Love love love this series! Wow, after the ending of book one, I just had no idea where things would go! And Demi delivered! So many twists and turns, discoveries, magical awakenings and general bad assery. Omg Sila! Gf!!!!! I love her so much. And the ending could not have left me wanting more. Oh my gosh!!! The way I need a printed copy in my hands to re-read! I cannot wait. Read the Ashen series stat, okay!

Thank you for the advanced copy. I cannot wait for the re-release! I’ll be taking it up all over booktok for sure!

It's not often that I read the second book in a series, and like it MORE than the first, but it happened with this book. I was craving details on the world and the magic system after finishing Road of Bones, and Kingdom of Claw delivered! We get soooo much-needed worldbuilding, but it was delivered so smartly, in a way that didn't feel rushed or like info-dumping. I am so obsessed with this world, but also THE CHARACTERS. The author made me love the heroes and (I didn't think it possible) despise the villains even more than I did after finishing book 1. I had my doubts about our FMC, Silla, at the start of the series, but she turned into such a badass in this book. We get more backstory on Rey, and it just makes his broody, grumpy demeanor in book 1 make sense. The romance between the two of them is elite *insert swoony heart eyes here*. There is so much pining and longing (and lots of cold ice baths), and even the spicy scenes were done in a way that felt really emotional and tasteful. We also get an introduction to new characters, Saga and Kass, which was helpful for understanding how everything is linked together in this world, as the different characters are living in different areas of the realm. There was even a Road of Bones recap at the beginning of the story to refresh on what happened in book 1; I wish more authors of series included this! I have a terrible memory and sometimes forget details of a book after finishing it, so it was a nice little reminder of all the plot points going on before the start of Kingdom of Claw. There is A LOT going on in this book, which I loved, and I think is natural with so many different POVs, but I can see some people possibly finding it confusing. I did miss reading about the rest of the gang from the Bloodaxe Crew in this one, but hopefully we'll get more of them again in book 3!

TLDR: I just really, really love this series and cannot wait to dive into book 3 (whenever it comes out). 5 screaming stars. Thanks, Netgalley for the e-ARC!

The story picks up with Silla Nordvig after the devastating revelations of her true identity. She is now on the run with Reynir "Rey" Galtung, the brutal leader of the Bloodaxe Crew. Their chemistry sizzles as they navigate their alliance, a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. However, Rey has his own secrets, which makes their journey fraught with danger.
Silla is determined to master the magic she's only begun to understand. She struggles with her new reality and the woman she used to be. The subplot follows Saga Volsik, who is trying to dismantle Queen Signe's plans and find her sister Silla. Her interactions with a dignitary introduce a mix of political intrigue into the storyline.

The world-building continues to shine in this sequel, with the Kingdom of Íseldur coming alive through detailed descriptions of ancient magic and complex social hierarchies. The balance of romance, action, intricate plot twists, and political intrigue sets "The Ashen" series apart from other romantic books because the romance never overpowers the larger narrative of a kingdom on the brink of chaos. Silla and Saga are fighting against impossible odds, and their storylines highlight the novel's themes of resilience and finding their identity. I don't know if I can wait for the next book in the series.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Ballantine, Delacorte Press.

How often do you read a book that’s better than the first? For me, it hardly ever happens. This book was PERFECTION. There were things I didn’t expect, such as adding Saga’s storyline, that served to create the perfect amount of tension. It’s been a long time since I’ve given five stars to a Viking romantasy book, but this one gets all of them and more.

Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters is a captivating sequel that picks up right where The Road of Bones left off. Winters continues to weave a complex tapestry of political intrigue, forbidden magic, and undeniable romance.

At the heart of the story lies Silla And her struggle to master her power as well as find herself. I won’t even try to lie, I was living for Silla and Rey’s love story in this book. Their love is both thrilling and emotionally charged and I could not get enough. Just goes to show, never to trust the blonde first love interest.

Saga's arc is equally compelling, though it starts a bit slower than Silla's. However, the introduction of Cass adds an intriguing layer to the story. His enigmatic personality and unique perspective make him a fascinating character to follow. I particularly enjoyed the audiobook narrator's portrayal of Cass's accent, which added depth to his character. I’m excited to see how their relationship develops.

Winters' writing is both evocative and powerful, creating a vivid and immersive world. The action sequences are thrilling, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. If you enjoy romantic fantasy with complex characters and a captivating love story, Kingdom of Claw is a must-read. I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

Wow. I cannot say enough how much I love this series. It’s very rare that I have two 5 star reads in a row and even more rare that I give 5 stars to the first AND second book in a series but this book deserves every star given and then some.

‘Hope was like a carnivorous plant, lovely and bright to lure you in. That was when the gods sprang their trap.’

Every single character is extremely unforgettable and relatable in some way. This book touches on a few subjects that just makes you feel seen by the author even as one single reader. I honestly could not express in words how I felt during and after reading this book. All I have to say is when you sit down to read, be sure you have the time to read the whole thing because that’s what you will want to do.

The world Demi made in this book is one of my favorites by far. The magic is unique and the character relationships feel so real. Too often in a romantasy you find yourself reading an enemies-to-lovers/reluctant allies-to-lovers and it goes from them just disliking each other for whatever reason, to all of the sudden they are in love and can’t stay away from each other.

This book has no such thing. You get to have the experience of being reluctant allies and build up to them falling for each other and actually get to understand the reasons why.

Seriously this author has a hold on me and I love it. I am bouncing with anticipation for the next book and I don’t even regret reading the first two without having the entire series released yet. This wasn’t just a story, it was an experience and an amazing one at that!

I didn't expect to love this series as much as I did and could just keep vanishing into worlds of noise inspiration, I need more now

I loved this book!!!! I loved having the dual POV to see what’s going on for both of the sisters. The story was very intriguing and I couldn’t put it down. The romance… obsessed.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a read on book two.

Wow. Talk about intense, high stakes, all my little quibbles from the first book were solved, expanded upon. I'm not a big fan of the romantasy genre, but for a book being billed as romantasy, I feel like there is more going on here. There is a story and I like where it is heading.

I feel awful for the situations the two sisters are being thrust into. I like their romantic counterparts and I love how this book ended where the road to good intentions and happy endings is paved with sacrifice.

This time the only issue I have in this book is the crew from the first book are gone / missing / no longer touched upon. The author spent some good time building them up in book one to completely remove them from the plot of book two. They are mentioned briefly here and there and I do hope they pop up again in book three.

All in all, for someone like me who is picky with this type of genre, I'm enjoying myself.

I read Kingdom of Claw as an indie and loved it then...and I loved this edition just as much. I love the journey Silla goes on and the side characters are some of my favorites. I can't wait for more of Silla and Saga in the future!

This is officially my favorite book series! I absolutely love this and can not wait to see what the next book leads us! As a second in a series, I always worry if it can live up to the first books hype and let me tell you, — Kingdom of Claw does!

Alright, my one complaint about this book is that I can’t immediately jump into the next one…

After how much I loved book one, the Road of Bones, I was nervous that the sequel wouldn’t live up to it for me, but boy was I wrong! Book two in this series is just as incredible, if not even BETTER than book one.

We love a series with well written out plot twists and a slow burn romance. This is also just a very intricate, incredibly detailed fantasy world that you just get sucked into and every character is just so well written. I’m so excited for book two and to see where this series goes, but it’s definitely an instant favourite for me.

Everyone who has read this series says that the second book is somehow even better than the first and THEY ARE CORRECT. This is the most epic romantasy series I’ve ever read. The plot in these books is truly incomparable. I already loved Silla and Rey from the first book, but the introduction of Saga and Rurik on top of characters we already know made this book an absolute masterpiece. The second I realized how much I relate to Saga I started tearing up. Seeing a character have agoraphobia on page made me feel so seen and I wish I had better words to describe what it means to me. Silla’s continuous struggle with addiction also made me cry. The way Rey guides her through when she doesn’t have the strength to do it herself is always so heartwarming. Now onto the romance because, my god THE ROMANCE. I don’t think anything I say will do the romance justice but I loved both of these pairings so much. I literally had to stop reading and process the first kiss between one of the couples. I just sat in silence, smiling at the wall for five minutes. They are now one of my favorite couples ever. We find out the ways the other couple has been connected throughout their entire lives and it really made the build up from book one so worth it. This is absolutely one of my favorite books of the year and I am going to be waiting (not so) patiently for the next one.

Book 2 is still a great story.

Mental Health Representation ✅
Multiple POV ✅
Magic ✅
Forced Proximity ✅
Cinnamon Roll MMC ✅

This book was a great addition to the series. Was it a little long in some areas yes. It was still enjoyable and was well-written. I loved the added characters but missed some of the old ones that didn't show up in this book. Hopefully, we get to see them in the next book. In this book, we get to see Silla learn here magic, fight, deal with her PTSD from her past, and be more confident in her abilities. We also get to know her sister Saga who is a hostage in the castle, and deals with her own mental health, while trying to help her sister once she realizes that she is alive. This book ends on a cliffhanger so I'm excited to read the next book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

4⭐

I instantly jumped to this second book after reading The Road of Bones. Similar to this first book, I loved the characters and the world that Demi Winters has built. Its beautiful and rich. The characters are struggling mentally with real things and in this book we follow them as they begin to heal. This book focuses on grief and how debilitating it can be. How does someone get out of the perpetual cycle and start to move forward.

This book does feel bit like a filler book. The majority of the book is a training session for Silla, as she learns her magic and tries to tap into it. Reyner is close by her entire journey. One of my biggest complaints is probably with Reyner, he seemed to lose some of his autonomy and his character seemed to change some from the first book. I still really loved him, but he didn't really feel like he was the same character,

What really worked was the introduction of a new POV. This POV was great and we got to see what was happening behind the scenes with the Queen. I really loved this character, I thought she had a great character arc. Demi did an amazing job illustrating how something someone else considers safe for us can be a prison of its own. How difficult it can be to see if in a different light and decide to step away from something we have been told is for our own safety. The last chapter of this book though was difficult for me, it made me feeling a bit icky and I am not quite sure where this going to go in the next.

I can't wait for the next book to come out in this series. Demi Winters could really take this series really far and she has done such a great job setting up the characters and the world. I can't wait to see what else she creates in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

This book had me from the beginning. We now get Saga, Silla/Eisa’s sister’s story and it is fascinating. She has been in Askaborg the whole time under the new regime as their ward. Silla struggles to find her powers and Saga uses hers to do some digging into secrets in the castle. Introduce a new hotty foreigner and the story takes off from there. I cannot recommend this series enough. Best fantasy I have read in quite a while!

Wow! Excellent writing. Fantastic world and magic building. Great characters that you can't help but love(even the baddies). I thought this one was a smidge longer than it needed to be with A LOT happening in the last few chapters but to be fair that happens in most fantasies and the book was incredibly fun to read. The cliffhanger at the end is torture! I'm so ready for the next one.

My review is published on my Instagram account (@bookishbyrenee), on Amazon and Goodreads.

The original review was published in March of 2024 on all sites above. I plan to reshare on my social media page.

Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
-The Ashen Book 2-

5/5⭐️

This book DID NOT disappoint - we add some POVs and another concurrently happening story line. The story MOVED and I was just a long for the ride. This series feels epic - this is going to be a journey and I am here for it! The reveals and yet still more plot twists were phenomenal. The range of emotions this book dragged out of me boggled my mind - I went from swooning to terrified to SO ANGRY (especially at a certain character 😡). I ran the whole spectrum of feels and back again. The plot is gripping both on the macro and micro levels (are these words something we can apply to books? I’m declaring it so). The over all story line for the series is sweeping and big with meddling gods and a kingdom in need of saving but the little stories are also so gripping. The character growth, the relationships, the way they deal with death, anxiety, falling in love, coming to terms with their past traumas and losses, were all handled with such care and were absolutely beautiful to read. I’m absolutely sucked into this brutally beautiful world and can not wait for the next part of the story…ESPECIALLY after that cliffhanger!

It’s not often that I read a sequel that out does the first book, but this absolutely did it! Adding the additional POV was a genius move and made the story so well rounded and complex. Thank you for this free copy!

The perfect second book! As soon as I was approved for this one I immediately jumped in to read it. Was absolutely amazing. I can not wait to see what comes next.