hello, if you are looking for something to read that is a bit ✨brutal✨ with many hot Vikings and found family and a traumatized yet still plucky heroine and complex political intrigue and twists aplenty, then Road of Bones is exactly what you’re looking for.

It’s multi POV, the pacing is pretty quick, you’ll be thinking “hmm, are there multiple love interests???😏😏”, there magic system is interesting, there’s a female villain, and the stakes get higher and higher as you go.

It *is* the first in a series, but it ends in a way that feels incomplete and exciting, but not as if you’re on the edge of a sheer cliff and a slight breeze could blow you right over.

I really enjoyed this one, and will definitely seek out the sequel!

4.25🌟
2🌶️

Read if you like:
-Love triangles
-Strong but soft FMC
-A journey through a deadly road (of bones... wow who'd have thought)
-A ragtag group of travelers
I'm an unreliable narrator/reviewer on this one because I fell into a 3-week slump after starting it, so take my review with a grain of salt. The parts that I read and actually absorbed were good, hence the 3-star rating. Unfortunately, though, I forgot a lot of the foreshadowing or world-building or *insert whatever here* in the beginning, so by the time I got to the middle-to-end when the you-know-what started to hit the fan, everything was confusing or felt very spur-of-the-moment. I also understood so little about the magic system or the big twists at the end, and I did not know anything about the political hierarchy, which I believe will become a big part of the next books. I don't know if I'll be continuing this series, just because I missed so many details, but I'm not opposed to it. I loved A FATE INKED IN BLOOD, which held a lot of similar traits to this one, so I think I'd recommend this if you liked that.

A secret that her father has kept from her leads Silla on the run for her life. She has a long journey ahead of her and needs companions to keep her safe so she sneaks into a wagon. The people that own the wagon are hardened warriors who almost kill Silla but decide to give her a chance.

This begins a journey full of Viking-style battles, high stakes, life threatening situations and secrets. Oh so many secrets! Silla has quite a few of her own but as she gets to know theses warriors, she realizes there is more to them than she realized. An assassin hired by the Queen is set on finding Silla and is quickly catching her trail. It is imperative she captures Silla to redeem herself in the Queen’s eyes. She is not above using any type of methods to win, even her brutal skill in magic that can force people to do things she wants. The adventure, while deceptively long, is fun and filled with danger and romance. There is dark and brooding Jonas who is intrigued by Silla but can’t pinpoint why. He is possessive and “hands off her or you die” is not far from his lips. Their romance starts as a slow burn with tension in the pages long before their first kiss. The real draw of this book is the ending. Aaahh I love a great twist and this one I did not see coming! Let me tell you it was intense! I highly enjoyed this one and can’t wait for book 2.

I recommend this to those that love the possessive but passionate male characters along with a strong female lead who is coming into her own.

Thank you to Delacorte Press for the copy!

This is a top read of 2024 for me. I loved every minute of it, and after reading another Norse inspired fantasy where the main character is all hard edges, I loved seeing our FMC be so kind that she apologized to the rock she tripped over. I felt more connected to Silla than many FMC's in fantasy due to her gentle and somewhat soft demeanor and thoroughly enjoying her gaining the skills she will need to be able to protect herself as the story continues. The banter is excellent, and the world building was subtle yet thorough. Demi Winters is an author to watch!

yeah, this book was phenomenal. the first quarter was a little slow, but once it picked up, it PICKED UP. this book just got better and better the more you read, and i am so excited to read the next book

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amazon review submitted, pending system approval
Blog post scheduled for Nov 29th

**TL;DR**: After a few days away from this I think this is a hard pass for me.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: Silla has to run to a far off town for safety after her father is killed and of course she makes all the mistakes you’d expect. And shocker - two hot dudes appear!
**Characters**: Unfortunately… none of these characters worked for me, especially the main character.
**Setting**: I did really like the setting here. The Viking Vibes are very strong and the creatures are super fun.
**Fantasy:** It definitely felt very fantastical with hints of a strong magic but I didn’t absolutely love it.

**Thoughts**:

Unfortunately this was just… not a great one for me. In fact I finished this just a few days ago and I have already forgotten most of these character’s names. I had high hopes after the initial chapters but it was quickly dashed and trampled into bland disappointment.

Silla is on the run. The Queen wants her, she has no idea why, and her father was recently killed by her men. He tells her to run to a town quite a distance away and seek safety so off she goes. That setup, not super original but the gore and the brutality that we get in those chapters - it was great! But then we fall into the trap, the miscommunication. The flat out lies. Listen, if I’m on the run for a reason I don’t understand but I see the guy I’m lying to for a ride cut off a guys fingers and slit his throat in cold blood for lying? I think I’m going to find a way to fess up the truth. Silla not only lied once and got caught! But lied AGAIN and doubled down.

I dragged myself through this but honestly after that very… unfortunate choice I couldn’t connect or seem to care very much. I had high hopes and initially I was intrigued enough to perhaps finished but with more days it’s soured. This one wasn’t for me, and I likely won’t continue. But a lot of folks have loved it so give it a try if you’re super interested, it could work for you!

2 stars

OMG and I almost forgot her casual drug use? What was up with that? I have no issue with drugs or drug use in books but this was... not well done.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Demi Winters, and Random House Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the ARC for Road of Bones! The Road of Bones is Demi Winters debut book and WOW what a start to a new series!
 
This new fantasy book was such a fun trip (get it lol). We follow Silla as she escapes from the mercenaries who killed her father. She’s trying to travel as far north as she can get, meaning she must travel the dangerous Road of Bones while being hunted. When she hides in the wagon of another band of mercenaries, the “notorious Bloodaxe Crew”, she doesn’t expect them to let her keep traveling with them (after some back and forth) and take her in. One of these is the mysterious leader, Rey, and another is the charming but mysterious Jonas. She’s faced with a dilemma- stick with them and help them on their quest, but also keep her real identity hidden. We get POVs from Silla, Jonas, and Skraeda, the queen’s assassin who is hunting Silla down for reasons unknown to her.
 
This book was such a fun time and an enjoyable new romantasy debut. I can’t wait to start my ARC of the second book in the series after how we left off this one and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

**5/5 Stars**
*The Road of Bones* by Demi Winters is an absolute masterpiece of atmospheric horror and emotional storytelling. Winters masterfully balances the chilling, bone-deep terror of the frozen wilderness with a poignant exploration of resilience and humanity. The vivid, almost cinematic descriptions pull you into the icy desolation, making every moment of dread and danger feel tangible. The characters are deeply compelling, their struggles and sacrifices resonating long after the final page. Gripping, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable—this is a must-read for fans of dark, haunting tales.

I am kicking myself for sleeping on this gem for so long! One of my besties has been raving about the Indie edition for so long, but I never had time to read it as I was always scaling Arc Mountain. When it was released with a traditional publisher, I decided I needed to carve out some time. And I am so glad that I did!
Honestly, what’s not to like? I love anything having to do with Vikings, and this was no exception. Had all of my favorite tropes, including banter, exquisite world building, beautiful prose, engaging dialogue, and characters that I absolutely fell in love with.
The FMC completely won me over, and I loved all of her interactions with both of the MCs. Oh, and did I mention there is kind of a love triangle situation going on? That is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and I was living for the angst and tension between these three!
If you’re a true Romantasy fan, and you live for a beautiful fantasy world that you can get lost in, delicious romance, and a story that will keep you completely hooked from start to finish, you NEED to read this!
I need book 2 like yesterday.

Thank you NetGalley & Ballantine / Delacorte Press for my review copy!

So I really struggled with this one! The beginning felt like it took too long to get going and then when it finally kicked off I felt like I had whiplash from Silla and all her emotions.

That being said I was in an odd mood when I read this and it’s definitely possible that it played a part in how hard it was for me to finish this book. It DOES end on a cliffhanger so once the series is complete I will probably try again.

I do think this is a case of maybe not the right book for me but I do see other people loving it. So I’d recommend it for fans of romantasy and fantasy! A huge thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy!

This book was a surprise for me!
I did go into reading this for the romantasy aspect but I love love love found family.
One star less because miscommunication tropes are my most unfavorite trope of all time and MAN was there miscommunication.
The heroine was kickass.
Overall a good first introduction to the series.

Oh I absolutely adored this book!! It’s been a while since I’d read a fantasy book (have been reading lots of romance books lately) and this book just reminded me why exactly I love fantasy!
I loved our MC Silla! I loved the world building and the pace of the story. I was hooked right from the beginning and it definitely kept me up at night because I just couldn’t stop reading once I started!
The Vikings aspect of the book was so fascinating, and the romance was slowww burn (I cannot wait for book 2)
I’m so glad I picked it up and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Oh my goodness!! Everyone said I would love this romantic fantasy and I wish I had listened to them sooner. It took a little to get into, but I feel like that's what happens with any new fantasy book! Can't wait for the next one.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue this book. It started out so slow and I was losing interest. I decided to push through and I am so glad I did!! This was a good romantasy and I can’t wait to see where the series goes.

I initially rated this 3 stars…….however after a bit of time I’m going to say 4 stars. Here’s why…..I think I believed going I into this book that it would have a bit more spice…..it did have some but not as much as my typical books do. However if I look at this book as more of a fantasy novel then it did its job…….

It was intriguing
…..had a great magic system that was also unique
…..had a FMC that I rooted for
…..and Hot ass mercenaries who were protective over the FMC…

What more did I want?

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for a copy of this...book? ARC doesn't feel quite right since the book was previously published in 2023 (though perhaps the "ARC" release was because the author is traditionally publishing this now? IDK). Anyway, thanks to them for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. (Sorry the review is late! It took me longer than expected to finish this book.)

Related to the above: part of why I docked a star is because this book took me almost a MONTH to read, which is very slow by my own fast-reading standards. I struggled with the first chunk of the book--too many POVs were introduced at the beginning, and there was too much wandering in forests and not a lot of explanation of what was happening and why we should care.

Frankly, this book is TOO LONG overall. I am not scared of long books (I love some of them!), but this book should've been edited down further--there are multiple forest scenes that could've been cut or merged for brevity, especially when they didn't seem to further the plot.

On the flip side, things I loved about this book:
1) how the author flipped the usual "love triangle" or "straightforward romantasy pairing" setup and went for an interesting angle with the romances! I thought I knew what pairing was endgame and was really upset at first when they were momentarily separated by a plot event...just to realize the plot event showcased the REAL pairing and a slow burn romance to boot! Hoh-boy, that was an INSPIRED choice I am still reeling about. Also, I LOVE that the author went with the MMC I was rooting for (I wasn't so keen on the other MMC, even though I thought his scenes with the FMC were full of UST and then later RST). The (hopefully endgame) MMC was a surprise late favorite of mine, but I guess shouldn't have been a surprise given their personality and a late game plot twist, ha.

1b) related to that last sentence: i did NOT see the late game plot twist related to MMC #2 coming! I also didn't think MMC #1 would do a 180, romance-wise, but I guess I should've seen that given his controlling personality + family history...

1c) I cannot WAIT to see more of the (hopefully endgame) slowburn romance in book 2. :)) I got hints of Feelings/attraction with book 1, but I can't wait for them to actually Act on said feelings!

2) I thought the magic system was unique and can't wait to see more of it in future books!

3) the plot overall doesn't feel That unique to romantasy, but it also doesn't feel like I can guess exactly what's going to happen next.

Overall, recommend! Looking forward to the sequel(s). Just wish this had been written more concisely.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!

Boy, this one was a wild ride. If you enjoy Viking romantasy with touches of magic & battles, I don’t think this one will disappoint you. I found myself immersed with the adventures and lore, and the ending left with a good setup for book two.

Some things I liked:
-strong female characters like Hekla (she was my absolute favorite)
-found family trope
-battle scenes were written well
-tension between Rey & Silla was great
-believable manipulative relationships
-explosive ending!!


Some things I didn’t like:
-The size differences always mentioned. We get it, she’s small and she’s around big men.
-this was like miscommunication trope to the MAX. Like Silla did not tell a single truth.
-I found it hard to believe that a girl who has been on the run with her father for a decade is so useless for fighting??
-The pacing felt off and to be honest, it took me a really hot minute to get into. The last half of the book is what really drew me in.

I took off a star for these things, but I’m invested and would love to read book two. This was a good Viking story!

I really wanted to love this one but I kind of walked away feeling very mediocre. It had parts where it was very interesting and kept me reading, but then other parts started to drag and I started to lose interest. I loved the uniqueness and the emphasis on Viking lore. I wish there was a bit more magic. I know Silla is just finding herself but I felt like it wasn’t really described well. Also, the romantic interest felt very lackluster to me and maybe that was on purpose given how it played out, but I felt like it was totally unnecessary to the plot. I will most likely still read the second to see if it picks up but I’m not sure. I also know I’m an outlier. I know there have been rave reviews!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for an eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

I have been wanting a Viking inspired romansty that had a unique storyline and characters that I loved and Demi Winters delivered. I loved Silla’s journey through Road of Bones as she grows and finds the answers that had me turning the pages to discover. I loved the twist and turning of this story that had me questioning who I should be rooting for as our character makes connections with two broody warriors. I won’t tell you which one that I feel for but I definitely can’t wait for their story to grow in book 2.

oh wow, I really enjoyed this! A fun fantasy romance with vigilante vikings, a girl on the run, and a secret that unfolds as the story goes on. Betrayals, friendships, and first loves - I can't wait to see where this store goes in book 2!