"It is a man's world in which we live, Skraeda. Let them think us lambs, when truly, we are wolves."

WOW!! What can I say about the start to such an amazing series!? I started this book only knowing that it was a romantasy about Vikings, and had no idea that I was about to embark on an adventure that had me gripping my book during fights, kicking my feet during flirty moments, and my mouth dropping at the twists and turns.

We follow our FMC, Silla Nordvig, as she is running for her life after being told to travel the Road of Bones to a safe house. A perilous road overran with mercenaries, thieves and dangerous creatures that you've never heard the likes of before. She sneaks into a supply wagon to try and better her odds of survival, but it turns out she has placed herself in the company of the notorious Bloodaxe crew, who is on a mission for a murderous king for the biggest payout of their lives.

This book has :
Unique Magic
Sexy-Stabby Vikings
Found Family
Everybody is Morally Gray
Grumpy Sunshine
Did I mention the Sexy-Stabby Vikings??

This book had me giggling, crying, yelling, and practically running to grab the second book when I was done. The author does a phenomenal job of showing the growth Silla has throughout her journey and learning to trust herself and how to place trust in others. And I for one cannot wait to see what is in store for our characters next!

Spice: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Multiple POV
Love “triangle” (but not really)

I want to start this off with stating that I HATE love triangles, I refuse to read a book that has a love triangle because I do not like the thought of the guy I want the FMC to be with not being chosen. And after reading a couple of chapters of this book I was very nervous about this because I was already completely engulfed in this book and did not want to stop reading it because of some stupid love triangle, so I went to try to peak at the reviews on here to try to get some more information and thankfully saw @LaineLibrary’s review that helped to ease my concern and 100% agree with everything she said. This is not a true love triangle book, there is no “I wonder who she will pick”. It is done in the most perfect way (with you getting exactly what you want in the end).

Now as for the story itself – this was a complete masterpiece all around.
Every single character has so much depth and so much growth throughout this entire book, not a single character falls flat. Silla was written so perfect, she is everything you want to see in your FMC. You feel every single emotion she feels because of how well she is written.
This was the first book I have ever read in my entire life that actually kept my brain running when I was trying to fall asleep. There is one section that is so intense that I forced myself to finish that chapter and had to go to bed because of work and I actually kept replaying the scene in my head thinking about what was going to happen. That’s how powerful this book was written.

THIS FREAKING BOOK!!!!!!

This book was a perfect book 1 to a fantasy series. It was a little slow at the begging, but it was laying the foundation of the world & character dynamics. Silla is SO enjoyable and lovable. Jonas & Rey are both mysterious through most of the series, but you have an idea where they both stand by the end of the book.🤪

The ending of this book was an amazing segue into book 2 which is amazing. I cannot wait to dive into the next book because I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

What to expect:
- lots of world building
- slow to medium paced through the beginning
- slow burn with some spice
- innocent heroine
- unknown identities

This story grabbed me from the beginning. There were secrets and lies and hidden powers. There was a band of mercenaries that win your heart and a MC that doesn't always make the best choices.

I gave it 3☆s because I felt it dragged in the middle to the point of being almost boring and I felt this so-called dangerous road of bones wasn't nearly as deadly as we were led it would be, lol.

I still had a fun ride and would have given a higher rating if about 100 pages shorter to help with the pacing.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC!

5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! ACOTAR who? FOURTH WING what? I love an epic journey quest and Demi Winters did it right! This is my first book of hers I have read and I cannot wait to read the second one!

I absolutely loved this book. Like I LOVED it. One of my favorite fantasy books of the year. The setting, the plot, the creepy creatures, the found family, the romantic twists, the characters, the one horse trope, the simmering jealousy, the banter, the training, the rescue missions. It was all perfection for me. The world, characters, and relationships feel so real. They are so well developed and complex that I truly felt like I was traveling The Road of Bones with the Bloodaxe Crew.

I love how strong Silla is while still being caring and soft. And she's got JOKES. "That man needs to hug a baby or pat a dog."

I love how broody and grumpy Rey is while still having a mushy center under all those muscles. "The man had an emotional range of a thunderstorm." BUT he has "Dimples. Dimples."

"You're Crew now, and we do not leave anyone behind."

Okay, WOW! This book was seriously so good. The entire story was so rich and complex, but beautifully crafted. The first 10% or so is a little slower, as there is a lot of world building to create, but once you dive in, you DIVE in. And things just get incredible.

I loved the found family aspect of this book and how the author wasn’t afraid to take on some hard topics. Immediately upon finishing this book, despite it being late at night, I had to go right into the next book. I’m so excited to continue this story. The insane plot twists that happened at the end of this book make it impossible to not pick up book 2.

A Viking-inspired romantasy with a cut-throat band of thieves, a complex magic system, a bear god, and broody bearded warriors with nicknames? Literally say less.

I was so excited to get my hands on this arc, and rightfully so. Silla is being hunted by the Queen of Iseldur for reasons unknown, but which will soon change everything about the life she thought she knew.

This story unfolded so wonderfully in a way that made you forget it was world building. The first scene draws you in, and by the 3rd chapter you know you’re not putting this book down.

I absolutely love the camaraderie amongst the Bloodaxe Crew, I’m a sucker for a found family with trauma bonds. I’m hoping in the next book we get to explore those characters a little deeper.
Silla’s personal growth and the way she moves from being a girl whose every move is manipulated and controlled, to one who can hold her own and will not allow herself to be told who to be, is so wonderful to watch as it unfolds.

I rated it 4 stars simply because there was a moment or two where I wanted things to pick up the pace a bit, but it’s all for the character development and plot building. Plus, once Part 2 hit, I was simply not sleeping or eating until I finished this book.

The Road of Bones releases on November 5th!


🗡️ High Fantasy
🗡️ Magic System
🗡️ Enemies to Lovers
🗡️ Potential Love Triangle
🗡️ Nordic/Viking Influence
🗡️ Multiple POV
🗡️ Found Family

TW: Attempted SA, Loss/Grief

—————— Potential Spoiler ——————

NEVER 👏🏼 TRUST 👏🏼 THE BLONDE MEN 👏🏼

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ebook arc to review!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of The Road of Bones!

This book was an easy 5 star read for me! Although the beginning is slower with lots of world building, the book quickly takes off and takes the reader on a Viking-inspired journey.

The humor, the twists and turns this book took, and the level of character development found in just the first book of this series is absolutely magnificent. I don’t want to give away anything plot-related (going in blind is so much more fun), but the twists this book took were so fun and very unexpected. I’m so excited to read the next book in this series!

Let me start by saying, I went in completely blind. I DEVOURED this book! It has everything I love! There's slow burn and betrayal and a twist I didn't even see coming. The only problem I have is that I know I'll be waiting a while to find out what happens next!

The beginning started off slower, but it picked up quickly and I devoured it. I am so glad I can jump right into reading the next book! Absolutely wonderful.

Viking fantasies are quickly becoming a favorite genre for me, and the Road of Bones is another example of a great Viking romantasy read (with a bit of a witchy twist as a bonus)! In this book, our FMC Silla finds herself on the run after her whole world gets turned upside down, and along the way comes across the Bloodaxe crew. To the shock of no one, for a crew that swears to be honest, there are secrets galore in this book that always keeps things interesting 😂

I really enjoyed the cast of characters in this book, as well as the way everything/everyone came together. I also really enjoyed the way Silla grew into herself. The ending kept me on my toes with some twists that I absolutely wasn’t expecting, and I loved it.

My only critiques are that the beginning was a bit slow, and the journey did take up the vast majority of the book, which isn’t necessarily a problem except that in my opinion it did make the ending feel a bit rushed. Additionally, there were a few elements that even after finishing the book I still felt confused about? Perhaps they’ll be explained in the next book but for now I’m not sure what to do with that information. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next Viking read!

A great Nordic fantasy! I love the world and the magic. The main character is sweet and innocent but not in an unbelievable or annoying way. You can't help but root for her and want her to have a happy ending. I look forward to reading the next book ASAP!

I tried to push through because so many reviews said it was really good but after a week of reading and still only being at 30% with hardly anything going on I DNFed it. I think the first 30% could’ve been slimmed down and put into the first 10%. The scenes were too long and the world is not that complicated to where in needed THAT much world building. I am sad because I love Viking books but this needed a heavy edit.

Demi winters is now an instant buy author! She has a way of writing that had me invested by page 10! Her story telling is so beautiful and detailed that I was able to fully visualize the entire store. What an intense, action packed story! I absolutely cannot wait to read anything else Demi writes! Forever a fan!

This was good!!! So good. The beginning got my attention quickly, although the middle did slow down I really think it was needed for the build up of the ending. I did guess a few things that happened and I’m hoping one thing happens in the next book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next installment!!

I received an ARC copy from Penguin random house!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This debut is SO COOL. I ate it up and want more asap.

I really loved how this author masterfully handled multiple POVs and ensured it enriched the story greatly. The author also smashed my heart to pieces multiple times and had me on the edge of my seat. Can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters.

This viking romantasy was a unique read! The world building was well done while the adventure was engaging and angsty. Really enjoyed reading this one and I'll be sure to checking out more by this author!

I was absolutely hooked on this story from start to finish. The norse mythology was woven in an authentic way to create a spell-binding story about a soft heroine who redefines strength amidst a violent and unforgiving world. Pardon me while I go straight into book 2 because I NEED MORE.

The way I need to unhinge my jaw after reading this books last 15%, OH MY GOD. Demi! I did not see that ending coming. This book is absolutely everything. If you want a fantasy with a side of romance and a bit of spice - read this. Silla is on the run and hides in a wagon to try to get some safe passage. Unfortunately, for her, she happens to choose a wagon that belongs to a Notorious crew of warriors. Silla’s character has so much growth throughout this book. She is soft and true to herself. But made me
laugh and won’t hesitate to take out some vampire deer (yes you read that correctly, VAMPIRE DEER). The characters are so well written and such a huge part of the story, I loved every single one of them (especially Hekla). I laughed, I cried. I kicked my feet, and I threw my Kindle in shock. Well done Demi - Five stars. Now I will anxiously wait for book 2