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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
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 was my first book by L.J. Andrews and will not be my last. I love a Viking romance in any context, be it historical or romantasy, so I ate this up!
Lyra Bien has been hiding from the king in plain sight since she was a child. After her village was ransacked and her parents killed, she was brought up in an orphanage and then entered into the local jarl's service. Lyra is a rare melder, able to meld the bones of the dead to the living and it's the law that she must serve the king, but she's terrified of the potential consequences. When Roark Ashwood, the crown prince's Sentry is sent to find her, Lyra can no longer hide. Roark uses her relationship with her foster brother to expose her magic and then takes her to the king to serve as his next melder. Lyra is terrified, forced into compliance by the love she has for her brother but she finds that nothing is as she thought within the royal circle. The crown prince is kind, the others in the king's guard at Stonegate are hardworking and respectful and the prince's Sentry isn't all bad. So why does she keep encountering a dark figure who fills her with a sense of foreboding whenever she melds?
Viking romance is one of my favorite subgenres, whether it be in historical or romantasy. I love the political structure of the Viking era and the relative freedom in gender roles that exists, compared to the rest of the medieval period. This Viking romantasy has pretty much everything I love about the genre, wrapped into one book.
Lyra is not the typical shieldmaiden-type character we're used to being served in Viking romantasy. She can defend herself, but she's not a trained warrior, nor does she wish to be. She wants to live a quiet life away from the dangers and drama of the royals but that's not possible with her magic. Because Lyra grew up in hiding, she spends most of this book trying to figure out why her power works the way it does. How can she enter a trance from her first attempt melding when it usually takes much longer? Why can she enter the mirror world? Who is the dark stranger in her mirror and why can no one else see him? Lyra has so many questions but no one to ask so she has to rely on books and her own ingenuity.
Roark was a total surprise. I was expecting the typical Viking hero and instead we got a complicated man who cannot speak with his voice due to an injury so he uses sign language. What a cool characteristic for the hero of the book! Roark is very close to the crown prince, Thane. They act as brothers and Thane helped create the sign language Roark uses to communicate. I loved seeing their friendship and trust on page because it laid the groundwork for Lyra's trust in the prince and other members of the royal circle, creating an element of found family.
The romance in this book is both insta-attraction and super slow burn. Lyra and Roark are immediately drawn to each other, although neither knows why. It takes most of the book for them acknowledge the attraction– because of their positions in Stonegate, a relationship between them would never be allowed– and even longer for them to act on it. But when they finally do, it is worth the wait. Roark's sign language is deployed to quite the effect in the intimate scenes and L.J. Andrews does a great job of using their intimacy to further the plot.
Like most first books in romantasy series, this book does take a little while to get going. There's quite a bit of world building we need, both from the political and magical perspectives, before the plot can start moving. We also leave off on a cliffhanger so if that's not for you, perhaps you should wait until the next book comes out to read Broken Souls and Bones. I'm definitely planning to continue with this series and would recommend to anyone looking for a Viking romance or a romantasy that does not feature fae, vampires, or shifters.
Lyra Bien has been hiding from the king in plain sight since she was a child. After her village was ransacked and her parents killed, she was brought up in an orphanage and then entered into the local jarl's service. Lyra is a rare melder, able to meld the bones of the dead to the living and it's the law that she must serve the king, but she's terrified of the potential consequences. When Roark Ashwood, the crown prince's Sentry is sent to find her, Lyra can no longer hide. Roark uses her relationship with her foster brother to expose her magic and then takes her to the king to serve as his next melder. Lyra is terrified, forced into compliance by the love she has for her brother but she finds that nothing is as she thought within the royal circle. The crown prince is kind, the others in the king's guard at Stonegate are hardworking and respectful and the prince's Sentry isn't all bad. So why does she keep encountering a dark figure who fills her with a sense of foreboding whenever she melds?
Viking romance is one of my favorite subgenres, whether it be in historical or romantasy. I love the political structure of the Viking era and the relative freedom in gender roles that exists, compared to the rest of the medieval period. This Viking romantasy has pretty much everything I love about the genre, wrapped into one book.
Lyra is not the typical shieldmaiden-type character we're used to being served in Viking romantasy. She can defend herself, but she's not a trained warrior, nor does she wish to be. She wants to live a quiet life away from the dangers and drama of the royals but that's not possible with her magic. Because Lyra grew up in hiding, she spends most of this book trying to figure out why her power works the way it does. How can she enter a trance from her first attempt melding when it usually takes much longer? Why can she enter the mirror world? Who is the dark stranger in her mirror and why can no one else see him? Lyra has so many questions but no one to ask so she has to rely on books and her own ingenuity.
Roark was a total surprise. I was expecting the typical Viking hero and instead we got a complicated man who cannot speak with his voice due to an injury so he uses sign language. What a cool characteristic for the hero of the book! Roark is very close to the crown prince, Thane. They act as brothers and Thane helped create the sign language Roark uses to communicate. I loved seeing their friendship and trust on page because it laid the groundwork for Lyra's trust in the prince and other members of the royal circle, creating an element of found family.
The romance in this book is both insta-attraction and super slow burn. Lyra and Roark are immediately drawn to each other, although neither knows why. It takes most of the book for them acknowledge the attraction– because of their positions in Stonegate, a relationship between them would never be allowed– and even longer for them to act on it. But when they finally do, it is worth the wait. Roark's sign language is deployed to quite the effect in the intimate scenes and L.J. Andrews does a great job of using their intimacy to further the plot.
Like most first books in romantasy series, this book does take a little while to get going. There's quite a bit of world building we need, both from the political and magical perspectives, before the plot can start moving. We also leave off on a cliffhanger so if that's not for you, perhaps you should wait until the next book comes out to read Broken Souls and Bones. I'm definitely planning to continue with this series and would recommend to anyone looking for a Viking romance or a romantasy that does not feature fae, vampires, or shifters.
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
adventurous
inspiring
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
Next book?? WHENS THE NEXT BOOK??!?? This is why I prefer reading completed series—I don’t have the patience to wait😩 The magic system, characters and names of places take some getting used to and ngl it was overwhelming at the beginning. But after the initial 30%, the plot gets cooking so so so well.
Morally grey mmc + bodyguard romance + enemies to lovers? The yearning is utterly toe-curling and I love it! The action and adventure had me bingeing this big time too. In fact, I can’t think of a single aspect that I didn’t enjoy/wish could be written better. Everything was a solid 5⭐️ for me and I’ll be counting down the days to the sequel🫶🏻
At 46% through the book both the conflict and the stakes are ambiguous and boring. At this point I would expect to be sucked into the mystery of Lyra’s power, but she lacks the curiosity to pursue her truth. This falls under romance more than fantasy because the main focus is the connection between Lyra and Roark, but even that focal point is underdeveloped.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this, it was my first book from LJ Andrews, and I’m going to have to read more now! I found it so incredibly compelling, that I couldn’t put it down, and with that cliffhanger I need the next book already!
For a Romantasy I didn’t find that the romance took over the story, especially because the relationship between Roark and Lyra built so slowly and there was a definite building of trust before it ever became romantic. I loved the bond that they shared, and the little things like her picking up on his hand speak so fast were just perfect.
I am so interested to see where this goes because there are so many threads that are beginning to be pulled together and I’m curious as to what they will create. I had my suspicions about some of the reveals but definitely not all of them, but looking back they all make so much sense. I think there will definitely be some trust that needs to be built back up, especially with the change in location and all these sudden revelations.
For a Romantasy I didn’t find that the romance took over the story, especially because the relationship between Roark and Lyra built so slowly and there was a definite building of trust before it ever became romantic. I loved the bond that they shared, and the little things like her picking up on his hand speak so fast were just perfect.
I am so interested to see where this goes because there are so many threads that are beginning to be pulled together and I’m curious as to what they will create. I had my suspicions about some of the reveals but definitely not all of them, but looking back they all make so much sense. I think there will definitely be some trust that needs to be built back up, especially with the change in location and all these sudden revelations.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Broken Souls and Bones is an intricate fantasy with some creepy bone manipulation magic. I can't say I understood everything, but I got the vibe. I did like all the bloody battles and epic kills. I think it reads YA in some of the characters interactions and that threw me off. The romance was just OK for me, but I loved the expression of it. To save someone is great, but to kill someone for love is better. Quite a statement. Book does leave in a cliff hanger so be prepared for that. Overall, a good story with great world building that will hold your interest if you like abstract ideas.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No