Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
Broken Souls and Bones follows Lyra, who has been in hiding to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king. However, she is found by the King’s silent soldier, Roark, who discovers her secret; Lyra is a melder. Forced to reveal her rare and highly sought after craft, Lyra is immediately claimed by Roark for the king, to be his next melder. After Roark is assigned to protect her, Lyra must find a way to escape. What neither of them realises, is that a dangerous truth lies beneath everything.
This was my first book by L.J. Andrews, and it definitely won’t be my last! I was captivated by this story, and I loved the Norse-inspired world. The world-building was well done, and although it took me a while to get my head around the magic system, it was interesting and unique. Some of the crafts were explained and used more than others, but I am hopeful that the other crafts will be explained further in the next book. I also loved that magic had consequences in this world.
The story was generally well-paced, although I did find the first half moved a little slower, possibly due to setting up the world and explaining the magic system. The plot was compelling, and there was a great mix of political intrigue, mystery, action, emotional depth, and romance. The story was told through dual POV (Lyra and Roark) which I always love to see.
I loved the characters. Lyra was fierce, and Roark was my favourite type of love interest; broody and mysterious. Roark is non-verbal and uses his own form of sign language to communicate. I loved the way that this was done, and how intimate his way of communicating with Lyra felt. Their romance was a slow-burn with forced proximity, and they had great tension and chemistry. The intimate scenes were tender and well-written. I also really enjoyed several of the friendships explored within the book, and how loyal the characters were to each other.
The ending was absolutely incredible. Although I had some theories, L.J. managed to throw me off the scent of what was really going on, and there were several reveals that I did not see coming. While I did get some answers, I now have even more questions, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book, which I will be reading as soon as it’s released!
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by L.J. Andrews, and it definitely won’t be my last! I was captivated by this story, and I loved the Norse-inspired world. The world-building was well done, and although it took me a while to get my head around the magic system, it was interesting and unique. Some of the crafts were explained and used more than others, but I am hopeful that the other crafts will be explained further in the next book. I also loved that magic had consequences in this world.
The story was generally well-paced, although I did find the first half moved a little slower, possibly due to setting up the world and explaining the magic system. The plot was compelling, and there was a great mix of political intrigue, mystery, action, emotional depth, and romance. The story was told through dual POV (Lyra and Roark) which I always love to see.
I loved the characters. Lyra was fierce, and Roark was my favourite type of love interest; broody and mysterious. Roark is non-verbal and uses his own form of sign language to communicate. I loved the way that this was done, and how intimate his way of communicating with Lyra felt. Their romance was a slow-burn with forced proximity, and they had great tension and chemistry. The intimate scenes were tender and well-written. I also really enjoyed several of the friendships explored within the book, and how loyal the characters were to each other.
The ending was absolutely incredible. Although I had some theories, L.J. managed to throw me off the scent of what was really going on, and there were several reveals that I did not see coming. While I did get some answers, I now have even more questions, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book, which I will be reading as soon as it’s released!
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
fast-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
To quote the text I sent a friend upon completion,
“This book like, physically beat me up just now and I’m lying dazed in an alley like whaaaat just happened 😆”
That was WILD.
“This book like, physically beat me up just now and I’m lying dazed in an alley like whaaaat just happened 😆”
That was WILD.
adventurous
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know what to think about this book. It wasn't bad, but I had to drag myself through it.
What I liked:
- Norse inspired world
- Dark and kind of unique magic system with an interesting lore behind it, which could have been a bit more explained/developed to give it more substance
- A mute MMC who uses this world's version of sign language. You don't see main characters like this often in romantasy books. Also, it was not seen as something weird or weak, but basically every character knew how to understand at least basics of this sign language which was cool.
What I didn't like:
- The plot was very generic. A girl who was supposed to die, was rescued, has special powers and has to now save the world basically. This doesn't mean its bad but it was boring and very predictable.
- Lyra's character had potential but she didn't have any memorable character traits. She is a typical romantasy FMC thats it, neither annoying nor amazing. She's just typical.
- The romance between Lyra and Roark felt forced, like it was just there because you need it in a romantasy. For me they didn't really had a connection.
- None of the side characters stood out. They again were pretty generic.
Am I going to read the next book? I don't know. I want to give this series a chance but it just might not be the series for me.
What I liked:
- Norse inspired world
- Dark and kind of unique magic system with an interesting lore behind it, which could have been a bit more explained/developed to give it more substance
- A mute MMC who uses this world's version of sign language. You don't see main characters like this often in romantasy books. Also, it was not seen as something weird or weak, but basically every character knew how to understand at least basics of this sign language which was cool.
What I didn't like:
- The plot was very generic. A girl who was supposed to die, was rescued, has special powers and has to now save the world basically. This doesn't mean its bad but it was boring and very predictable.
- Lyra's character had potential but she didn't have any memorable character traits. She is a typical romantasy FMC thats it, neither annoying nor amazing. She's just typical.
- The romance between Lyra and Roark felt forced, like it was just there because you need it in a romantasy. For me they didn't really had a connection.
- None of the side characters stood out. They again were pretty generic.
Am I going to read the next book? I don't know. I want to give this series a chance but it just might not be the series for me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
