DNF at 16%

I went further than I expected, I must say.

It just felt like reading about three characters who constantly complained about their lives and how they wanted more. Which I understand, but to have to read "I'm nothing. I'm bored" yada yada...it got incredibly annoying and I lost interest, I'm sorry.

Maybe it gets better, I don't know. I just know it was not for me.

Signing off,
B.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Agency Press that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on February 27th, 2025)

Blood Iron and Bone has a bit of everything. There’s a great adventure to be had when fae and humans meet. Told in 3rd person, this story follows 6 different POVs and spans the distance of two realms: the human realm and the fae realm. What happens when everything starts to mingle? How does a prophecy fit in to all of this?

I was looking forward to reading Blood Iron and Bone because the premise is interesting, it's high fantasy, there are elements of magic and prophecy at play, as well as a bit of hidden identity, however, there is a lot going on that made the story a little difficult to follow. This book has so much potential but with everything going on, it was really hard for me to enjoy it to the fullest extent that I could have. On it's own, the narration and the multiple POVs are great, I actually really enjoyed that process. When combined with worldbuilding, it felt jarring because the shifts and changes were so sudden and as a result, the it felt more chaotic than I think it should have.

If you are someone who enjoys elements like this or doesn't mind a slight bit of chaos, then this book could be for you. This book is the first in a series and there is so much potential. The doors open to many possibilities and I look forward to seeing what additional adventures will come up.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Blood Iron and Bone
💫💫💫

I did end up enjoying this book but it wasn't till the 60% mark that everything started to fall into place.
This book has 6 POVs and normally I'm a more the merrier type of reader but when you have to do all of their redemption arcs, I'm going to get confused and slow down with the pacing.
I think my favourite aspect was the world building. I'm a sucker for the details that don't drag on but helps you to feel immersed in the world and this provided that.
This book is tagged as having Fated mates, it delivers but it's also slightly lost in and amongst the multiple POVs.
I will definitely be continuing the series, I felt like this book was alittle on the dense side for a reason and I don't mind that.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes
* Multi POV
* Third person
* Fated mates
* Prophecy
* World building
* Chosen one
* Fae x Human

This was an extremely unique start to a fantasy series. The world building was very detailed and I loved the anticipation for what’s to come. The story follows 6 main characters (PoVs) which was a lot for my little brain but they’re all important in their own right, even if we don’t quite know how just yet! There’s prophecy, mix ups, fated mates and an animal sidekick!
My favourite character was actually a side character Aife who is a delight 😅 all knowing and flitting in and out, I can’t wait to see more of her! I did feel like this book is a build up to what’s to come and I do want to see what’s in store for all those main characters!

Thank you to NetGalley, agency press & Sera Foxe for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quotes
* a bargain with the Otherworld is binding
* She’s just a woman. But history has always feared woman
* An overabundance of possibility and hope—nectar or poison?

This could be an interesting series as it builds on the ideas set up in this first book. A lovely example of a fae world. I especially liked the tales of changelings and the cross over from the han world. The book was very slow to start and I had to upload through the first third but it's worth persevering. Shows promise as a series

I thought this was a very unique and refreshing fae story! I loved getting in the heads of all six of the main characters, which really made me have to use my brain to follow along with the story in the best way possible. The only thing is that I found it was almost too much and made me confused sometimes with what was going on. I also think that the pacing was kind of slow at the beginning and a rush towards the end. Other than that I loved the interesting world-building, the dynamic range of characters, and, of course, the romance!

Overall I think this was a good introduction to this world and I am excited to read more.

If you enjoy the blend of magic and romance found in series like Quicksilver, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and GILD, then Blood Iron and Bone by Sera Foxe deserves a place on your reading list. This book offers a compelling exploration of destiny, love, and the clash between worlds, even if it takes its time getting there.

Foxe excels at crafting well-developed characters. Lark and Andar, childhood friends turned lovers, anchor the story with a poignant yet seemingly doomed romance. Lark's constant struggle against prophetic dreams that declare Andar is not her mate adds a layer of heart-wrenching tension. The introduction of Aurelia, a human thrust into the Fae realm, acts as a catalyst, further complicating the already fragile dynamic between Lark and Andar. Aurelia's presence becomes the linchpin, revealing the complex web of emotions and the truth behind the mysterious prophecy. The reader is drawn into this tangled relationship, eager to unravel the secrets alongside the characters.

Whether Blood Iron and Bone is the start of a duology, trilogy, or longer series, Sera Foxe has created a world with immense potential. I am eager to see what Foxe has in store for the future of this series.

ARC Book Review
I received my copy of this book from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

3.5/5 Stars
.5/5 Spice

There was so much to love about this book! Fae, Faeries, Fated Loves, Lost Family, Hidden Betrayal, and even a tad bit of spice! It’s nearly a perfect Romantasy.

Now, I did give it a lower rating, but in all honesty, it was really a great book. There are so many things that were great about it, but here’s some of the things I struggled with when reading it:

So many POVs. 6 to be exact. Which is not entirely a horrible thing, because I absolutely love multiple POVs. But, I found that each POV was really muddled and sometimes I could not follow whose POV it was. This made it hard for me to really get into the book until about 1/3 of the way in. But once it picked up, it was so hard to put down!

I felt like one of the FMCs did nothing but remark on the class differences and that her kind was looked down upon and treated horribly. And I get that it’s meant to be a huge part of the book, but through the whole book it was her entire personality and mentioned on literally every page. It was just super repetitive and hard to read through.

Other than that though, the book was lovely and has a very robust and expansive lore and history, as well as complex and relatable characters. I was so invested by the time I got to the end, that it didn’t feel like there was enough! I look forward to more from this series!

Such a slow start to the book, and it did not capture my attention. I felt lulled when reading, and had a hard time continuing. The blurb was really interesting and because fantasy is super popular right now these type of books are really getting churned out. Unfortunately I did not like really enjoy it. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this book hurt my brain, but in a satisfying way! there are 6 different POVs and honestly for the first half of the book, i was just winging it. it was quite hard to follow to begin with but once you get to grips with it, it becomes easier to follow.

this fae world is COMPLICATED, if you want an easy, fast paced fantasy book to read, this might not be for you, but i would definitely recommend reading it! the world building and writing is so unique and complex and will have you constantly thinking “wtf” but in the best way.

the romance is a subplot but it is fated mates which is just, mwah, chef’s kiss for me, so i enjoyed that subplot.

I am a fan of how the Fae and Human worlds meld in books. Using Quicksilver, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and GILD book series as sources to reference points, I am putting a lot of value on this book. Let us start off with the good points: Lark and Andar are very well established characters having been childhood friends to lovers mold, that without creating a spoilers, is ill-fated with Lark constantly fighting against the "dreams" she keeps having telling her that Andar is not her mate. Aurelia adds adds a layer suspense as the human thrown into the Fae world and enters as the linchpin factor between the love that Andar has for Lark, that she doesn't share for him. It is certainly worth it for the reader to enter the entanglement of the three characters and see how the puzzle and the "prophecy" are all unraveled.
Here is the only bad point for me: it is a very slow build over the course of the book. Before you scorn me over this information, I don't think this is a horrible thing. I have taken my bad view of the slow build from my time with Throne of Glass series, but it's certainly something you need to be aware of. When you reach the end of this book, the build-up is well worth all of the slow building. I will look forward to what Sera Foxe does with the future books in this series. Whether this is a duology, trilogy, or multi-book series, this series has a lot going for it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book for an honest review!

★★★★★ because every once in a while I like to rate a book depending on the potential for the series and the amount of relatively hidden world-building in added chapters in between the main storyline 💌

I enjoyed the political aspects of the fantasy world and how there was a focus on the treatment of "mortals" in fae stories and tales in general.

<i>The love that poured from the dream boy to her through the lightest touch of his full lips never faltered and she gave herself over to it.</i>

Honestly I enjoyed the multiple POVs and underlining storylines that could be developed in the later books in the series.

I found this book read a bit young for the targeted audience it is advertised for. However, that being said it was easy to understand and had easy to follow world building. It has an intriguing concept and I am intrigued for where the story could progress.

Well, I've finished it and when it tell you it was an interesting read!
I thought it had great start but I will say the different points of view really took me a while to get my head around... However... I did enjoy being able to connect with different character!

I am looking forward to the next books and I am sure we will start to go deeper into the magic system within the universe!

First I want to thank Netgalley and Sera Foxe for this e-ARC copy of this book.

I really liked this book, I had a great time with this. It did take me a while to get into it, it was about halfway when I got into it fully but I expect that from a fantasy book 😊.

This is written in 3rd person which I don’t normally get on with. However, this one was well written and kept me engaged. I also really liked the multiple povs in this, as it gave me more insights into each character. I do love a book with multiple povs.

I really liked Aurelias character and she was definitely my favourite character of the story.

I really liked the writing in this and the world building was fantastic, it felt like a slow burn which I don’t mind at all but the last 30% ( I think, not sure though) of this book definitely made the slow burn worth it.

I will definitely be reading book 2!

I loved the storyline however it did take me a while to get into as this book has six storylines and I struggled to keep track of who is who.

However the world-building was incredible, I felt like I was actually in the world itself. The pacing was really well done and the more I read, the more theories popped into my head.

What I found really refreshing was the romance wasn’t the main part of the plot. As the romantasy genre has blown up, I’ve read a lot that has more romance than plot and this book reversed that. It was a nice change of pace.

Thank you to Net Galley, Sera Fox and Publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start by saying that unfortunately I DNF'D this book at around 30%. I don't think this is a bad book by any means but just not the right one for me. It has 6 POV's which I found confusing at times and the writing style just didn't fit with what I am used to.

I did enjoy the premise and plot of the book and can 100% see why people would enjoy this book. If you love books that have intricate plots and lots of detail then I think you will like this book. The plot is unique and the writing etude is different from your typical fantasy book.

Thank you again for the opportunity to ARC read this book.

This author was new to me but the cover and description drew me in. I’m really glad I took a chance because I fell in love with this book!

Disappointment is heavy with this one, and the cover is so freaking cool. The concept of the book was fantastic; the world-building was so good, and the storyline is mildly entertaining. The writing, however, felt really hard to follow at times, and I felt zero connection to any of the characters in the book. The romance felt too forced, and the repetition of long paragraphs about their obsession with each other felt tedious. Another huge letdown was that the battle built up throughout the whole book turned out to be mostly cut out, jumping to another moment and cutting back when it was over. It never felt like an adult romance. I think it should be categorized as YA and eliminate the cringy, spicy scenes at the end of it. Three stars is probably being too kind on this one.

In a kingdom on the precipice of the fulfillment or failure of its most famous prophecy, thrown together by fate and terrifying circumstance, a motley band of Fae and Human alike must come together for the good of the realm, even as the darkness that covers the land threatens to become permanent.

I really enjoyed this. It has a lot of points of view, which takes a little while to get used to, but once you do, it's not a problem. I felt like all the POV characters were well-developed, so it worked. The story was fun, the world-building is good and has lots of room for more development. I look forward to the rest of the series! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.