I was impressed at how much I enjoyed this! I didn’t think I would like Sadie as much as I did but she turned out to be one of my favorites.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this. I also had the ALC and loved being able to go between listening and reading.
I really enjoyed book 2. It felt like there were a bit more stakes to this one and I can’t wait for book 3

I rated this one 3 stars. It was okay. I was lost and a bit bored at first, but it picked up and then it got better.

I have been anticipating this release ever since my book club read it a few months ago. We get new POVs and also follow the leads of the first book. I really like the world building in this series. It’s so vividly written that I was watching a movie in my mind while reading. The shifting in the book was exceptional. Just call me little fox 🦊

I recommend this and look forward to the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an EARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling sequel that delves into themes of identity, resilience, and love. Sadie Rauxtide’s journey as a royal guard brings emotional depth, especially as she confronts her feelings for Navin while on a mission to uncover secrets and secure allies. Queen Calla’s storyline adds complexity, highlighting struggles with diplomacy, prejudice, and self-discovery as they face challenges with the Taigos Court. The book is rich with twists, high-stakes action, and heartfelt moments, though it leans heavily on its character-driven narrative. While not as strong as the first book, it still captures the magic of the Golden Court and sets up an exciting finale. I can’t wait for the next installment!

Thank you Harper Voyager and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

As far as being a continuation of the first book, I liked this one much more. The introduction of Sadie’s POV was a welcome, refreshing, addition to the story. I hope that in the future we are able to see move POVs of the other characters. Calla’s story was interesting, but it definitely took a back seat to Sadie’s for me.

Also, just want to say that the amount of times Briar is useless is frustrating to me,

The overall themes about identity and being true to yourself come through in this book as well as the first. It is just another perspective of it.

It's a great book. I enjoyed the storyline. I got to better understand the characters of Sadie and Navin while still watching Calla grow into her own. I can't wait for the third book.


Thank you to NetGalley, HarperVoyager/Avon Books, and A.K. Mulford for the advanced reader e-book of A Sky of Emerald Stars!

The second novel in the Golden Court series definitely is a great continuation of the first book. Solid 4 out of 5 for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

We join Calla and her court several months after the end of Book 1 but this time the POV is split between Calla and Sadie, one of the Silver wolves in her court. There is lot of political intrigue and machinations as the different factions pick sides in the Silver vs Gold pack war. You've got Calla continuing to embrace her authentic self with Grae as her loving male wife and Sadie discovering long lost secrets of the world. There is a bit of a disconnect between the dual POVs, and in some ways it feels like two separate stories mashed together. But the world building you get through Sadie's story was super cool!

My one main critique is that the LGBTQIA characters continue to be in the background and at times feels like they are just included as tokens. HOWEVER I have hope that Book 3 will FINALLY give us Maez and Briar as the main focus.

Going to not so patiently wait for Book 3!!!!

Okay so...I was definitely a little critical of book 1 (it was just okay) but I'm here to tell you that IT DID NOT carry over because A Sky of Emerald Stars was FANTASTIC!
ASOES is a continuation of A River of Golden Bones and is told in dual POV...but not in the way that you'd normally think. Our first POV is Calla, our queen, and takes us on her journey to secure allies and retrieve her dear friend in anticipation of the war ahead. I loved seeing her and Grae work together and love their cutie relationship. Calla is such a cool representation of gender fluidity and staying true to yourself. #vibes
The second POV is Sadie - a wolf shifter in Calla's court who is sent on a mission to unveil Navin's secret that he is keeping from their court. I didn't expect to love Sadie so much, but by now I should know that I will always die hard for a bada** FMC! She was fierce, loyal, and even soft when she needed to be. Gish I hope the next book continues in her POV - but also I need to be inside Maez's head too!
There were twists, turns, and some spice to keep things interesting. There was such a difference in the prose compared to the first book - this book flowed so seamlessly and was such a good time. I enjoyed every single second!

Yes! So happy to see Golden Court back together (kind of) and really enjoyed the next installment of their adventure. I love angst, and this book had plenty of it. Talk about down bad! I screamed out loud a few times because of the twists, which I thought really helped the pacing.

The themes about identity and how one adapts/grows into it over time is such a true reflection for so many people and you observe different characters experiencing it in different ways. So well done, I can't wait for the next book.

4 ⭐️ Second installment in the Golden Court Trilogy did not disappoint. The story progresses through the eyes of Calla and Sadie this time. We get to learn all about the traveling musicians from book one with lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming.

While I did enjoy Calla’s chapters more, I understand the importance in the world building in Sadie’s chapters as well. I’m hoping for more Calla and Grae in Book 3 because those two were my favorite. The LQBTQIA+ representation really makes the series stand out from the crowd.

I love a good cliffhanger so I was a little bummed this book didn’t have one but nevertheless I’ll still be anxiously awaiting book 3. Please tell me there will be more dragons 🤞🏻

“If they can’t handle the brilliance with which you burn, Calla, then let them all catch fire. I’d rather be standing on top of their ashes than miss the brightness of your flame.”

*Insert screaming noises here* Is book 3 out yet?!

This was just as captivating as the first! I'm not going to lie, I had to put the book down a few times because the plot and/or the characters made me so mad, but in a good way! The emotional rollercoaster I went on while reading this was insane! I wish I had kept track of the amount of times I said, out loud, things like: "wtf," "you're joking," or "stfu." I knew it was going to end on a cliffhanger, but that didn't stop me from holding out hope that it might have ended differently.

I can, and will, binge anything they write! Additionally, I am on a mission to convince every reader I know to pick up this series- not only is it that good, but I need people to talk to about all of the things this book made me feel!

This book picks up where book 1 left off. There’s more mystery as we follow Sadie and the humans who definitely have more going on than what it seemed in the first book. I love the storytelling in these books and the character growth.

I was so thrilled to jump back in this world with these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series and was thrilled to get the ARC from @netgalley.

If you enjoy found family, badass warriors, secret missions, and shifters, this is the series for you. It was everything I was hoping for from the next book. It was a rollercoaster ride and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

A Sky of Emerald Stars, book two in A.K. Mulford’s Golden Court series, jumped right into the chaos of impending war and political intrigue. Because Mulford did a beautiful job with the world building in book one, we were able to dive into more of the character development with character backstories, including side characters. The pacing was strong, and I was pulled right along with Sadie’s pov and the forced proximity trope, even though I was irritated with her quite a bit. The multiple twists and turns from this book were what made it such a strong read for me. Loved the magic systems, loved the relationships, and loved the continued theme of self-discovery. Although Calla and Grae’s story is included, I did miss more time with them since the focus is on Sadie this go around.
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Voyager/Avon Books, and A.K. Mulford for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a wonderful follow up to A River of Golden Bones! The stakes are high in this book, and there was better character development. I can definitely say that this series starts out incredibly slow. I found that I wasn't interested in either book until about 20% into the story. This story is majorly focused on Sadie, Navine and Maez while book one was solely focused on Calla, Grae and Briar. Sadie, Navine and Maez are travelling to make alliances in order to help the Golden Court while Briar, Grae and Calla are focused on rescuing Ora. Things become tense and complicated in this story. There is a lot of unexpected betrayal and secrets that start to come to light.

I really enjoyed the fact that we got so many different POV's in this story, and that the story was continued but with a differing main character from the first book. I feel that I don't see that often in fantasy series' and I think it was really well done. I very much enjoy the world building in this story, as well as the different characters.

Overall this was a solid read and I'm excited for the conclusion of this trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperVoyager/Avon Books, and A.K. Mulford for the advanced reader e-book and audiobook of A Sky of Emerald Stars!

A Sky of Emerald Stars is book two in the Golden Court series by A.K. Mulford.
I love book one A River of Golden Bones.
This was such a great romantasy book!
A riveting, enchanting novel. About self-discovery, romance, and adventure.
An high-stakes adventure that captivates you from the beginning.

I think I liked this book better then book 1! I cant wait to add this to my trophy shelf!!! It was phenomenal!!! I wish I could reread it again for the first time! I loved it so much! I am going to buy this book the moment I see it in the store for sure!

Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book! I was so surprised to get a SADIE POV! Her character growth was just amazing, and the other characters were great too! The spice was just right for such an intense story! When the magic was introduced, I was totally shocked in a good way—like, “Wow, that makes so much sense!” The loyalty between mates was heartwarming, and the imagery was just fantastic! It was so easy to dive into this world! And that ending? Wow, I’m left hanging on a cliff and I need book 3 like, yesterday!

I should have actually read book 1 before requesting an ARC of this.

I didn't actually like book 1 all that much, but I had already requested this ARC so I powered through. I skimmed most of the book quickly (very quickly for Calla's chapters as I was really tired of them).

Sadie's were at least a little bit better and unravelling the mystery that was Navin. I liked some of his background and getting more magic explanations.

They also set the series up to be continued, probably with someone else's POV. It could get more interesting. If you liked the first book, I would advise continuing!

Read if you love:
-Shifters
-Gender exploration
-Strong FMCs

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC of this book. My thoughts are entirely my own.
Finish date: 12/22/24, Release date 12/24/24