I like the concept of this book, but the execution was lacking, and it failed to keep my attention. DNF at 54%.

I’ve really been struggling with anything in the fantasy romance/romantasy category lately, but this one was really enjoyable! There is a legitimate plot here than stands on its own. Some of the romance did come off as a little cheesy, but it was still believable and added to the story.

There is a some heavy-handed foreshadowing in places that makes some of the plot reveals very obvious. That may have been a method itself, because there were some bigger reveals at the end that I definitely didn’t see coming. The bigger twists still made sense with the story.

The characters in the story are diverse and likeable, and the book doesn’t rely on being super tropey because it doesn’t need to. I’m glad I picked this one up and I’ll definitely be reading the second. If you’re like me and a little jaded when it comes to romantasy and insta-lust lately, I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot.

this book was just so slowww for me, i felt like it took forever to get through. it didn't really pick up or hold my attention until about 60% way through. i enjoyed the politics and of course the vikings. i am thinking book 2 will be a much better read.

This was a fun romantasy and an interesting start to a series. It was very slow in the middle and probably could have been a little shorter. But the ending made up for the slow middle. I liked the Bloodaxe crew and I could sense the love triangle forming soon. The magic system was interesting and there are still a lot of unknowns with magic as well. The plot twist and betrayal at the end was surprising. I am interested to see where this series goes and what will happen with Silla and the rest of the bloodaxe crew!

Thank you, NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fun, slow-burn romantic read. I loved the adventure, the characters, and the romance. I love a viking/nordic fantasy and this was just such a wonderful read.

Book 1 in a 5 book series, this is dark romantic fantasy not romantasy. The romance takes a back seat to the fantasy but it had enough to keep me interested.

It’s filled with lots of violence and gore and Norse mythology

It wasn’t predictable. I found myself more than 50% in and highly anticipating where the story would take me. It’s a risky action filled story with monsters, magic, found family, hidden identities, grumpy Viking warriors, and a soft strength female lead.

So unexpected and immersive. I already have book 2 downloaded and ready to binge.

I received an advanced copy. This is my own opinion.

Silla is a young kitchen girl whose family has been forced to move from town to town for years. When her father is brutally murdered, she follows his dying wish to take the Bone Road to escape the soldiers searching for her. Along the way, she joins the Bloodaxe Crew, where we pick up 2 more POV characters, Rey and Jonas. Also a POV character is Skraeda, the warrior hunting Silla. The more Silla is hunted, the more she questions her past, and the closer she gets to Jonas and Rey.

I will admit it took me to about 30% for this to really draw me in, but I think that’s because there was a lot of setup that had to happen for the story to really get started. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed it! I think my favorite part was watching Silla’s friendships and relationships grow with the Bloodaxe Crew as they traveled.

I definitely recommend this if you like long fantasies that lean more historical than magical (though I imagine we’ll get more magic in book 2!) if you enjoyed A Fate Inked in Blood, I imagine you’d enjoy this one.

I’m really looking forward to the second book!

Thanks to Netgalley, Demi Winters, and Delacorte Press for the arc!

Silla goes town to town with her father. But when he is killed by warriors sent to bring her to the Queen she begins her journey down the Road of Bones to what she believes will be her safety and that last place her father wished her to go.
I really enjoyed the story overall but I am not going to lie i felt kinda long. At no time did I ever feel like this was cause for me to not finish the book becuase I was seriously curious to see where it was going to go and I need the next book immediately because through all of that we are some what told why the Queen is after our main character we still, obviously, don’t know the whole story. In this world the magic welders are persecuted. They are called Galdra. They are outlawed by the King. I thought the world building was interesting and the creatures like the illlmarr, skarpling, and many more were intrugining. There are two love interests I would say and it isn’t really a love trangle but it is. I normally wouldn’t be drawn to that in my Romantasy/fantasy romance. But I actually enjoyed that and the twist at the end. Overall I enjoyed the reading experience becuase I did end up reading all 560 pages in one sitting! Can’t wait for book two!

This book had me in a literal chokehold. From start to finish I was completely entranced and I finished this in one sitting. I love the tropes in this (only one horse, hidden powers, hidden identifies (!!)). I also loved Silla’s growth throughout the book and how strong she is by the end (🥲). The last few chapters were amazing with some betrayal which left me dying to read book 2.

Cannot recommend this enough for fans of romantasy (esp if you enjoy a Viking element).

Special thank you to Random House Publishing for this eARC.

Fast paced, second sight, a bit of mysterious world building, good fight scenes


The Road of the Bones by Demi Winters is book 1 of the Ashen Series. Since finishing John Gwynne's Bloodsworn Saga I've come to really enjoy Norse fiction. Silla, our main character, is a bit of an enigma even to herself. The book starts out with an intense fight scene that sets the pace for the chapters to come. I enjoyed this whole book so much. I'll definitely be buying a copy. I can't wait to read the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I almost DNFed this book in the first chapter due to the gruesome start, but I am so glad I stuck with it. Definitely read the trigger warnings before reading this book, and know that it does get easier to read after the first little bit.

Setting that aside, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. I loved how strong and fragile Silla was, and her overall story was both heartbreaking and encouraging. The lore in this book was definitely unique as well, it felt Nordic without the typical things that go along with it. 4⭐️

Demi Winters delivers a twisty tale of lies, deception, and betrayal along the Road of Bones. Silla's epic journey from woman on the run to fighter with a mission was an exceptionally fun one to follow.

I enjoyed the multi-POVs Winters offered throughout the course of the book -- especially the final POV that appears at the end. The different POVs help to reveal the character growth, shifts, and added to the rich character-driven story overall. It was fun getting to see Silla, Jonas, and Rey from each other perspectives.

At times, I was a bit troubled and put-off by the the Jonas-Silla storyline (A+ writing on that to Winters, because I have a feeling that is exactly how I was supposed to feel). I was much more intrigued by the rest of the cast of characters including Helka and Rey (the MMC that had to wait in the wings for FAR too long). I am really intrigued to see where Winters takes each of the characters' story next (all I ask is that Jonas take a damned elbow to the gut...repeatedly).

The pacing did dip and slow for me a couple of times in the middle, but the last 20 percent of the book just explodes and shows how Winters used those moments to build the momentum to drive this story to its inevitable conclusion.

Overall, an exceptional debut with wonderful worldbuilding, realistic characters, and a intense storyline. I hope to get my hands on Kingdom of Claw very soon!

Absolutely captivating. This story had me hooked from start to finish and beyond, It’s my new Roman Empire. The character development, world building and magic system are all written to absolute perfection. Silla is completely relatable, she’s such a stunning character. So strong and smart, but acknowledges her flaws and where she needs improvement. The banter and interactions between characters throughout the book is consistent to their own individual personalities and they’re all captured so clearly. 5/5 will always recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

WOW. Just finished this book last night and I still cannot find the right words to accurately describe what this book was. I loved every minute of this book and could not put it down. Also, the audiobook was phenomenal.

The Road of bones follows our FMC Silla who is on the run on the road of bones and meets the infamous Blood Axe Crew on her way into hiding. She is on the run from the Queen of Iseldur after her father is murdered.

Tropes that are an automatic for me:

-Broody/grumpy MMC
-Found Family
- UM LOVE TRIANGLE
-VIKINGS?!?!?!?!

I absolutely loved the world building that Demi Winters brought to this book. I really tried to read this as slow as possible so it wouldn’t end and the ending had me ABSOLUTELY hanging.

I loved how Demi looks at a softer and quieter female protagonist with a strong male lead.

I wanted to thank Megan Whalen in marketing at Random House Publishing for the early eARC of this book and NetGalley for early access of this book. I cannot possibly wait to read more of Demi Winters.

I cannot explain how much I LOVED The Road of Bones! I was fast-paced with a great plot that kept me guessing and a cast of characters I fell in love with. Found family between an FMC in hiding and a ragtag bunch of mercenaries?? Yes, please! It was so fun watching Silla find herself and form deep connections with the members of the crew. This book unraveled beautifully and left me with so many questions, I could not wait to pick up the next book! The Road of Bones is absolutely my next hyper-fixation.

So I read this story when it was independently published, and I adored it. After reading the traditionally published version, I am confident to say this book is still a five-star read for me. This romantic fantasy has all of the elements I am looking for in a fantasy: well-developed world building, tension you could cut with a knife, an adventure with found family, epic battles scenes I can easily picture, respect that is earned between characters, and an ominous "bad guy" pulling the strings in the background.

Something I also enjoyed seeing was how Winters' took a "real world problem," like addiction and recovery and gave this struggle justice. Seeing something I battle with daily portrayed in a character made me feel so seen. The love triangle she presented for us was done so well too! I am usually not the biggest fan of these, but done properly and it adds so much depth to a story.

After reading this book, I am now a forever Demi Winters fan and will read whatever she writes! She weaves a story with such intricate details and makes every page count. Her story made me feel a wide range of emotions and I am excited to see where she takes us with these next books! READ THIS BOOK!!!! I am begging you.

Thank you Penguin Random House, Netgalley, and Delacorte for the e-ARC of The Road of Bones by Demi Winters. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Viking fantasy. This focuses more on bandits? mercenaries? I'm not quite sure what to call the crew our FMC, Silla, fell in with but they were an amazing found family. The book has strong epic fantasy vibes with the POV constantly shifting. It is very much the introduction book. I can't wait to see Silla grow into herself. I had a feeling about one thing but the ending blind sided me!!

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

I enjoyed this book from the beginning, but it started to drag around 80% or so. It was going to be a 4 star read, but the out of character behaviors that occurred in the last 20% of the book annoyed me.

Positives: Overall, the MFC was likable and her actions were reasonable. It was refreshing to have a MFC that wasn't a perfect princess/warrior. The world building was beautifully written. The setting felt unique in an overly saturated romantasy market.

Negatives: The love interest(s) fell flat. There was no angst or banter. I felt no connection between the MFC and any of the other characters, besides maybe Heklah. The secondary characters' change in behavior after a major event just didn't sit right with me. It felt disingenuous to all the character building that took place in the first 50% of the book.

I might read the second. I might not.

This book was really good! An interesting and unique magic system. Vikings, the action, the romance, the BETRAYAL!?! Read this now! You'll love it! Heading to find book 2 now!

This book was SOOOO SOOOOO FREAKING AMAZING!!! I could not put it down for one moment and when I put it down, I thought about it the whole time. I have been super into Norse books this year and when an email from Random House came across my desk for this e-ARC I just had to read it. This book follows the FMC, Silla, and it starts out STRONG. At the beginning of the book the reader experiences a public execution and hours later the death of Silla's father. Very quickly, the reader learns that things with Silla are not what they seem and there is more to her story than even she knows. After her fathers murdered, Silla knows she must leave and travel north, to Kopa, where her father and her were planning on going prior to his death. Silla knows that the road to Kopa is a long and dangerous one but yet she must do it to survive. She hardly survives the beginning of the trip, and she decided to stowaway in a wagon. This wagon belongs to none other than the Blood Axe Crew, brutal monster hunting mercenaries lead by their ruthless leader, Rey, nicknamed Axe eyes. From this meeting Silla embarks on a journey that will change her forever.
Honestly, I loved this book so much. It has all the best tropes such as:
-found family
-love triangle
-enemies to lovers
-grumpy sunshine
-"you came for me"
-reluctant allies to friends
-unique magic
-Safe person/place
-secrets and more secrets

The FMC Silla was the best she exuded "I'm just a girl" energy whilst also being a badass and stubborn when she wanted to be. She was afraid to ride a horse but would stand up to Rey without a single hint of fear. Her humor was hilarious, and I laughed at her and the other members sarcasm very often. I think of anyone in this book she had the most character growth. She started out as a feeble naive girl who could not really do a whole lot but cook on her own. She really relied on the Crew to do a lot for her but while traveling with them she learned a lot of skills that were life saving for her. Her relationships with the Crew were my favorite part, the training sessions with Hekla, taking over dinner for Sigrun, playing dice with Gunnar and Ilias, her trip with Rey, and her budding romance with Jonas. Silla has an extraordinary skill to get under people's skin and before the know it they love her. Rey was the only holding out because he knew once he fell there was no going back. Despite it being fantasy/romantasy, the found family trope was such a shining moment in this book and really made me fall in love with all the characters, except Jonas. Jonas is the main love interest despite that as a reader I felt that there was definitely a love triangle brewing with Rey. Rey and Silla went to Kraki, Rey's old mentor, together and the trip changed their relationship, and Rey was really the only person Silla felt safe with after that. Even with Jonas she would not share her secrets but with Rey she would.
The ending with Jonas, I felt I could see this story line coming to a certain extent. I felt the constant story telling of his abusive father set out the foreshadowing that he might be controlling and obsessive like him, sort of a full circle moment. When Ilias died, his grief brought to life that monster that was already underneath that was waiting to come out. I am interested to see what comes of him in the next book as I HATE him, and I am totally team Rey and have been since the trip with Kraki.

This book had me GRIPPED and the characters were all so well developed and there were a couple things missing from the plot that were brought up at the beginning but not discussed again that I think will really be seeing in the next book. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book and force all my friends to read this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Random Publishing Group-Ballantine for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.