A review by estapinto
Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Fantasy and romantasy is currently overrun with fae courts, dragons, vampires, and morally ambiguous shadow daddies trying to out-brood each other. And I love it, yet simultaneously, I’ve read enough of them to last me several reincarnations. So when Broken Souls and Bones introduced me to Viking-inspired fantasy romance, I perked up. Then I devoured it.

But Broken Souls and Bones didn’t just win me over with aesthetics. It felt fresh because it gave space for grief, silence, rage and softness, all coexisting without cancelling each other out.

What really stood out to me was Roark, the male lead, who communicates using sign language. It’s clear LJ Andrews put in the work to get it right. The signing is so vividly described, you can almost see his hands moving and feel the weight behind each gesture. As a non-speaking character, Roark isn’t reduced or romanticised. He’s a protector without being possessive, and emotionally present without being sanctified.

Furthermore, FMC, Lyra is anxious, introverted, and emotionally intelligent. Not the kind of FMC who’s “not like other girls,” but one who is like a lot of us. Her social anxiety isn’t framed as a flaw to be cured, it just is, and that’s what I loved.

Meanwhile, everyone has a take on the balance of enemies-to-lovers… whether it’s too insta-lust/love, too slow-burn, too much vitriolic enmity, not enough true enmity. We’re all just Goldilocks out here testing the porridge, hoping for the right temperature.

But perhaps timing isn’t the problem. Substance is. I don’t care if they kiss on page 50 or in book two, if there’s no emotional backbone, I’m out. But Broken Souls and Bones delivered a perfect amount of tension, ideological friction and payoff.

That balance is why I quietly bumped this book’s rating up to five stars when I couldn’t stop thinking about it a week later. LJ Andrews clearly knows how to balance fantasy and romance without flattening either. There’s texture and nuance. I’m surprised this book isn’t more talked about. I feel it’s one of the strongest romantasies I’ve read this year and I’ve read a lot of them.

I just need to give a shout out to the side characters because this book doesn’t waste its supporting cast on filler. Prince Thane is hilarious. Kael is Lyra’s loyal brother-from-another-mother. And there are multiple women — Emi, Yrsa, Hilda — who aren’t written as foils or competition for Lyra. They’re layered, loyal, flawed, and feel like they exist outside the frame. Just women supporting women, surviving brutal systems together.

The worldbuilding and magic system sealed the deal for me. To be honest, the first half is quite intricate and demanding but once you wrap your head around it all, the reward is worth it. The magic system feels really unique. Lyra’s power isn’t pretty, it’s horrifying and crunchy with consequences. I love magic that exacts a price, especially when it forces characters to grapple with power, morality and identity. That’s what made the worldbuilding and plot extra compelling.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough: no cringe nicknames. I was at peace.

And finally, FYI for my fellow animal lovers: no dogs or wolves die, even though there was an opportunity for that to happen earlier in the book. There are plenty of other content warnings though, so be mindful of that.

If you liked A Fate Inked in Blood or any other Viking-inspired romantasy, odds are this will work for you too. But even if Nordic-inspired romantasy isn’t on your radar yet, it should be. This was my first foray into it and I loved it. If you’ve been burned by too many copy-paste romantasies lately, give this one a shot. It surprised me with heart, weight and soul.

My heartfelt thanks to Penguin Random House Australia for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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