Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

I loved this book so much. Chapter 1? I wasn't sure I could pronounce anything. Chapter 2? Completely hooked. I listened to the audio and read the eBook together and it was perfect. The narrator was really great and she didn't make a weird voice for the male characters LOL

I loved that world-building wasn't really needed.... you just dove right in at the beginning. I was really excited that the story took place along the road of bones. I loved seeing the characters relationships building day by day and that we got to see that play out instead of the assumption that they all would die for each other happen within a chapter or two. Their relationships felt natural. I also loved that we got to see pieces of the beasts in the forests too though that's gross hahahaha

I also felt like it was going to be a love triangle. There was just something there between Silla and Rey AND Silla and Jonas.... I was like dying. I didn't want there to be a love triangle. It didn't seem like Rey was attracted to Silla but then he was protective or kind.... I don't know, I wasn't sure how that was going to pan out.

The ending was so good though. I was straight-up hooked and binged it in one day. It was done so well and I loved all the connections that my brain put together as the story unfolded. I'm a huge fan of this book and author and story and ugh. I love it so much I'm going to talk about it forever.

I do like seeing some stories where the mfc is not some bad ass warrior, but instead likes cooking and baking. There is nothing wrong with the occasional damsel in distress.

I also enjoyed the rep in this book. Addiction, use of prosthetics, non verbal characters. It really added layers to characterization that I liked reading about.

This book was entirely character-focused. I really do admire the way the author fleshes out each character. Everyone had their own distinct characteristics, personalities, and features. I felt a friendship with each and every person. However, this book was so entirely character-focused that it lacked plot. I needed more exciting, tense, angsty, or world-building scenes mixed in with the character building to even this out. There were times where I really questioned where this book was going and how all these little details even mattered. Even 60% of the way through the book I still felt the same as I did plot wise at 10%.

This also made me feel that the pacing of this book was off. The beginning of this story starts off with a bang, and does a good job at sucking in the reader right away. However, most of this book felt like a slog to read. I think this book either needed more elements of plot that I mentioned previously, or this book needed to be 100 pages shorter.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a character-focused reader and enjoys a fantasy romance.


Provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was so damn good. It started off quickly and never let up. Every time I started to feel like maybe the pace was lagging we got new info or an action scene. It was really well balanced and I just flew through it.

Poor Silla is dreadfully unprepared for life without her father. He kept her ignorant and I really can't understand why he did such a thing. She has some skill lying to others as she and her father had created new identities many times. And she has kitchen skills. Other than that, she is naive and truly at a disadvantage as she sets out on the road of bones.

The bloodaxe crew are all such interesting characters. Hekla has to be my favorite - a survivor, resilient, take no shit, but still kind. And despite how closed-off and surly Rey comes off, he takes his position as leader of his crew very seriously. He insists on honesty to keep them all safe. I can respect that.

And I have many many feelings about the romance in this book but I do not think I can say anything without spoilers. So I'll just skip my thoughts on that.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Road of Bones from start to finish. There were many twists and turns, some obvious and some subtle. It had a satisfying arc on its own, but there's also still so much unknown. There are so many threads going, I am immediately jumping into my ARC for book 2, Kingdom of Claw.

Thanks to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Demi Winters for the advance copy! As always, opinions are my own.

5 stars. And I don’t say that lightly. Will probably contain spoilers

This was a fantastic adventure with wonderful and complex characters that was well paced and well written. It had some of my favorite tropes, found family, hidden powers, secret identity and even a touch of spice with a bodyguard-esque character. It was really nice to see a female main character that wasn’t already or instantly a badass. Silla is sheltered and naive and I loved that, just as much as I loved her wanting to lose those defining characteristics. She doesn’t want to be helpless and weak but she knows when to portray those qualities to her benefit. She is intelligent and observant and by the end of the story not entirely shit with a blade. She finds that self preservation mode and digs her heels into it.

The found family is always a fun dynamic to read about and I loved that all wasn’t sunshine and rainbows in this found family. The representation was also done well, without making any of the characters beholden to their “token”. They are all complex, multi dimensional characters that allow us to see how different trauma & grief (DA, CA, SA, addiction, loss of family members) can effect people differently. Some can grow stronger and more resilient, while some unfortunately allow their trauma and grief to negatively impact themselves, their decisions and those around them.

Now on to some of the juicy stuff! I was really really really hopeful but I also have read enough Fantasy/Romantasy that I have an innate distrust of blonde men. But the tension was sooo good. I was thankful that very little fanfare was made about Silla being a virgin, Jonas made some typical possessive comments about it with his internal monologue but none of the characters acted like sex between consulting adults was ever anything other than natural.

I’m so excited to continue this series. I want to learn more about the magic system, the underground networks that are operating in the country and most importantly I want to know more about Matthias’s history. I really hope we get into that detail because there were some not so subtle hints that Rey might know more than he realizes when it comes to Silla’s adoptive father. I’m melting from the inside out to learn more about Rey, his history and his assumed vigilantism. I want the remaining members of the Bloodaxe Crew to be on Silla’s side. I want Jonas to get what’s coming to him after revealing his true colors. I just want MORE.

DNF @ 10%. May revisit at a later date.
I really wanted to like this. And I think people will like this. (Obviously if you look at the other reviews). However, for me, I had to tap out around the 10% mark because I just couldn’t do it. Nothing was wrong with it. It was just so been there done that, a thousand times already. The set up to the plot is so common in romantasy nowadays; Girl in hiding whose life is thrown into turmoil when they are attacked and someone they love is killed, so now they are on the run and crosses paths with a dangerous group that becomes their found family. But simultaneously I realized it is also basically Snow White. Young, naive, simple (sort of boring) girl on the run from an “evil queen” who is hunting her. Just mix in Norse aesthetic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t adding anything new. Honestly, when she info dumped about the queen, I was so sad the story wasn’t about her. She sounds more aligned to the classic Volsung Saga that the author quoted in the beginning and would be more dynamic. Like someone who actually is living a life worth telling.
I think things were also not helped with the writing. It’s fine. It’s readable. But it also is slightly amateurish. Like the dialogue and who the main character is and the general plot feels like something I’ve seen from other early writers and even from myself. But it’s this very particular style where it’s on the cusp of being there, you got the idea, but it’s choppy and you can see the author’s presence. I see the potential. I think it’s there. But the prose needs a little refining and I think we needed a stronger narrator. And I don’t mean a badass strong fmc. I just mean one with a little bit more agency. It felt like she was forced onto this path and events happened to her. At least in what I read.
While this wasn’t for me, I personally think it still has the potential to be good. My eyes were definitely rolling when they weren’t glazing over because I’ve read this all before, but I also simultaneously thought about how this will be enjoyed by so many others. I even thought of friends who I’m going to recommend this to.
In summary, I would recommend this to anyone looking for their next bingeable romantasy read. But if you’re maybe like me and kind of getting over reading the same thing again and again, maybe shelf this for when you’re back in the mood for this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this book for my honest review.

Wow did I love this book! I didn’t know what to expect but wow! Great epic fantasy even for beginners in this genre. The author does a great job with details while keeping the book moving.

There was one scene I didn’t love but I think it fits in with the character so without spoilers it fits with the character.

I would highly recommend this book to others and can’t wait to start the second book!!!

Anything Viking and fantasy is apt to capture my attention, and while there were aspects of the worldbuilding that captivated me and felt realistic, overall I found myself slowly trudging my way through it. Found family and forced proximity are popular tropes you'll find here, but as a whole, I felt unattached to the story and characters, which made it a struggle to get through. Likewise, pacing sometimes worked for me, and other times I forced myself to keep reading hoping it'd pick up again soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right. I have no words. I’m sat here after finishing it thinking ‘what the heck am I supposed to do now’.

This book. I have not felt this way in so long. It hit every single hecking mark. The plot was incredible, the lore was perfection, the characters omg 😭 the romance? Do I have some THOUGHTS HOLY- .

I am honestly stunned. It did take me a bit of time to truly get stuck into the book but when I did? I was so immersed I lost track of time. Demi has a way of truly immersing you into this book that you don’t even feel like you’re reading it, it feels like you’re living it. Every character was just perfectly written. Every emotion they felt, I felt. Also the maybe slightly possibly love triangle? 😮‍💨 I won’t say more but just wow.

I honestly do not know how any romantasy series is going to top this. This has filled the void I did not know I had and now that I’ve finished it… I have no desire to read anything else. I just want to sit here and think about this book. And then maybe reread it.

If you want an adult version of Throne of Glass and you’re in the mood to scream, cry, and feel every other emotion good and bad with incredible characters and an amazing world… you MUST read this. In fact, even if you don’t want that. Read this anyway!

I had seen this book floating around when it was independently published and when I saw that it was being traditionally published I jumped on the chance to arc read this book.


Welcome to a fantasy viking world where Gladra (magic wielders) are being hunted down and sacrificed to the Ursir god. We follow four different POV's, starting with out FMC Silla. She and her father are on the run, every few months they take on a new name and a new town, slowly drifting through the country until one startling day everything changes. Her father is murdered before her and she is on her own with a mission to make it Kopa, thousands of miles away and her only chance at safety. Setting her way on the dangerous and imfamous Road of Bones alone she happens to hide in the wagon of the Bloodaxe Crew, a cut throat gang of warriors/mercenaries. She's being hunted, and all she can do is hope, if discovered, this gang will take mercy on her soul. The adventure has only just begun.

When I first heard of this book, I thought it was going to be another fun romantasy story, but I can honestly say this is most definitely Fantasy first and foremost with a subplot of romance. While a bit on the slower side in the beginning of the book, I was honestly worried I would grow to hate Silla. She is the traditional FMC where she is innocent, unknown to the ways of men, and completely vulnerable with no knowledge of how to defend herself and is willfully bright and sunshiney about the world. However, she really grabbed a hold of me, because despite these things she's resourceful, she has knowledge of plants and fauna to help sustain herself, she's not a push over which you would interpret from her innocence to be at first. Her kindness is rare in her world and she owns up to her mistakes and is willing to Learn, wanting to be helpful and learn to defend herself instead of always relying on being defended.

All the characters, not just those with their own POV's are wonderfully fleshed out with unique backgrounds and their own voice. If a character is named, even minor, they are important and make a return in the story in some way shape or form. And I loved seeing the found family develop slowly and go through waves like a family on a road trip. For a ruthless cut throat gang, I absolutely adored the Bloodaxe Crew and how their bond and rules shape them.

You do run into some predictability based on the tropes represented in the story, an Evil Queen, hidden identity, hidden ability, damsel/waif/innocent FMC. But the overall story makes up for the predictable nature of some of these.

I did struggle with some of this, like I said before the beginning was slow for me, it took me a little bit to get into it fully, mainly because some things were never fully explained. I don't understand how the magic system fully works, I didn't really understand what the Galdra was or how one is born. The switching of POV's wasn't always clear, none of them are labeled.

I am honestly really excited for book 2, because when this book picked up, it PICKED. UP. and I cannot wait to see where this story is going. The betrayal in this book pissed me off to no end and I was honestly tricked, again, by this type of betrayal. I didn't think I would be after the last book that had it, but I was wrong. I need to see the revenge. If you are a fan of norse/viking fantasy stories. If you like Romantasy but wanting something slightly different, put this book on your tbr and pick it up when it releases in November. All the forest details and cold weather talk is perfect for fall.

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press for the ARC of this book!

This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy reads this year. What an underrated romantasy !!!


Plot/world building: The world building was a little heavy in the beginning, but honestly, very quick and easy to understand, with a bit of introduction and character lore built in as well - which was definitely needed to set up the book. But after all that, the book is filled with action and twists and my god by the end my head was spinning !
- So even though, quests/journey books aren't for many, the amount of action crammed in was great in making the book go by !


Characters:

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MFC EVERRRRR
I love that the author went in with a soft female lead, who has a lot to learn and had serious character development in this first novel. Like the author gets into in the end, strength is subjective and there are many different definitions. Our MFC shows her strength through resilience and taking accountability. Her growth in just one novel was great.

The other characters:

- I dont want to say too much but OOFFF the villains were evil in this one and you never know who you are going to end up disliking which I really enjoyed ! And honestly at times I felt a lot for people even when their actions were horrible - but that is great writing by this author !!

- The side characters have a heavy role in the plot and I loved getting to know them, and cant wait to know more.


- Loved the mental health, substance recovery, disability and POC rep in this book - I thought it was so well done!

Romance/spice: The tension was fantastic, the banter was decent, wanted a bit more at time. But the romance plot in this was SO INTRIGUING and I loved the way it played out (again I dont wanna spoil)!!

I simply cannot wait to read book two !

While i enjoyed the adventure, this novel was really about a long road trip where Silla was trying to avoid being caught by the men sent to kill her.
So lots of horseback riding and walking and cooking, mundane things but moments that helped Silla formed a found family with the crew she was traveling with.
There was a lot of action and intense moments. And the chapters in the pov of the woman hunting Silla made for a good break and a look at what the enemy was up to which was cool.
But unfortunately, I detested the "romance" in this novel! Really Silla and Jonas were just lusting for each other. I could tell from the get go Jonas was not it. There was no chemistry but the author really tried to convince there was lol
Jonas was just too cocky, too aggressive and possessive. Big red flags and not the kind of love interest I'm interested in 😅
As Silla and Jonas stopped pretending they hated each other and got physical, they did start sharing stories. Jonas got more attached and therefore more upset when Silla's stories didn't always pan out.
That got to me a bit how they kept expecting Silla to divulge all her secrets when NONE of them told their full stories. She was just trying to stay ALIVE 😭 And it sucked that things she didn't even know about herself were held against her. Very hypocritical of the crew but that's that.
Curious to see where this will go because later in the novel we find out who Silla has been talking to in her head the whole time.
Hopefully Silla has better taste in men in book 2 😂

Silla and her father move from village to village every few months. However, this time it seems their past has caught up to them and Silla must travel north on her own. She climbs in the back of a group’s wagon after overhearing their travel plans, not realizing she just joined the Bloodaxe Crew. She convinces them to let her ride along, but the Road of Bones is a dangerous journey and there are no guarantees any of them will make it to their destination.

I was quite confused at the beginning of the book with the world building and many characters and nicknames. The book is in third person, but also from 4 different people’s perspectives (if that makes sense). So it could be difficult to follow along. BUT I was sucked in maybe 1/3 of the way in. And I did not guess two of the major twists, so definitely intrigued for the next book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️.5

My first thought is WHY didn’t I read this sooner? This was an extremely popular indie book and now is releasing for trad publishing in November.

The Road of Bones had me absolutely enthralled. There is action from the start and you never get a single break. I honestly recommend going into it completely blind so that you get the full experience and don’t have any plot twists or surprises spoiled.

This is a Viking-inspired romantic fantasy. There is a world that is rugged and easy to immerse yourself in. The characters are charismatic and grumpy and loveable. The action never lets up…ever. I couldn’t stop reading. I also wanted to throw my kindle across the room a few times, but 10/10 recommend this book.

Loved The Road of Bones by Demi Winter! The amount of plot twist moments that unfolded had me consistently dropping my jaw. They were always amazing plot twist moments because there are breadcrumbs left for you as the reader to follow but once the twist is revealed you’re still floored.

The physical world building took place along the namesake of this book gave the reader a great understanding of where everything was without even having to look at the map. It also grounded me. Often times in fantasy books there’s a million difficult locations that are important that you have to remember. In this book they’re mentioned but the focal point comes back to the road.

Cannot wait for book 2!

Vibes:

—vikings

—magic-hunting

—BIG-ASS MEN

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

After her dying father reveals a life-changing secret, Silla must embark on the dangerous Road of Bones to escape the queen's assassin. Along the way, she has no choice but to join up with a notoriously dangerous crew—and if she's going to live, she has to make them trust her.

The Review:

This is an intense book from the start, jumping into the action with a literal stoning. So that is to say—this is going to a bit heavier than, say, Fourth Wing. But you know what? I think that's a good thing, because it ratchets up the stakes for Silla immediately.

As the name suggests, this is kind of a road trip book, if you think of a road trip in terms of terror and non-stop danger. Which, I mean, who doesn't? What this does is compel us to invest in Silla and her new companions even more, though. Anything could happen at any time.

With that being said, this is on the longer side, and perhaps it's a bit longer than it absolutely needs to be. (That being said, this is a traditional release of a series that was self-published before—I suspect it's been edited a bit already, and it's less that the editing is insufficient, and more that this is just DENSE.) The pacing is a little on the slower end, but it's more of an all-around slow burn. By no means is this not entertaining.

It's hard for me to talk about the romance here, because it's a bit complicated... in a way I really appreciated. Like I said, this is a slow burn. And the book doesn't take a straightforward journey towards the love story itself. But... there are hot vikings. I can promise you that!

If I had to call this a romance or a fantasy, I'd say... It's a fantasy romance still, but it does lean very heavily toward the fantasy. If you're someone who needs romance to be at the very top of mind, this might not be QUITE enough.

But I suspect the next book will pitch us even further into those qualities, and I'm ready.

The Sex:

Again, kind of hard for me to talk about the sex in this one without giving things away. But suffice to say—there's sex, it's open door, and I bet you don't know where it's going...

This was an intriguing and well-written read, and I'm excited to dive into the next book. Yes, there's a lot of setup. But it's setup for a world I want to read more of.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was both slow moving and fast paced for me. I'm not sure how I felt about that. It had some of my favorite romantasy themes going like found family, magic, enemies to lovers, but there was something lacking for me. I struggled to connect with the world and the characters. It was well written, but maybe just not my style. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Road of Bones starts off intense, and it pulled me in quickly. I became so invested in Silla's journey, both physical and emotional. She's a storng FMC who never gives up, and her determination and survival instinct serves her well. I enjoyed her growth throughout the book and how she became more self-assured and confident.

The world-building is also fantastic - rich and immersive without dense info dumps. I thought the author did a fabulous job of creating a vivid world without overwhelming the reader. It was as layered and nuanced as the major characters. I was surprised that the romance wasn't more at the forefront of the story, but it was still really good.

I also loved the author's writing style, but there were parts of the story that were much slower than others. Though the book starts off strong, it loses a bit of momentum after the first 15%. I actually debated DNFing at around 40%, but I'm glad I didn't because the last 30% was great It was so suspenseful, and that ending! I definitely didn't expect what happened to happen!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence, drug use, death

I was gifted an arc of this book although I saw it was already published in 2023 and I thought why not? I haven’t read a Viking book in a long while so I thought it would be fun. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Great world building! Silla is on the run and she finds the Bloodaxe Crew and begs them to take her to her destination. So there is a lot of traveling in this book but I enjoyed it! The forests are teeming with paranormal creatures plus soldiers and other nefarious crews. I thought this book moved on nicely with a lot of things keeping me invested. The book is under 600 pages and I read it in two days because I was hooked. There is romance, politics, secrets, betrayal and magic!

+ Silla is miss sunshine, and the leader of the crew, Rey is mister grumpy and I thought their interactions were great. There were times Silla’s personality got on my nerves because she came off naive but I also like how she was strong, learned to cope in hard situations, learned to defend herself and kept herself alive.

+ The romance was fun, until it wasn’t. And that’s all I can really say about that. There is spice though!

+ I love the found family theme. The Bloodaxe Crew has a vicious reputation but everyone on the crew mostly accepts Silla right away. There was humor but also sadness as we learn about their pasts. Right away you get a feel for this harsh land and way of life.

Dislikes:

~ There were times I wanted to shake Silla because of her actions. It’s understandable because she had to survive but people get hurt and I didn’t like that. There is another character who I liked a lot and in the end showed his true self and made me hate him a lot.

~ Story is just a little bit too long.

My Final Thoughts:

I was really pleasantly surprised with this book and I’m glad I read it. This book is entertaining and it took me on a wild ride. I now have to read book two because of what was revealed at the end!

I already bought the second book, so I mean the story hooked me. Even though I was invested, I thought there were a few plot points and characterizations that could have been better done. The central story is about a young woman who discovers her whole life has been a lie. There's magical prosecution of Galdra and running from assassins. Silla spent her whole life believing she wasn't special, but now she's learning there is so much more to her past.

When Silla joins the Bloodaxe Crew to travel north to a safe haven, she hides who she is and the trouble she may be in. The Bloodaxe Crew had the chance to be really interesting, but this is where I had some issues with the book. Jonas, Hekla, and Ray are all very well fleshed out. But the rest of the crew are very one dimensional. It was kind of strange to have well developed characters and then just super thin barely named characters in the same crew. I thought there could have been an opportunity to beef up the story, but it was just kind of meh.

I did really like Jonas as a character, I think maybe his arc isn't what people are expecting, but I think it injects more realism into the story. No spoilers, but if you read the book you'll get what I mean. I also thought the magic could have been better described. We get a few characters and see what they do, but otherwise it's very vague. I get setting up more intrigue for the next book, but it felt like there could have been a quick explainer at some point during this book.

Overall I thought this was a fun fantasy novel, though it could have used some more development.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Delacorte Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Road of Bones was quite a journey. While this is fantasy with a subplot of romance, for me it was the characters that kept me enthralled in this story, especially Silla.

The funny, kind things she does, like apologizing to a rock she tripped over, win over everyone around her, even the most battle hardened warriors. Her character growth in this book alone is unmatched and was perfection.

I also really enjoyed the found Family aspect of the Blood Axe crew and the pacing of this book, which was impeccable. I also really appreciated the mental health representation and the way addiction was handled in the story.

There were many surprises and twists, some I saw coming and some that shocked me. I’m so thankful I’m reading this when book 2 is already out because I need it immediately!