LJ Andrews is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for this book. It did not disappoint! Her ability to build worlds and romantic connections hits EVERY time. If you love Viking Romantasy, this book is for you!! The characters, the magic system, the world were done so well and the ending left me wanting more!!!

Unsurprisingly, Broken Souls and Bones is one of my fave books of 2025. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to LJ books at this point 🤣 BSAB is action-packed with a unique world, beautifully written characters, found family, and an interesting magic system that has consequences when used certain ways. A few scenes gave me Viking-Stranger Things “upside down” vibes - SO awesome! I love that Lyra is more introverted with anxiety rep, and Roark is definitely one of my fave morally grey MMCs. I think it’s beautiful how Lyra and others around Roark have learned how to communicate with him using his sign language 💙 Some of the twists and turns in BSAB completely surprised me and left me needing book 2 ASAP 💀

Thank you so much Berkley for sending me this eARC 💙

✨𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆✨

ʟʏʀᴀ ʙɪᴇɴ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴀ Qᴜɪᴇᴛ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ-ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴛʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴏɴᴇɢᴀᴛᴇ. ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ʀᴏᴀʀᴋ ᴀꜱʜᴡᴏᴏᴅ—ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ’ꜱ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴛ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴜᴍᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ—ɪɴᴠᴀᴅᴇꜱ ʜᴇʀ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪʟᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴄᴀʀꜱ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇꜱ. ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ꜱʜᴇ’ꜱ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ ʜᴇʀ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜱ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴍᴇʟᴅᴇʀ.
 
ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ’ꜱ ᴍᴇʟᴅᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴇQᴜᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴀꜱᴜʀᴇꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴀ ꜱʟᴏᴡ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ꜱᴇɴᴛᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʟʏʀᴀ ɪꜱ ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ʜᴇʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʙᴏɴᴅᴀɢᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴛ, ʙʀᴏᴏᴅɪɴɢ ꜱᴇɴᴛʀʏ ᴡʜᴏ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴘᴛɪᴠᴇ: ʀᴏᴀʀᴋ.

⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️

𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘓 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘐 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦.

𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“From the moment I met the fiery gaze of Lyra in the jarl’s house, what I thought I knew of my life, of my existence, had unraveled.”

Thank you Ace for the gifted ARC!

3.5⭐️

I’m feeling a little mixed about this one!! I love a Scandinavian setting and the magic system is SO cool! And a MMC who signs? So unique! So overall, it was pretty enjoyable but it also dragged a bit? Idk I wanted a little more!

The magic system is so unique and I really enjoyed learning about how the powers worked! I will say, I still don’t feel like I fully understand how this all works though. Especially what blood crafters do and what a soul bone actually is!

Lyra is a melder, a unique type of magic wielder, who has spent her life hiding from those who wish to use her. This has led her to be fiercely independent and slow to trust! I really loved getting to know her and enjoyed her sass 😌

I loveeeee Roark! He’s mysterious and broody (my kinda mmc) so watching him slowly open up was so enjoyable! He’s incredibly protective and would stop at nothing for those he loves 🤌 also loved seeing some diversity with the signing!

I would have *loved* to see more tension between these two. It was so so so good at first but then it was just like *boom* they love each other? Idk I wanted it to be more explosive! But I do love how much they are willing to do for each other!

The way I inhaled this book.
WOW!

The writing completely takes you to a new world and the storyline in and of itself is something of beautiful heartbreak. This story has it all.

Broken Souls and Bones is the first book in a new series by LJ Andrews and I loved it. If you've not read any of her books yet, you definitely should.

Lyra has been hiding away with the intention of keeping her magic a secret forever. As a melder, she knows the king is hunting for her but if she can keep hiding the scars in her eyes and stay hidden in the village, he should never be able to find her. Unfortunately she never counted on someone spilling her secret or coming face to face with Roark Ashwood.

Roark Ashwood is the prince's silent guard and rumored killer for the crown. When the king finds out that there is a melder hidden away in a village, he sends Roark and his guards to collect her as his last one has recently died and he needs a new one to build the army he needs. Roark is drawn to Lyra from the second he meets her. He knows he has to bring her back to Stonegate but he will also do whatever he can to protect her as much as he can. Roark has secrets though

As I mentioned, I loved this book. First the characters. Lyra, Roark, Kael, Thane, Emi, and Yrsa were all great. The romance build between Lyra and Roark was done well. It's an enemies-to-lovers scenario which I thought Andrews built up well. The friendships were great too. Lyra and Kael's brother/sister bond was lovely and the friendship between Roark and Prince Thane was great too. That all fed into the group dynamic that ultimately came about. And the impact on these relationships based on the actions at the end of this book...I'm so curious to see what happens next.

Roark's secrets come out at the end of this book because of his desire to protect Lyra. They both know that being a melder is dangerous and when everything comes to a head, Roark has to decide what he is willing to do / give up to protect her and he ultimately decides he would give up everything. And that's all I can say.

So I will just be out here waiting for the next book in this series because I'm definitely going to need to know what happens next. If you haven't read this one yet, go get a copy and dive in. If you have, I know you feel my pain.



To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.

As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know, or accept their dark destiny.

LJ Andrews has leveled up with Broken Souls and Bones, a Viking inspired fantasy romance. The world building in BSAB was captivating, from the first page. The magic system is unique and well thought out. The I hate you, I like you tension is perfect for the romantasy lovers. I am rarely caught off guard as a long time fantasy reader, but even I was snatched by one of the plot twists. The last 10% of the book is explosive!

Lyra has little memory of her life before. She lives as a servant with her found family brother, hiding to avoid detection from the royal house. Roark Ashwood is the Crown Prince’s Sentry, with the gift of sniffing out those with craft abilities. Crafters, those gifted with magical abilities are coveted and one magical type most of all.

I loved this book and I am eagerly waiting for news of book 2.

Broken Souls and Bones - LJ Andrews
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️

🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴

Tropes :
🦴 dark fantasy romance
🩸 enemies to lovers
🦴 forced promixity
🩸unique magic system
🦴 found family
🩸 sign language rep

🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴

Review:
First we have to start this by saying congratulations to LJ because this is her first traditional publishing release and she’s so amazing and deserves it so much! Now let’s get into the book. This story was so unique and unlike anything I’ve read recently. I love the magic systems that LJ creates, and this is no different. The magic system has a rich lore within this world between all three kingdoms, but is it the lore only a tale or could there be truths to the legends of old? Lyra is such an intelligent and strong woman and is used to doing everything she can to survive, and watching her slowly come into her craft was really cool because we got to experience everything with her for the first time. Roark you silent broody beautiful bastard. I love their banter and the undeniable pull that they have together and how much he fights his attraction to her even as he does everything he can to protect her. One of my favorite small details about this is how we see him hand speak with everyone, but with Lyra he will speak with his hands against her face. Melting. Into. The. Floor. We’ve also got a mysterious shadow phantom who is super cryptic, and you have no idea who can trust within and outside of the palace walls. This is the first book in a new series, so we get left off a cliffhanger that had me ready to learn more about this world and what will come of Roark and Lyra in the next book. If you love dark fantasy you have to check this out!

🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴🩸🦴

Huge thank you to LJ’s team and Ace/Berkley for this gifted copy.

<i><b>“True love. To accept another soul-the good and the bad—and love them through it all.”</b></i>


<u>Tropes</u>
• Forced Proximity
• Signed Language Rep
• Found Family
• Unique Magic System
• Hidden Identity
• Touch her and 💀
• Norse Mythology
• Enemies to Lovers

Perfect for fans who loved A Fate Inked in Blood or Norse Mythology! You’re in for a ride with this one!


<i><b>“Burn it all if it means you still live.”</b></i>


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it did not disappoint! I was hooked right from the beginning. It had everything I loved from strong, loyal, and sassy FMC to dark brooding, protective MMC with an eerie mystery to him. With their banter to the slow burn and steamy romance between them it was easy to get lost in the pages! Let’s not forget the loveable side characters that made my heart swell of any unexpected moment.

<i><b>"Break me, I no longer care, as long as it is you who wields the destruction.”</b></i>

As I was getting closer to the end, I was dreading the end of their story but what I was not expecting was the twist and turn that happened. I was expecting that was all the twist until LJ Andrews hits us with a couple of more leaving me in complete shambles with that cliffhanger!


<b>Thank you to LJ Andrews, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions remain my own.</b>

4.5⭐️ | 1.5🌶️

First off, I'd like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & the author for the eARC 🫶🏼

What a great first book to a new series!! I was so captivated with the world building and the plot from the start. Lyra a woman with a secret powerful craft of magic that kingdoms have started wars over, and Roark is the silent guard that was tasked to capture & bring her back to King Damir. The story mostly follows Lyra as she adjust life as the King's melder in Stonegate. With some POVs of Roark sprinkled throughout the book, it gave a better understanding of his views of the world and of Lyra. Love a dual POV!

I loved that Lyra & Roark's romance didn't bloom instantly. Instead, there were little moments where it leads up to their big moment. Since Roark doesn't speak, he uses hand sign language & it made every gestures he made towards Lyra all the more meaningful 🥺 I honestly loved their interactions from the beginning to the end.

The found family trope in this book was also so good! I love it when all the characters are playful, mischievous & loyal to one another 🥺

While the ARC didn't come with a map or a glossary, I really hope the final book will have either one of those things! The world building is a little complex with all the different languages and craft magic abilities, it would help to have notes to refer back to. Other than that, I absolutely loved this book & finished it within 2 days 🙂‍↕️

🦴 Hidden Powers
🪓 Slow Burn Romance
🦴 Enemies to Lovers
🪓 Sign Language Rep
🦴 Viking Mythology
🪓 Forced Proximity

The story is told by our two MC's Roark and Lyra. Lyra has spent most of her life staying hidden, as she holds power that is both coveted and feared. Roark has his own secrets. I absolutely adored him and the fact he signs just added to his character.

This story had many layers that were revealed chapter by chapter. We discover there is so much more to Lyra and Roark's story.

Oh LJ Andrews, you hold my heart with every book you write.

Falling back into an LJ Andrew book, is like falling back into a magical world that you know and are comfortable in. LJ Andrews writes magical worlds and stories that grip the reader and this book was no exception. Roak and Lyra? Oh my days they were so perfect together and their chemistry felt unmatched.

The way this ended has me desperate for book two because I need more of these characters and this world!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

this. was. so. good. i KNEW i was gonna love this, solely for the fact that i’ve loved previously read viking based romantasies. i cannot believe how great this was and now i have to wait for the next book after that cliffhanger. the downsides to ARC reading….. you have to wait longer cause this book doesn’t even release until the 29th of this month!! i can’t wait for all of you to read this book, please if you loved The Road of Bones or A Fate Inked in Blood, go preorder this asap! the fmc was relatable and bad ass and the mmc was deliciously morally grey. the side characters were AMAZING. this has all the tropes we love, some for example without spoilers: slow burn romance, found family, bodyguard romance, true enemies to lovers. the plot twists were twisting, the romance was romancing. i can’t say enough good things about this!

This is a sold 5 gold star novel!

The pace is just right and keeps your interest fully. I hated having to put this book done to adult in the real world.

Great character growth as well with both MCs.

Loved this book from start to finish! Can’t wait for more to come from these characters.

PS I just need to fault and say CALLED IT! I TOLD YOU SO! 🤣 my theories in the beginning about the MCs were correct 😌💅🏼

I'm new to LJ book's, I just read the Ever King last month and had a really good time with it! So I was very eager to dive back into this author's writing with Broken Souls and Bones. The magic system and having a mute MMC really caught my attention with this book. We need more books with sign language representation! However, I found the pacing to be slow and there was a lot of info dumping. Even though I was intrigued by the magic system, it unfortunately wasn't very well explained or easy to understand. I didn't find myself wanting to pick this one up.

Finally an enemies to lovers I can recommend fully!

Typically Enemies to Lovers is something I like to read but find issues/flaws with. Not this time!

Lyra is a fun lead that isn't perfect and it shows, but without all the usual cutesy triping overthemselves bits. She's strong but in a world that she is not comfortable in and is just trying to survive, and this world is not nice. From her ealiest memories she has had one goal, stay alive, and stay hidden, and unfortunetly, she's not hidden anymore. The Melder has been found and the King wants his prize. Leaving her and some of her fellow villagers at his mercy. What little of it there is.

Blood, Bone and Soul. Three primal and visceral aspects that tie humanity together make up the magic system here in gruesome ways in this Viking inspired story, and I can't wait to read the sequels to see what happens next.

I was desprately afraid that one particular trope was going to happen but the twist in the end brought me around. I did not quite see that happening!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC, I will definitly be keeping an eye out for more LJ Andrews and can't wait to see what happens next with Roark, Lyra, Thane, and Emi.

5 Stars – A Stunning Romantasy with One of the Most Unique Magic Systems I’ve Ever Read

Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews completely captivated me—easily my favorite read of the month! Set in a rich, Viking-inspired world, this romantasy stands out for so many reasons, but what truly sets it apart is the magic system. It’s one of the most original and well-developed systems I’ve encountered in a long time—creative, immersive, and woven seamlessly into the world and plot. I couldn’t get enough of it!

The story features a slow-burn, fated mates romance with an enemies-to-lovers dynamic—my favorite tropes—and the chemistry between the characters was electric. I also deeply appreciated the disability representation. The male main character is mute and communicates through sign language, which was portrayed with so much care and authenticity. It added such emotional depth to his character and their relationship.

The spicy scenes were perfectly balanced—intense and steamy without ever overshadowing the story. LJ Andrews has a gift for blending passion with plot, and it’s no wonder every book I read from her ends up being a five-star favorite.

Huge thanks to Berkley Publishing for the gifted ARC. I can’t recommend this one enough!

So...is this a safe space to admit I've never read an L.J. Andrews book before this one? Because....it's true. And I'm going to have to go back and read some of her backlist IMMEDIATELY, because this was probably my favorite Norse mythology romantasy I've read. Everyone raves about A Fate Inked in Blood, but I loved this 20x more!

The forgotten memories, the super cool magic system, the politics of the kingdom were all SO interesting that even when it felt like it dragged a little for me, I was still invested enough to keep reading vs fighting the urge to start skimming. I'm in LOVE with the magic system and literally all of the characters. Please don't ask me to pick a favorite because I can't. And I won't. (Just kidding, it's probably Roark). And the magic system? Fusing bones to soldiers to make them super soldiers and improve their strength? It can save lives? It can cause an incredibly bad problem for whoever has the power to do it? SIGN ME UP for the zombie adjacent stuff ALWAYS!

I do think sections of the book dragged more than they had to due to a combination of overexplaining or explaining in an incredibly convoluted way, but I don't think it was bad enough to fully take you out of the moment. It definitely helps that Norse mythology is so different than what's currently saturating the market, so it all felt fresh enough to want you to keep reading.

I definitely couldn't put it down in the last 15% of the book, and I'm SO looking forward to the next one! Very happy I now have an entire backlist to help old me over until then, because the wait is going to be BRUTAL!

A masterpiece.
I have been a long time fan of LJ Andrews as an author. The skill she has in creating intricate, and complex worlds filled with magic and mystery is awing.
Broken Souls and Bones is a brand new world, with a brand new magic system. It is completely unique but just as addictive as her other series. A part of this story that I thought was the shinning star was the non- speaking MMC. Roark can't speak but he has his own way of communicating using sign. It is a beautiful representation of ASL and it is included in a way that feels really special. I think it sells our MMC even more as each word is intentional. You know he means it. And that alone is beyond magnetic.
In BSAB you will find.
- A dark Viking inspired world
- true enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- a deliciously morally grey non-speaking MMC (sign language rep)
- an introvert FMC who loves big and fierce
- a creepy phantom in the shadows who’s sort of hot
- a heap of Norse Mythology

I am already kicking my feet hoping for book two and book one isn't even officially out yet.

Thank you so much to the team at Penguin Random house for the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️ 2🌶️

Tap Tap Tap

This is the most unique magic system I have ever read about! I really enjoyed Lyra using her melding abilities and it was very interesting learning about the mirroring world.

I thoroughly enjoyed Roark; he’s made my book boyfriend list! Roark had an injury resulting in him losing his voice. With the help of Prince Thane, he learns to hand speak (a form of asl). This was such an original piece that made me melt for Roark. “To claim something as his- a strike, a skill, a horn of ale- Ashwood tapped whatever he wanted three times.”

Roark and Lyra’s relationship was a true slow burn 🔥 The two went from despising each other to warming up to each other to falling for each other. Lyra took up Roark’s hand speak fast - “I realized each gesture is almost burned in my memory…once I see them, the words are felt more than understood. I simply know them.” Most people didn’t take the time to learn Roark’s words, but Lyra did. And this just proves home much she cares for him.

The last 10% was wild! I’m in need of book 2 immediately! Preferably yesterday!

🦴slow burn
🦴Vikings
🦴unique magic
🦴dual pov (1st person)
🦴bodyguard trope
🦴touch her & 💀
🦴non-speaking MMC

Thank you to NetGalley, L.J. Andrews, and Peguin Random House for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.