Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Road of Bones

The writing quality is quite good.

Relationships are built steadily, but no key moment is spared to move the plot forward. If you enjoy the slow build of a friendship or a romance and don't mind a road trip, then this is for you.

The FMC is a gentle soul, but strong hearted. She's a good antidote to sassy personalities, if they've got you down.

The MMC though? Complicated. Really wasn't sure about him most of the time, but I actually think I'm really, really going to like him in the next book. He's got some great development towards the end that sets up for an amazing payout next book. Here's to hoping we actually get it!

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ladybug12793's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.25

The best romantasy I’ve read in a while

I don’t know why it took me this long to read this. To be honest, I’ve been disappointed with the romance and fantasy books I’ve been reading lately. Thanks booktok for most of those poor recommendations. This was a pleasant surprise. While I can’t say this is the best fantasy I’ve read, I was entertained the entire time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The romance is slow burn, which is my favorite. I think there is one or two mild spicy scenes but even then the plot is good enough on its own without it. I can’t say that that’s the case for a majority of the books that I’ve read recently, unfortunately. So, again, this book was a pleasant surprise.

This book definitely needs more hype. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

1 🌶️

* please disregard grammatical errors due to voice texting

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kimwritesstuff's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? No

3.0

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.

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.

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intensej's review

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adventurous medium-paced

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silla Nordvig is desperate for safety after her world is upended. She will do anything to get to Kopa and follow the instructions her father left her. When she sneaks into a wagon, she has no idea that she is joining the Bloodaxe Crew who are on a separate mission. Although Ren, the leader of the Crew, allows her to travel with them, she struggles to keep her secrets as she grows closer to the mercenaries.

It took a few chapters to get into the book. The world reminded me of The Witcher with all of the magical creatures. I didn't care for the constant POV changes for certain chapters. I enjoyed reading about Silla's journey with the Bloodaxe Crew. The romance part of this book was a bit disappointing. I couldn't figure out if Silla was supposed to end up with Jonas (the handsome member of the Crew) or Ren.

I preferred Silla/Ren together, and all of the Jonas/Silla scenes got to be really annoying.

If you enjoyed the Viking romantasy and angst of A Fate Inked in Blood, you will like The Road of Bones .

Content: violence, death, swearing, sex, mentions of sexual assault

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nikicrews's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

A Viking-inspired romantasy with a cut-throat band of thieves, a complex magic system, a bear god, and broody bearded warriors with nicknames? Literally say less.

I was so excited to get my hands on this arc, and rightfully so. Silla is being hunted by the Queen of Iseldur for reasons unknown, but which will soon change everything about the life she thought she knew.

This story unfolded so wonderfully in a way that made you forget it was world building. The first scene draws you in, and by the 3rd chapter you know you’re not putting this book down.

I absolutely love the camaraderie amongst the Bloodaxe Crew, I’m a sucker for a found family with trauma bonds. I’m hoping in the next book we get to explore those characters a little deeper.
Silla’s personal growth and the way she moves from being a girl whose every move is manipulated and controlled, to one who can hold her own and will not allow herself to be told who to be, is so wonderful to watch as it unfolds.

I rated it 4 stars simply because there was a moment or two where I wanted things to pick up the pace a bit, but it’s all for the character development and plot building. Plus, once Part 2 hit, I was simply not sleeping or eating until I finished this book.

The Road of Bones releases on November 5th!

🗡️ High Fantasy
🗡️ Magic System
🗡️ Enemies to Lovers
🗡️ Potential Love Triangle
🗡️ Nordic/Viking Influence
🗡️ Multiple POV
🗡️ Found Family

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ebook arc and the opportunity to review!

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edey_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There were moments where I was so frustrated with the FMC, but the story is deeply complex and you constantly discover new secrets and twists.

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summercampcrush's review

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adventurous mysterious tense 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? No

4.25

Forest Spirits + Vikings ✅
Dangerous Guild of Outlaws ✅
Found Family + Family Secrets ✅

I absolutely adored the story from beginning to end. The Road of Bones is a richly imagined world with Nordic and Celtic flavors, including the Druids and dryads, and a strongly written cast of characters.

I’ll always be a sucker for a good ol fashioned found family trope. As long as each character is as Unlikely a companion to the next, all desperately “other” to most, i just itch with the potential for a hell of a found family story.

The band of mercenaries aren’t without their cracks, hidden motives, mysterious pasts. So, The tension from conflicting interests and unknown allegiances contributes to the hum of dread that follows us as we experience the POV of both the FMC and the one who hunts her.

🌶️🌶️.5 / 5

The romance elements are secondary to the plot but consistently have an impact on the story beats throughout.

I could see the MMCs

tamlin-ification happening from a mile away tho. But I didn’t mind that, in particular because it only added to my rising anxiety for the FMC. It was pretty clear who the (I hope) end game love interest is. They just had TOOO much chemistry and I loved every moment of it.

but can I just say, I love running into couple dynamics that remind me of (Throne of Glass spoiler for EOS, KOA)

✨Elide and Lorcan✨ so much that it kinda seems like a little homage to the couple.

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haley1999's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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