I didn't notice till after I've been chosen to do a review on this that it was number two in a series so I hurried up and went about finding the first book to listen to. I gave it Three out of five stars. I read the second one basically because I promised net galley too. I would not have carried on to the second book if not for netgalley. I will say though that I'm giving this book four stars because the writing got just a tad bit better. Again, I'll be giving one star for the fact that you wrote a book, good for you. The second Is for making a followable enough story. Though had it not been for netgalley I would have dnf'd this. The third star is for representation even though like with the first book I felt it's very forced and token like. This is not a book for lgbtq specific readers. This is, or at least feels like a straight AKA heterosexual smutbook with a sprinkling of variable fantasy with lgbtq representation thrown in I guess to make pets feel more involved? I'm not sure what the point was there. But it seems like the entire universe is LGBT but no one else is focused on besides the two heterosexual couples who have A massive amount of descriptive and sometimes disruptive sex scenes. I say disruptive because it did not flow with the story. They felt shoved in and forced as well. Like I could not focus on a pleasurable scene knowing that this person's sister's life was on the line, etc. that being said, if you're into straight smut with a loose care for how solid the story is, these books are definitely for you. It's very descriptive and very gratuitous. But being a lesbian myself, it was very uncomfortable and I skipped through those scenes quickly. I did give this book one more star than the last because I felt the story did get slightly better. But there's a lot of misogyny and I feel like female sexuality but from a male gaze type of situation. The strong women in this story are constantly being controlled in one way or another by a male figure. One strong warrior is constantly in a BDSM situation. And then there's the literal Queen of the wolves whose mate refers to her as little fox. Which becomes very misogynistic in its use. And in my opinion is way overused. Like if I ever hear that phrase again, even accidentally from somebody in a public space, I'm bound to thunder punch them in the throat. So I'll probably have to get a little therapy concerning that. I just. But it was that bad. It's way overused and it's super ick. My last complaint that I can think of right now anyway which I'm sure this is enough. Is that the or at least one of the audiobook Narrators is horrible at pronunciation, I mean excruciatingly bad. Now in the second book through netgalley they actually had two different performers but in the first book I feel like there was only one The V person. Look I understand that not everybody's going to pronounce everything perfectly. But when you read a lot and you do have a sense of grammar and the flow of words, yes it can mess with the pleasure enjoying an audiobook. But when I'm telling you it was so bad that this person mispronounced the word Dodge. I couldn't take it. However, I think a lot of the grief that I have with this book would not be an issue for many, many people and I feel like I've rated it fairly with other people in mind, but it is 100% not my style. Now if in the third book all of a sudden there is actual LGBT sex scenes and focus more forward. I don't know. I might give it another try just because I would want something to make up for the other two books I read, but I don't know at this point I might never read anything by this author again. I definitely will be skipping the audiobook reader anytime I see their name.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A wonderful next installment! I still loved the first book more, but this did a great job in moving the story along, introducing us to new characters, and expanding upon the world we love.

Everything A.K. Mulford does is amazing, and I love all their work. This is no different. Just delightful.

A Sky of Emerald Stars is the second book in the Golden Court series, continuing on the same trajectory that its predecessor left us with. While remaining in the mind of Calla and continuing their journey, we get to also learn more about Sadie, a wolf-shifter who has pledged her life to the Golden Court, but whose heart is also broken after a break-up with Navin, a human singer, and is grappling with the fact that she feels as if she doesn't have a place in this new world. When a friend of Calla, Ora, is captured, this forces Sadie to go on a journey alongside her ex in order to save them from the King who wishes to destroy the Golden Court and Calla. We revisit old friends and discover new secrets that threaten to upheave the very court that Calla and their friends have created.

I loved this book. It pieced so perfectly with the first that I decided to do a quick read of the first in order to bring myself back into the world of Aotreas. A.K. does it again, bring a rich world to life, creating characters that experience growth within themselves as well with others, and they have a way of bringing depth into the characters where you want to root for as well as feel a connection to.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ALC as well as A.K. Mulford for the Arc, as I am in their Patreon. I absolutely hope you give this book a listen, a read, and dive into the world of Aotreas as well.

i really enjoy this series and the premise, but i feel like the first book still reins supreme for me which is crazy. i’m very eagerly waiting for the third book.

i really enjoyed following our wide range of main characters, however, i feel like we didn’t get as much from Calla as we did with Sadie in this, and it’s understandable since Sadie is a newer pov.

it was hard at times to remember who’s pov we were in since both Calla and Sadie were fairly similar characters to each other, so it lost me at some points, but the adventure, the found family, the relationships, lies and tension was still so much fun to follow.

ALSO, the plot twists????? i need book 3 asap

I love the narrators. I picked this because I enjoyed the first book, even if it is not my normal read. It is kind of smutty but with people who are also animals.
I enjoyed this though. It is pretty interesting.

My initial review was "I want to ask Mulford, wtf happened to happiness and why can't these wolfies have that?" A Sky of Emerald Stars was a 5 star read for me and it falls in line with me being absolutely besotted by Mulford's "second in a series" book. I preferred this story to the first as it felt like higher stakes (and more likely, because I am not a huge fan of instant/pre-established lovers). This story was less about identity and more about the greater problems that exist in their world. I am excited for the next installment!

I wasn’t sure about the two separate story lines, one following Calla the other Sadie, at first but it grew on me as I kept reading. I love having dual POV stories and this was a different take on that, as the two characters were not experiencing the same things. I was happy to read Sadie and Navin work through their issues, they are my second favorite couple. This book was definitely spicier than book one, so be ready!
The secret magic that was a big part of this story was amazing! I haven’t read anything with that type of magic and it was refreshing to see something new.
My heart is breaking for Briar and Maez once again.
Last but NOT LEAST! The LGBTQIA+ representation in this series is just amazing!

As for the narrators I loved them! I however am that person that has to speed up my audio book. Otherwise I feel like I will fall asleep at the normal pace, just way too slow for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this review audio. I can’t wait for book 3!!!

I was gifted an audiobook ARC of this book through Netgalley. I voluntarily read it and am leaving an honest review.

I really enjoyed the new pov we got in this book. I can't wait to keep reading this series! I get so sucked in to these books. I loved the unique magic aspect in this book. I really enjoyed the audiobook. The narrators did a great job

Everything ak writes is gold and all their audiobooks are too die for ... done by an audiobook fan for audiobook fans

Even though I just finished it I can’t really remember anything significant that happened.
I feel like this was plot light and more about just showing lgbqt stories and sex scenes.
But it didn’t really do representation justice due to the lack of plot. It just felt flat.
I listened to the audio and it was hard to tell which voice actor was talking because the voices were similar. Which did not help the situation at all.
Their voices are very nice but calling out their names at the beginning of the chapter would have helped greatly.

In this book we continue with our loved heroes Calla and Grae but we also get to see other POVs and another queer relationship!!! The second chance, I hate you but I love you dynamic is always a favorite of mine and this book did it so deliciously!!!

The next book in the Golden Court trilogy, A Sky of Emerald Star s takes place right after the last book. We see the story through the eyes of Calla as well as a new set of eyes, Sadie. This book is fast paced from the dual perspectives, and we get insight into more of the realm and humans who have a secret weapon. I loved the story, but sometimes felt it was hindered by spicy scenes. While I knew this book was romantasy, I feel Mulford could have made it a fantasy book since the magic and plot was strong. This was a great book with lots of representation, which I appreciate, and as the end drew near, action abound. Twists and turns made me want the next book ASAP.

I don't know this one just didn't suck me in and flow as nice as the first one. Maybe I was in the wrong head space, but it was fun to he in this world again.

I’m absolutely loving this series! The twist and turns have kept me guessing. There’s no predicting where this may go. The lgbtq+ rep in this series is amazing. I’ve never read another book like it. Wolf shifters, a new and unique magic. Great world building from the first book that’s carried on into its sequel. Very well rounded & fleshed out characters that are believably real. A plot that keeps you hooked. Just the right amount of spice. You really can’t go wrong with this series. I also really enjoy how the narrators bring further life to an already great story. Looking forward to what comes next!

A Sky of Emerald Stars is a great continuation of the Golden Court series.

We continue to follow Calla as they continue their journey and also start following Sadie, part of Calla's golden court. Golden Court is rebuilding under Calla's leadership, but they face an oncoming war with the Silver Pack. Sadie goes on a mission with Navin and Maez to win new allies, while Calla, Grae and Brier seek help from the Ice wolf pack.

Packed with lots of adventure, action, secrets and surprises, this is a fun follow up to A River of Golden Bones. I still love Calla's story, and enjoyed the focus on Sadie and Navin for this novel. It did at times feel like a second book in a trilogy (kind of set up for the third), but had enough new plots to build intrigue. I absolutely can't wait for the next book!

Tropes
* Wolf Shifters
* Fated Mates
* LGBTQ+ Representation
* Political intrigue
* Found Family
* Unique Magic System

4 stars

A great sequel, I think I enjoyed more than book 1. I loved the characters and all the different aspects of the story. It kept me entertained and wanting more. Sadie & Navins relationship was my favourite part of this particular book, I loved having Sadie’s POV.

I love Callas character and seeing them really start to embrace who they are after being raised with strict gender norms under the male wolves rule was so well written.

I will say I wasn’t a fan of the narrator for some of the audio, Graes voice sounded too young and didn’t fit his character which made me like him less than I probably would have if I was reading the physical book. I just kept wanting to fast forward to the Sadie chapters.

This story is an example of one that improves by listening to it in audio format. It's well-produced and I enjoyed the narrators, but, unfortunately, I had to DNF because I could not get invested in the story no matter the format.

As a fast-paced plot told in dual POV, A Sky of Emerald Stars (and the Golden Court series) will find its readers, but I ultimately can’t recommend it.

Regardless, I do want to thank HarperAudio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.


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Here are my thoughts on the book itself:

I want to preface this by noting - although Avon/Harper have released my favorite Adult Romantasy series to date (Sarah A. Parker's Moonfall series and both of C.L. Wilson's) - I’m not the audience for A.K. Mulford's Golden Court series.

My goal is to be respectful of the work that went into this book, so while I will provide feedback here in NetGalley, I’ll refrain from reviewing this work on my book socials. (Additionally, readers should note this is the second book in a series. I didn’t notice that when I requested this book on NetGalley, and again, out of respect for the publisher and author, I did go and read book 1 first.)

For what it’s worth, I think this could have been an amazing YA series (with very few, but very significant, edits).**

There’s such an important social/political message here. However, as written, I found it too heavy-handed for most adult readers. We can be trusted to understand the political message—and why it matters—when it is first introduced.

Certainly, the questions this text asks are important ones. But, when you have this much repetition (words, plot points/situations, even nicknames) with this little world-building and detail around the characters’ motivations…I just can’t see how this is going to resonate with avid Romantasy readers.

**Note: this is NOT a YA book. It has quite a few moderately spicy scenes – yet, honestly, none of them were needed or added to the plot (and I say this as a reader who is fine with spice). It was such a quick burn, no buildup or time to connect with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for this ARC Audio Copy!

When I read book 1 of this series I enjoyed it but it took me a while to really get into. I was not sure if I would want to continue with the series but I decided that since there are so few mainstream shifter books our there right now that I had to give it a chance and I am so glad that I did. There is nothing I love more in a book than a well written political storyline and this one was very enjoyable and balanced really well with the action and battle scenes.

I am definitely looking forward to the final book in the Trilogy!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Calla and Sadie are two of my favorite people and I love the journey they are on. This was a revolution I could get behind and I was hooked from page 1! I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone!