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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I’m just not interested anymore, and there are so many other shiny books I could engage my time with.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In broken souls and bones we follow Lyra who, at the beginning of the story is living a life hidden in a small village due to the power she holds. Lyra is a melder, a magic skill both feared and sought across the different kingdoms in this world. At the start of the book Lyra is discovered by the kings men and taken to serve him. Throughout the story learn more about the melding craft, its history and what the kind intends to do with the powers of a melder.
Due to her craft and being revealed to the world, Lyras life is now under constant threat, even within the walls of the palace. To protect his prized possession, the king assigns his Sentry to guard Lyra and through this we see a bound develop between them.
So I really enjoyed this book 🙂 It is Viking inspired which was great and I felt like it was well paced throughout. There is interesting and unique world building, as well as an intriguing magic system. I will say it probably took me most of the book to get my head around the magic but I definitely enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Lyra as a character. I really liked some of the concepts introduced around souls which is woven through the magic system in this book. I also really reveal relating to our MMC towards the end, I wasn’t sure how it would be managed and felt it was well done (don’t want to spoil).
I enjoyed the romance between our main characters, particularly the way they communicated. Roark is a dark brooding soldier with a reputation for ruthlessness & ☠️. Due to an incident in his past, he is not able to verbally communicate and instead, has his own language with hand gestures. From their first meeting, Lyra begins to learn his language and I thought this was really interesting l. There is plenty of tension throughout the book, touch her and ☠️ vibes and Roark is definitely a possessive/over protective MMC. There is some spice in a few scenes, I would rate it as fairly mild (open door).
Overall this was a great start to a new series and I will definitely be picking the next one up when it releases.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
2025 is giving so many 5 star books for me. I love the viking type of the clans. Magic system is unique.
Another gem from LJ!
I was immediately drawn to this world of Vikings and magic. The world building was fantastic, now I think it might be good to have some sort of glossary that shows the different melders and Viking/norse terminology? Maybe that’s just me but I had to look up a few things here and there but other than that, loved the creative magic system we have here. The plot was chefs kiss, the spice, the battles, the Viking myths incorporated, the secrets, the side characters and that ending….. yeah I’m gonna need to know when book 2 is coming!
You have different magic systems and it’s incredibly unique. Unlike anything I’ve read. You have bone, blood and soul craft each with its own abilities.
You have two opposing sides, and I’m really not sure either are good. I think they are both pretty evil but maybe that will change?
Lyra who is a powerful melder is hidden away but found by one of the sides and is forced by the king to build him an army of berserkers. Then you have a broody mute Sentry, Roark, that is battling his own demons and there’s a pull between Lyra and Roark, which of course you figure out in the end.
What I was not ready for was the twists and turns. When I had an inkling on something the rug was pulled out from under me!
I absolutely love this new series and I truly cannot wait for what’s next!
I was immediately drawn to this world of Vikings and magic. The world building was fantastic, now I think it might be good to have some sort of glossary that shows the different melders and Viking/norse terminology? Maybe that’s just me but I had to look up a few things here and there but other than that, loved the creative magic system we have here. The plot was chefs kiss, the spice, the battles, the Viking myths incorporated, the secrets, the side characters and that ending….. yeah I’m gonna need to know when book 2 is coming!
You have different magic systems and it’s incredibly unique. Unlike anything I’ve read. You have bone, blood and soul craft each with its own abilities.
You have two opposing sides, and I’m really not sure either are good. I think they are both pretty evil but maybe that will change?
Lyra who is a powerful melder is hidden away but found by one of the sides and is forced by the king to build him an army of berserkers. Then you have a broody mute Sentry, Roark, that is battling his own demons and there’s a pull between Lyra and Roark, which of course you figure out in the end.
What I was not ready for was the twists and turns. When I had an inkling on something the rug was pulled out from under me!
I absolutely love this new series and I truly cannot wait for what’s next!
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This could just be me but I felt that a few plot points weren’t explained very well & pretty vague. It took me a minute to figure out that the MMC used sign language to communicate & I figured the FMC’s powers as a melder would be more substantial than what they actually were. Oh well, 🤷🏻♀️ it by no means diminished the story as I had a great time reading along.