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Wednesday, November 22, 2023


Review: A RIVER OF GOLDEN BONES by A.K. Mulford

 


Book Details

Title: A River of Golden Bones
Series: The Golden Court, Book #1
Author: A.K. Mulford
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre(s): Adult, LGBT, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 400
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780063291423
     

Reading Details

Finish Date: November 21, 2023
Format: Physical ARC
Representation: Genderfluid, Sapphic, Nonbinary
Trigger/Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Transphobia


Rating: 5/5

Favorite Quote/Scene: 
"No. No more packs. To the Golden Court. To our family."

Review: 
Note: Calla uses she/they pronouns. I will be alternating between these two during my review.

I am very thankful that I was able to receive a copy of this book! It’s a shifter romantasy (romance/fantasy) book with a genderfluid main character. Add in some fated mates, and I was absolutely feral to get my hands on a copy! The author very kindly gifted me a copy and I started reading it the day that I got it.

I found Calla to be a very compelling main character. She is full of heart and fueled by anger. They will burn down anything standing between them and their revenge, but she's also fairly level-headed and cunning. They think through what consequences their actions might have, but sometimes her stubbornness means that she stills go through with her plans. Throughout the book, as they grow, they become smarter and more resourceful.

I absolutely love Calla as a character but it’s the side cast that really stole my heart from me. I loved them all, but one really stood out to me. Ora is probably my newest book crush and I love them so deeply. I am mildly terrified to read any sequels of this book because of what might happen to them. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there were something certain they did that just amazed me. Grae makes for a very interesting love interest. He's sweet and scarred and troubled. Beyond those two there are assorted other characters. I don't want to name them all because I truly don't want to spoil this book for anyone.

One of the things that I think worked really well in this book was the intricacies of everyone involved. From Calla to the travelers that she meets along the way to the primary villain of the story. They are all crafted so well. They have dreams and hopes and wants and you can understand why they’ve done the things they’ve done. And Mulford also wrote a compelling villain without writing someone that you wanted to have sympathy for which can be a fine line to tread at times.

The only thing I had a minor issue with was the sex scenes. And it’s not because they were poorly written or anything, but rather because I just wasn’t feeling them at the time so they made me a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t worth a deduction in my rating though.

I thought that this was an incredible book. From the depth of the characters to the beautifully described scenery. The sense of mild humor even when things are tough and the overarching sense of loyalty. This is a found family book and it shows in their interactions. I didn’t want this book to end and, now that it has, I can’t wait to read the next one.




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