5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Not everything can be solved by stabbing..”

A Sky of Emerald Stars is the second novel in the adult fantasy romance series, Golden Court. Written in dual first person POV, the story follows Calla and Sadie. Calla, our beloved queen from the first novel, and she is in a bit of a pickle. Though they have reclaimed the Golden Court from an evil sorceress it will take to to rebuild and the other surrounding courts are not always making this easier. To make matters worse, one rival wolf pack kidnaps Calla's dear friend, Ora. Unable to be in two places at once, Calla sends Sadie to find Ora while Calla navigates court politics with the ice Wolf pack with a hope of building alliances to stop her enemy, Nero.

Sadie, now a royal guard, has been disillusioned thanks to a betrayal at the hands of a human she cared for. When she is sent on her journey she is further angered to know the very man who betrayed her, Navin, will be joining alongside Maeve to keep the status quo. See the secrets Navin has been keeping appear to be crucial to the Golden Court and Sadie must do whatever it takes to unravel them... Now tensions rise as both Calla and Sadie must unravel secrets, navigate court games, while facing a threat of looming war for the world they know seems to be so much more than it seems...

I had so much fun with this book!

Sadie is absolutely fierce and it shows. She holds a mean grudge and she can fight skillfully. At the same time we do get to explore some vulnerability to her which I enjoyed a lot. She's struggling with her feelings for Navin and finding her place in the world but she refuses to let that hold her back.

Calla, of course, continues to be as amazing as they were in the first book. We get to really explore a more nuanced situation in their character as they balance their freedom of expression as a merem while also navigating court politics where their identity may risk the alliances they believe they need.

I also want to give a shout out to Navin because he is so adorable and sweet but he has such layers to his personality that thrilled me as we peeled them back bit by bit. He may be human but there is so much more to him.

There are also so many other amazing characters we explore in this novel that really fleshed out the world. Grae gets to come back and him and Calla together is an excellent combination. Briar and Maeve were so cute together but don't let that fool you - their journey is a WHIRLWIND. We get more time with Maeve and Briar separately here which drew me in and I am hoping for more time with as the series progresses.

In terms of spice, I would place this novel at 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There is spice in both POVs. Calla and Grae are an already established couple so we see spice from them earlier on and it is detailed, explicit, and a delight. Navin and Sadie take more time with the angst between them from betrayal but the pay off is wonderful. There is a bit of grit to their spice with domination and control and that really plays well into things. I found their chemistry off the charts!

“You are so beautiful…And powerful and terrifying and completely and utterly hypnotic…”

For the story, I will be honest I wasn't sure where this story was going when I started but it was a thrill of the time. You have Calla trying to navigate court intrigue as they attempt to build an alliance with another world pack and struggling with having to minimize themselves in order to gain favour with this pack. Then, you have Sadie out to find Ora while also gathering Navin's secrets because they believe whatever Navin is hiding is tied to what happened with Ora. There is also the larger looming conflict of the world that has me so excited for how it all comes together. There is plenty of action, mortal peril, and sweet intimacy that helps highlight the strength and vulnerability of our cast and crew. Also so much more fun magic! This book will put you through the paces but you will have so much fun! There is unresolved conflict for book 3 that is a bit cliffy but not for all characters. I am not desperate for book three.

AK Mulford has once again done it! Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for this arc!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and HarperAudio Adult, through NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy of the e-book and the audio book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a great follow-up to the first novel in the Golden Court series. I enjoyed this one more than the first. The pacing was better, the characters more comfortable in their skin, and the stakes even higher. The magic system is more thoroughly fleshed out and is unique. At times I found Calla and Grae to be frustrating in the first installment, so I was happy to have shifting points of view here to see the perspective of a new set of "main" characters in what is really more of an ensemble cast situation.

The romance scenes for Calla and Grae felt forced and unnecessary to me. That relationship was already fleshed out in the first novel, and felt to me like it did nothing to drive the plot forward. Admittedly, I skimmed those pages. This is the main reason for my drop to 4 stars for the review.

Navin's character development in this installment is by far my favorite. His development was well paced over the entire course of the book.

I'm excited to continue (complete?) the series in the next installment. The world is really interesting and the characters engaging. I recommend particularly for fans of fantasy, romantasy, kingdoms with power struggles, LGBTQIA+ representation, wolf-shifters, magic systems and fated mates.

I was so excited for the next book in this series and to get back into Calla story. I was slow to get on the bandwagon for Sadie's parts but Sadie story stole the show, for sure. I was a little sad that a lot of Calla parts were so depressing and she lost her bad assed self with Grae. The spice is spicing, I approve. I did have to look back at the character list because for some crazy reason I forgot who was who!!

3 stars
——————

I took a while to ruminate on this one and I still just don’t know how to feel.

I went into this one fresh off a reread of A River of Golden Bones and that was a good idea. This book drops you back directly into the plot line of book one and without a refresh, I would have been confused. This book felt like a filler immediately. The plot is almost none existent and focuses more on “growing” the characters, but it heavily grows on the relationships more. I wanted more action, more plot and dare I say…less spice. It certainly picked up at the end, but it took a while to get there and to get through this one. The multiple POV was good in the sense that our characters are split up this novel, but it didn’t feel like they were connected either. It was like reading two separate stories at once. I enjoy the world and the lore, I liked the ending, but nothing really stood out to me.

Character wise, this book really is character driven. I just didn’t enjoy that when this one could have benefited so much from being plot driven like book one. There is a good sense of self discovery and I enjoyed the relationships, there was just too much of them. I DID enjoy the queer discovery aspects, but they felt heavily relied on in Calla’s POV to drive her as a character.

I’ve got mixed feelings on reading book three.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Calla might be Queen, but there is still trouble brewing for the Golden Court. And it's up to Sadie to serve her Queen and kingdom. Even if that means traveling with the human who broke her heart.

Read if you like:
-Wolf Shifters
-Second Chance Romance
-Magic
-Secrets

After falling in love with Calla in book one, A Sky of Emerald Stars fell short. It was a good book, but I just didn't lose my mind over it. Or my heart to Sadie and Navin. I'm still excited to see what will happen in the final book of the trilogy.

I am so happy I got to read this one early! I loved the first book in this series and the second didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed getting a new POV and I was worried at first that I didn’t care much for Sadie but she proved herself to me. And Navin has so many layers which made this story fun.

Of course I love Calla and Grae as always. This story gave me slight ACOTAR vibes but make it wolves and kind of Sleeping Beauty. I am definitely excited for the next installment because there is so much left to happen!

This book had me at the edge of my seat, chewing my nails, and screaming bloody murder!!! I threw my kindle, I cried, i gasped, and at the very last page, i leapt to my feet and cursed the author!!!!

All that to say, this is, in my fine opinion, a book even better than the first!!! and given my absolute obsession with the first book, that's saying a lot!!! it's hard to leave a review here without filling the page with spoilers but let me tell you, this is a book series well worth reading! there are betrayals, there are allies, there are secrets! (there is a LOT of spice). we learn so much about the Galen del Mora, even more about Sadie and Hector and the way the wolf packs work and at the very end, your left absolutely desperate for more.

I jumped into A Sky of Emerald Stars by A.K. Mulford right after finishing A River of Golden Bones, and I’m glad I did because it picks up exactly where we left off. Having everything fresh in my mind definitely helped. That said, as a follow-up, this one fell a little flat for me.

My biggest critique of the first book was that it focused more on Calla’s journey of self-discovery than on the actual plot. And somehow, A Sky of Emerald Stars felt like it had even less plot movement. It honestly just felt like a filler book.

On the plus side, the magic system is better developed in this one. But at the same time, it kind of came out of nowhere, which made it feel a little disconnected.

This series shines when it comes to queer representation, and I do appreciate that aspect. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it’s not something I’m rushing to tell everyone about. If the pattern of last-minute betrayals between side characters continues into the next book, I feel like I already know what’s coming—and honestly, I’m not sure I care enough about the new characters based on what I’ve seen so far.

Like I said in my review of the first book, this is a solid pick if you’re new to fantasy and want to dip your toes into the genre. But if you’re a seasoned fantasy reader looking for something groundbreaking, this one might not quite do it for you.

The Golden Court is learning to breathe again after the demise of the malevolent sorceress Sawyn. But in the vacuum of power left behind, other rulers are looking to reign supreme. In A Sky of Emerald Stars, we flip between Sadie and Queen Calla as they embark on perilous journeys to restore peace and balance. Sadie, Maez, and the human musician Navin are sent on a mission to gather allies for the Golden Court’s cause. But as Navin and Sadie grow closer, will the secrets between them tear them apart? Can a human and a wolf ever fall in love? Calla, on the other hand, tackles the Ice Wolf pack in Taigos with their mate Grae by their side, dancing a treacherous tango around politics and blood where they’re completely out of their depth.

A Sky of Emerald Stars takes the chaos of the last novel and expands on its cruel but magical world. Splitting the chapters between Calla and Sadie’s perspectives takes a while to settle into and makes the momentum stutter at times but by the end, it’s straight-up frenetic. We learn more about the other kingdoms and their motivations for choosing a side in the growing war between the Golden Court and the wickedly tactical Wolf King Nero—and how Sadie’s family loyalties will be put to the test. The world’s political machinations are always changing but they never feel too heavy to grasp. While the two alternating storylines have threads connecting them, sometimes they do feel entirely disparate; this novel definitely feels like a chessboard where the pieces are being set up to play in the sequel.

Sadie and Navin’s growing romance takes center stage as a slow burn filled with plenty of will-they-won’t-they moments and “forbidden love” tropes. Is it satisfying? For the most part—their story is filled with heart and has some pretty spicy moments, turning Nevin into a romance hero who’s sweet and kind but also knows how to play. Although you may be left wanting a little bit more (which hopefully the sequel will provide), Sadie finally finds someone who can not only match her in her sparring energy but is also strong enough to take care of her, to handle her, to let her be vulnerable, and that’s beautiful.

To balance out the yearning, Calla and Grae’s fiery connection has plenty of steamy scenes as their love and lust for one another gets stronger. The way they both navigate the politics of the fragile alliances and broken kingdoms, using the plays and skills they’ve learned over their time together, shows their growth as individuals and as a couple. The surrounding romances are where the drama comes into play, with high stakes for Maez and her mate Briar as they find themselves drawn to their own quests. There are some lovely queer moments that come into play in unexpectedly sweet ways; it’s refreshing to see how well the explorations of gender and identity are woven into a fantasy setting.

The fight scenes are intense and thrilling, with some gore and lots of bloody action. The shifters are powerful and mighty but there are other magics and mysteries that challenge them here, and learning their lore is a bonus. While the pacing is slow to begin with and some parts feel extraneous, as this is the second novel in a series with more to come, the added worldbuilding and storylines will hopefully have more of a pay off later. Overall, A Sky of Emerald Stars is a decent addition to the Golden Court romantasy world, building the momentum towards what promises to be an epic showdown.

—

Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC.

In A Sky of Emerald Stars, we return to the Golden Court to follow wolf-shifters Queen Calla and Sadie in this whimsical romantasy series.

This 💫Sleeping Beauty-esq 💫 tale is perfect for readers who enjoy romance and are possibly new to the fantasy genre because it has a very easy-to-follow magic system, steamy romantic scenes, and diverse character representation.

Rosy Moments 🌹
- Diverse character representation (including gender fluidity in main characters)
- Reminders from Book 1 are subtly incorporated to help the reader without seeming repetitive - very well done!
- Spicy scenes beginning at 25% into the book from characters you met in Book 1

A Few Finger Pricks 🪡
- The dual POV lacks crossover and while the cast is split up it begins to feel like two separate books vs a collaborative storyline
- 70% Romance / 30% Plot Split… and I simply prefer a little more plot

+++👂🏼The audiobook narration features performances by Bridget Bordeaux and Vico Ortiz who deliver accurate emotionally resonant performances that showcase their range as voice actors and bring a lot of depth to the cast of characters.

🏳️‍🌈 I respect Mulford, a former wildlife biologist turned fantasy author known for their dedication to crafting inclusive stories that spotlight diverse characters and cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, HarperAudio, and A.K. Mulford for the advance reader copy of this book!

⭐ 3.5/5 Stars – I recommend this spicy fairytale romantasy if you’re looking for a lighthearted adventure!

"A Sky of Emerald Stars" picks up Calla’s story and introduces a second main character, Sadie, creating a dynamic and engaging dual POV narrative. Both characters are grappling with their identities, the truths they’ve been told, and the paths they must carve out for themselves.

From opposite corners of the realm, we follow Calla and Sadie as they navigate their own challenges—stumbling, struggling, and finding the strength to rise again. Their journeys are raw, emotional, and deeply personal, yet they’re woven together by themes of resilience and self-discovery. It’s fascinating to see how their perspectives bring different facets of this richly imagined world to life.

This sequel doesn’t just expand the story; it deepens it, pulling you into their struggles and triumphs in a way that makes you cheer for both of them.

I really liked this book! I love a slow burn, fates mates, spicy situation and this hit the nail on the head so well. A favorite series of mine! Also- the world building is absolutely delicious.

Book Review: A Sky of Emerald Stars

If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, magic, and rich wolf lore, A Sky of Emerald Stars delivers an enticing ride that’s full of twists, turns, and plenty of spice (3 out of 5 peppers!). The story beautifully intertwines themes of love, betrayal, and self-discovery while offering an inclusive representation of LGBTQIA+ relationships.

Pros
• Wolf Lore & Transformation Details: The intricate world-building around wolf culture and their transformations is both vivid and captivating, immersing you in their mystical reality.
• LGBTQIA+ Inclusion: The relationships feel authentic and well-rounded, providing much-needed representation in fantasy romance.
• Powerful Women: The female characters are strong, multifaceted, and carry the story with grace and fire.
• Mates: The fated mate trope is used effectively, bringing an intense emotional depth to the connections.

Cons
• Vague Verbiage: Some of the terminology and magical concepts could have been explained more clearly, which might leave readers confused at times.
• Pacing Issues: While overall engaging, some sections move too quickly, which can make certain scenes feel underdeveloped.

Final Thoughts

The story’s twists will keep you hooked, and the ending leaves you desperate for the next installment. Despite minor pacing issues, A Sky of Emerald Stars is a must-read for anyone who loves wolves, magic, and emotionally charged storytelling. It’s a howling success in its genre!

Silver Wolves have taken Ora, a traveling musician dear to Calla, Queen of the Golden Court. Calla sends Sadie, former member of the Silver Wolf pack, to forge an alliance with the Onyx Wolves while Calla travels to the Ice Wolves. If they fail, the Golden Court will have little hope of rescuing Ora. Sadie’s now trapped on a diplomatic journey with Navin, the human she fell for—before he betrayed her. Sadie must use her wits to discover Navin’s secrets, but she’s better at stabbing…

Sadie and Maez had a great friendship, full of teasing, genuine care and a kick in the pants when needed. Navin was delightfully mysterious and I was hooked to discover more. The world-building was good, with unique magics and monsters.

This one felt slower to me than book one and had too many setbacks and too little hope for me.

I also have mixed feelings about the spice. Sometimes there was well-crafted romantic tension and important character development that hooked me into the intimate scenes—but other times, it felt like explicit moments were there on page just to be there.

Overall, this sequel did a good job of continuing its exploration of gender roles and expression while adding more complexity to the world and conflicts. I hope the next book moves the plot along faster and gives the group some wins (other than romantic ones) alongside challenges.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

This was just an okay book for me, it was a good sequel but it dragged a lot at the beginning which made it difficult to get into the story. This sequel had 2 POV's which is always fun but one POV (Sadie's) was way more fun and exciting for me than the other. I kept wanting to get back to her POV whenever it would switch over. While I enjoyed parts of this I just felt that I still did not have enough world building to feel invested in the story. There are parts of this world that are very interesting but are not explained in a thorough enough way to make them exciting. I still want to read the next one to see how the story concludes but I will just be more cautiously optimistic for that one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Golden Court series, and as well as following again through Callas POV we now also get Sadies

Sadie is part of the Royal Guard and when one of Callas friends, Ora, gets captured, Sadie is tasked to find out the secrets of the rival Wolf king, Nero. Sadie has to do this with her friend Maez and Navin who broke her heart before.

Calla also has to make allowances to work against Nero and save Ora along the way, and this includes seeking help from the Ice Wolf pack leader, Ingrid who is making this quite difficult. Lucky she has Grae by her side!

Sadie and Calla both have their work cut out navigating Wolf and human dynamics and politics, and also maybe new enemies/ alliances where they could never have expected it

What a journey! I loved seeing more of Calla and her sister Briar together, as well as more of Calla and Graes relationship. Sadie and Navin were also great to get to know better too, and Maez as well (who also happens to be mated to Briar)

There are a lot of connections, going ons and twists and turns here but AK pulls it all together so well it doesn't feel overwhelming and really draws you in

Can't wait to continue this series and find out what happens next after all that has happened in the first 2 books to where we are in the journey now!

This second book in the series is out this month in the US and January in the UK. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the review copy, all opinions my own

I definitely think this book is one that I need to reread in order to fully appreciate the characters. Especially Calla. Throughout the first book, and several times throughout the second book, I found her to be insanely insufferable. With that being said, though, I enjoyed this more than book one, and that certainly helped me want to pick it up and continue reading. The first 75% felt a little slow, but the last 25% - I think it was worth it. The romance was slow burn, the twists and turns were intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed this and I'm excited to continue on with the series, but there was... something... that felt off, and I think a lot of it had to do with how flat the characters felt at times.

Okay. So. The first book in this series had me invested by the end of it. I was fully behind Calla, rooting for their journey, and ready to follow their story. Then book two starts, and now the POV is split between Calla (about 40% of the time), and Sadie (the other 60%). In the first book, I found Sadie to be whatever. She was a bit spoiled, a bit whiny, a bit angry. But that wasn’t anything particularly outstanding or out of th e ordinary for a side character in a fantasy novel. Fast forward to book two, and Sadie became the single most obnoxious, infuriating, childish character ever. I nearly DNFed the book solely because I hated her chapters so much. The tantrums she threw, her inability to think about anything but herself, her desire to just kill everyone, which felt less amusing and badass and more felt idiotic and short-tempered; none of it made me root for her or care about her and her wounded ego/heart (same thing, in this case) over the human man she was swooning after.

As the story went on, and more interesting plot points were added in, I found myself growing more invested, especially as we are now seeing the other wolf packs in other kingdoms, and learning about the political dynamics that Calla and their court need to navigate, with even more magic woven into the universe.

The last 20% of the book, as I am realizing is the author’s MO, seemed to amp up a lot, and gave me new plot points that I am very excited about for book three and its potential (some elements felt very reminiscent of Shadow and Bone, but maybe that’s just me). There was some betrayal, some near death, some plot twists, and some new openings for a following book that could take the plot anywhere, really. Calla remains my favorite character, but now I am cynical about the POV focus and anticipate that book three could be following ANY of the characters we have seen in the series thus far. Sadie’s story got more interesting as the book went on, and as she got happier (read: laid), she became more tolerable to read about.

On the whole, this gets 4⭐ ️, and I look forward to what comes next in this series!

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook arc of this book. It’s rare that I enjoy the second book more enjoyable than the first, but she nailed and the series gets better each time she releases a book. I unfortunately don’t like the narrator that they have chosen for the book but at the same time I love when they keep the same voices for an entire series. The voice for Grae sounds like a kid gargled gravel, and then tries to sound like an adult, but besides that this book deserves 5 stars. This book starts off right where the first one left off with Calla trying to rebuild the Golden court, annd trying to track down Grae’s father since he decided that all the gold was his and took it and ran and while trying to rebuild her friend gets kidnapped by a rival Wolf Court.
There’s a LGBTQ representation with a polyamorous relationship, and definitely a lot more spice than the first. The artist for the covers also like to “hide” the pride flags in the covers for the books.


⭐️ POLY REP
⭐️ FOUND FAMILY

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
4 / 5 ⭐
This book was very interesting! I read the first book, A River of Golden Bones, on audiobook and appreciated the continuity of experience between the two formats. I enjoyed the conversational nature of the prose, which truly felt like the reader was in the mind of each character during their respective points of view. Speaking of, I loved getting so much of Sadie’s point of view! The way she processed information about Navin and the new magic we learn about was relatable and compelling. The social and political commentary in the book is just below the surface, but didn't feel heavy handed. I appreciate that the author waits until very late in the book to give us the context on the title, so the emotional impact is so much greater.
Recommend? Yes!
Continuing the series? Yes!