters, the plot twists were incredible, the world building was well done, I liked that this book was dual POV, it was nice to read another perspective with the first book being all from Calla's POV, the different types of magic was interesting and the relationship between characters was relatable.
Things I didn't like: I didn't like Calla, I actually had a hard time with all of the characters for whatever reason. The flow of the book was up and down making it hard to keep my interest at times.
Overall, this was a good continuation in the series and set up the premise for the third book nicely.
I rated this book 3 stars.
4.5 stars
Book 2 continues to fall Calle and Sadie on their journey. This novel continues similarly to book 1. We get Dual POV and I thoroughly enjoyed Sadie's POV. I was happy to see the story develop further, and the political and relationship aspects captivate me as a reader. The book continues to have lots of action but still focused on the characters themselves. I'm excited to see where the next book will take us.
One of the worst things about reading ARCs in a series is that I will need to wait even longer to read the rest of the series than if I had read the story after publication. A Sky of Emerald Stars is a book that I was very, very excited to read, and there was very little in it that disappointed me. A. K. Mulford writes compelling fantasy novels and always manages to add in characters who have been under/unrepresented in books historically, and I appreciate seeing those stories play out. The magic system that is introduced in this book is unique, and not one that I've seen before, so I found it to be really compelling.
There were a few tropes that I, personally, don't always like, but overall this book was excellent and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to take a deep dive into a new fantasy world that starts with a fun take on several fairy tales, includes fates mates, and fun and unique magic.
I will be EAGERLY checking to see when the next book is finished, because I can't wait to continue with this story.
I read “A River Of Golden Bones in 24 hours! So I was so excited to read “A Sky of Emerald Stars” by A.K. Mulford. It is a captivating continuation of The Golden Court Series, brimming with intrigue, romance, and magic. As the genderfluid Queen Calla strives to balance the needs of humans and shifters amidst the looming threat of war, we are introduced to Sadie Rauxtide, a royal guard grappling with personal betrayals and political challenges. The plot thickens as Sadie must team up with Navin, a musician whose past actions left her heartbroken, to rescue the Queen’s mentor from a rival wolf king. Mulford masterfully intertwines complex character dynamics with a rich tapestry of politics and magic. The evolving relationship between Sadie and Navin is fraught with tension and passion, driven by misunderstandings and unspoken truths. Sadie’s stubbornness and Navin’s gentle resilience create a compelling contrast that deepens as they navigate their mission. The novel excels in world-building, expanding the universe with a new magic system and exploring diverse settings, from the Ice Wolf pack to human settlements. The political maneuvering and shifting alliances keep the reader engaged, promising an exciting progression in the series. With its well-developed characters, intricate plot, and lush world, “A Sky of Emerald Stars” is a must-read for fans of queer romantasy.
Pretty good read. This is a part of a series and I highly recommend reading the others first. There were some things I wasn’t the biggest fan of but it was a quick and entertaining read! I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC
A sky of emerald stars is another great read of the year. Golden court is an amazing must read series.AK MULFORD is one of the best authors I’ve read and I cant wait for more by her! Thanks to netgalley & publisher for the ARC. The spice 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 woah
Here is my Talent Show Entry. The link is to my Goodreads review of A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne.
Listen, I was really craving a romance-heavy, character driven story. Idk if this book was objectively good or just exactly what I wanted in the moment because it’s much spicier than I normally go for but I absolutely loved it. My heart SQUEEZED every time Orpheus was like “she cares if I die…” He’s def one of my top MMCs and Reia didn’t disappoint either.
A Sky of Emerald Stars by A.K. Mulford is another excellent queer shifter romantasy novel in The Golden Court Series. Calla, the genderfluid Queen of the Golden Court, is doing their best to build a place where the needs of humans and shifters are seen to equally, but an oncoming war is creeping on all sides. Meanwhile, Sadie Rauxtide is still adapting to her life as a new royal guard—that is she would be if she ever left the bar to show up at court. She cannot get over the image of the human she cared for, Navin, betraying her before he left to continue life as a traveling musician. But when he appears bloodied at the court with news that the Queen’s friend and mentor Ora was kidnapped by their rival wolf king, Sadie is forced to work with Navin to get Ora back. Calla’s group will go to the Ice Wolf pack to ask for aid and Sadie, Navin, and Maez have their own diplomatic mission. Moreover, Sadie hates Navin as much as she desires him and the secrets, he’s keeping do not help the matter. In a sequel filled with equal parts politics, magic, and love, Sadie and Navin will have to confront the secrets that separated them in the first place, if they want to save the Golden Court.
The genderfluid flag on the cover, representing Navin’s sexuality, looks gorgeous. Sadie and Navin have a tumultuous relationship that relies on the dissolution of miscommunication and revealing truths. Sadie is incredibly stubborn and that also applies to her attitude in her relationships. Navin has to learn to fully trust Sadie, and his inability to do so early on leads to further resentment. Sadie is also looking to trust that Navin can take care of himself. Because he is a kind human and a musician to boot, Sadie has to learn how to recognize his strength in order to trust him. The shifting power dynamics between the two brought out the best in both of them. They have the ideal stubborn warrior meets soft artist relationship because those surface-level guises hide Sadie and Navin’s complexities.
I will also say, the world opens a lot more in book 2. There is a new magic system introduced and more interaction with both the Ice Court and small human towns. The shifting political and martial allegiances kept me keyed into the larger plot at play. I am looking forward to see where it all develops in book 3.
If you like queer romantasy, mates, and anything else Mulford has written, I would highly recommend picking up A Sky of Emerald Stars set to release December 24, 2024.
I really appreciate the arc for this book. It is always a great experience reading new things. I will say it was a bit out of my comfort zone in what I am use to reading. I usually prefer my books to have less real life issues. But it was great to see callas journey. What really drew me in about these books was the covers they are so beautiful
I really liked this one. We have dual POVs from Sadie and Calla, two people going through very different parts of life. Calla is exploring with their new self plus being a queen. Has to navigate war and diplomacy.
Then we have sadie who is going through heartbreak but her queen assigns her a mission for the upcoming war. We mostly see Sadie tryin to hate Navin but very much failing. This second-chance relationship is full of drama that I enjoyed. On top of that, this secind book is even more action-packed that book one. More conflicts, betrayals and mysteries. We find the humans are quite powerful, it is here we see the world-building get more complex.
I will be looking forward to find out the end of this series and hope we see Briar and Maez again and how everything will settle down
3⭐️
RELEASE DATE: December 24, 2024
This book is a Dual POV, as we follow Calla and Sadie through their journey.
I enjoyed the book. I definitely favored Sadie's POV more than Calla's. I wanted to always skip Callas parts. In my opinion, the characters, though, felt a little meh. Calla didn't grow very much in the book, she didnt stand up for herself. Sadie, though, grew and learned by her mistakes. The story, to me, didn't progress very much, and it felt like it was more of a novella.
Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers, and A.K. Mulford, thank you for letting me read this as an E-Arc. These are my honest and sincere opinions.
I picked up the first Golden Court book while at the airport back in February and have to admit that I was a little underwhelmed by it. I was coming off of a SJM hangover after rereading Crescent City in the lead up to CC3 being released. I liked it, just didn’t love it. I figured I’d give the second book a shot and see if 6 months later, it pulled me in.
After reading this next book in the series, I can say that it’s got its hooks in me now. I couldn’t put this one down and I’m already looking forward to the next installment. I think that the character development and overall arc of the story is really picking up and that helped me to really get into it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyagerfor the ARC of this one.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw this I didn’t realize that it was the second book in the series so I went back and read the first. In the first book I feel like it lacked traditional worldbuilding and then when things were brought up they either weren’t explained very well or they just quickly moved on from it. I feel like that continued in the second book. I wished there was a little more background to each Wolf clan. I feel like this story had a lot more potential but was not fully fleshed out. I like it enough to continue but hope it gets more developed in the next book. This is definitely a beginner romantasy book.
A.k mulford is a great author, and continues to blaze a trail and set a high bar for rep in literature. This series follows the higher bar of the mountain court, for myself not being a huge shifter book person, I love the relationships and people a.k brings to life. I will always support them
The second book in the The Golden Court trilogy continues in a similar vein to the first. The story of a pack of werewolves creating a court with their human allies and being challenged by other packs and bands of humans continues as a backdrop of the romantic relationship of the newly crowned queen, Calla, and her consort, Grae. Calla continues her first-person narration, but now alternating with the narration of Sadie who was a supporting character in A River of Golden Bones. In this iteration, Sadie has her own romantic entanglement with the human musician, Navin, whom she met in the prior book. There are altercations, battles, and magic but all the action is secondary to the couplings of the two stories. Readers who enjoyed the first book, should be pleased by A Sky of Emerald Stars and fans of the romantasy genre and shapeshifter stories that haven't started the series should consider The Golden Court.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
This book was really quick to read and was very well written. it was a 2nd in a trilogy but it didn’t take that long for me to understand. I liked the idea that even though the climax of the war wasn’t in the book, it was pending, and made the ending of the book even more solid that I thought it would be.
I didn’t realize this was a sequel so I read the first book and I AM SO GLAD I DID I LOVE THIS SO SO SO MUCH OMGGGGGG
Really enjoyed the next volume in this story. A.K Mulford once again exceeded my expectations with this high fantasy tale.
A.K Mulford is back with the 2nd book in the golden court trilogy.. this one continues from book 1
Calla is queen now and it’s time to take on the asshat king!
But secrets come out on the way to find allies