I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

4.5 stars

I definitely would have read this in one sitting had I not foolishly started it the night before a work day. This has so many things I love: morally grey shadow daddy, enemies to lovers, found family, an interesting magic system I hadn't seen before.

I hope there's more from this world because I'd love to see more from these characters.

To note, it does have darker elements so this may not be for everyone.

The book was kinda generic. There isn't a lot of movement with it. It really needed to move faster and have more things that added to the story overall. Fantasy has turned into a pretty generic genre and if there isn't anything to set it apart or make it good then it will get lost. Personally, I feel that this book might get lost.

The premise is strong, and the synopsis makes it sound cool, but the story did not deliver.

A book for people who cannot get enough of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Everly is cornered by a man who wants her and the jealousy of a man who cannot have her. As the never ending beatings of life pressure her into a situation of danger to work and deal with powers above her control and vast travels beyond her experience to save the ones she loves.

And for those that need to know before picking up this book: Yes this book cannot live without smut. Though there's build up to the actual scenes, the book wastes no time constantly making sexual comments or references and edging towards the inevitable moments.


I think my only flaw with this story is it over does a lot. It overkills on sexual comments, pet names, over describing dialogue and over indulges I telling me just how attractive Silas is. To the point where it reads awkwardly because it would constantly be shoved into the text no matter what. It’s a romantasy, people are going to imagine the character as extremely hot whether you describe it a million times or not.

Take a shot everytime I say the word “cannot” and get started on this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Specter Publishing and
J. Ember Hintz for this ARC copy.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Witches✨ Dragons✨ Giants ✨ Magic ✨ Enemies to lovers ✨ Shadow Daddy

What more can you ask for?


I loved this book! I only took away half a star because it lacked world building. You just jumped right into the story. I would’ve liked a little more back story for Everly.

There is so much about this book that I loved! I was hooked from the start. Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers with a shadow daddy and dragon. I cannot wait until the rest of this series is released.

“I’ll never deny you anything you desire again. I’m yours. You have possessed me, man, beast, and magic.” He presses my palm against his chest, directly above his heart. “I’ve been dead inside for two centuries. You’re the spark that brought me back to life. You’re the flame that burns inside me. I will be yours until my dying breath.”

To start, thank you, NetGalley and J. Ember Hintz, for the early copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading this! The magic wielding system was new and different than I have read before. Silas and Everly are great characters. Their story, with all the secrets and tragedy left me wanting more Parts of this story had me thinking of vibes from Throne of glass and Fourth Wing. Can't wait for the next installment.

Absolutely adored this story, which balances toe curling steam with intrigue and plot twists. Despite all the trigger warnings at the start, Masquerade and Bones is a light read.
The world building is limited, launching straight to plot - which I love but know more detail orientated readers will find frustrating. We don’t really get much description of our characters either (again, something I greatly appreciate but know others find annoying). However I did have to accept that I wouldn’t have a strong understanding and just trust the process as terms and magical systems were introduced.
I absolutely hope this is the first book in a series, but that we keep the main voice as we explore the back/future stories of the other players.
I also want more of Pig.
Highly recommend if you want a light HEA fantasy, are comfortable with slightly darker themes, and enjoy foreplay in its rawest form.
I was given this as an eARC, and the author is completely new to me. A couple of minor typos “I called out his mane” found and amused me.

This is my first witchy book and I absolutely LOVED it. The spice, the relationships, the story line! I loved it. I would recommend this book! Thank you for the Arc copy!

It was easy to read, but I feel like a lot of the world building wasn’t properly explained, so it was hard for me to fully immerse myself.

SPOILERS IN REVIEW:
“Masquerade of Bones” is an enchanting and immersive fantasy that weaves together a rich world of magic, political intrigue, and compelling character dynamics. The story centers on Everly, a witch who can sense magic through the bones of creatures. In a society where magic is forbidden, Everly struggles to keep her abilities hidden while navigating a world of secrets and betrayal. After the murder of her parents, Everly was forced to care for her brother, Adrian, and was ostracized by the royal family, including her former betrothed, Prince Gideon, who is now in a position of great power.

The world-building in this novel is stellar, creating a society rife with tension, where magic is feared and persecuted. Everly’s journey is fraught with personal and political conflict, and the introduction of Silas—an enigmatic reaver working for the rebel cause, who turns out to be a dragon—adds an exciting layer of mystery and danger to the plot.

One of the strongest elements of “Masquerade of Bones” is its character development. The multitude of characters is introduced seamlessly, each with depth and complexity that makes them relatable and easy to connect with. Everly’s inner struggle to hide her secret powers, while balancing her responsibilities to her brother and navigating the political landscape, makes her a compelling and sympathetic protagonist. Silas and Everly’s relationship is full of tension, mystery, and chemistry, evolving at just the right pace to keep readers hooked.

The dialogue throughout the book feels natural and relatable, enhancing the authenticity of the character interactions. The pacing is smooth, with the plot unfolding in a way that keeps the tension high without feeling rushed. There’s a perfect balance of action, emotional depth, and intrigue, with each chapter driving the story forward.

“Masquerade of Bones” is a captivating read for anyone who loves fantasy novels filled with complex characters, rich world-building, and an exploration of power, betrayal, and self-discovery. It’s a promising start to what could become a fantastic series.

Epic romantasy full of magic, battles, snark, royal betrayals, witches, and adventure all the way. A winner for all fantasy fans and delivers on a HFN that can lead to more, but definitely satisfies on all counts.

While I can see how this might appeal to some of our library's "romantasy" readers, this book just wasn't for me and I did not finish it. The magic system was very interesting but it felt like the worldbuilding and character development was passed over in favor of pushing a frenetic plot. I quit the book at 40%, at a point that felt like it should have been the end of the first book in a duology or trilogy. If the story had been given more time to show us the world instead of condensing the plot and having to rely on exposition dumps, I might have enjoyed this more. However, insta-lust and love triangles are also not my thing and this had both. The element that I was most excited by in the description - the Menagerie itself - only featured in two short scenes, which was incredibly disappointing as well.

This book should be the next Romantasy hit.

4.75⭐
🌶️🌶️ Open door, descriptive

The world is rich and interesting. Not totally new with witches and dragons and powers, etc, but they're all twisted in a new and interesting way. Things do not go as expected and the story stays interesting and engaging.

I agree with others that the beginning starts at full force and quickly tapers to something sort of slow. I actually put the book down at 17ish% and almost didn't pick it back up, but I'm glad I did. I finished the rest in one sitting and now I'm desperate for more. The good news is, this book is satisfying enough on its own and knowing there will be more is just icing on the cake.

Thanks to NetGalley, Specter Publishing and J. Ember Hintz for this eARC.

Thanks for the advanced copy of this amazing book! The relationships are very realistic and I loved the bond between the witches ! The relationship between the main couple was written really well! I would recommend to anyone who enjoys witchy stories with dragon shifters ! I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

This is the next Romantasy everyone needs to obsess over!

Everly is a Witch in disguise hiding her magic from the crown to avoid serving in the military. Down on her luck after her parents death and her engagement to the crown prince being broken, she make some shady and dangerous deals. Deals that will throw her head first into danger and temptation.

It's been an age since I have been so excited about a new "system" of magic. I love how magic the humans use stems from relic from other magical creatures. The fact that witches don't live long as the magic burns through them adds an extra layer of fear for the characters who literally live fast and die young.
The romance element is very well done we have an excellent shadow daddy, who veers to the darker side of grey at times. This is a slow burn which works well with the enemies to lovers aspect of the relationship.
The world building is great we are given information at a good pace without info dumping and we know there are several kingdoms with their own political systems.

The only thing that I found a little odd is how much the fmc sweats- it's mentioned alot alot. She is sweaty in almost every chapter, I am not sure if it's going to be a plot point or not, I hope so otherwise it is a tad weird.

I am so excited for the next book in this series and I am already obsessed! Yes obsessed with this new fantasy world.

3/5 Stars

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have mixed feelings, but overall I did enjoy reading this. Some parts of this were well really done, like the magic system. It was definitely unique, relying on various relics, which was refreshing and fun to explore. There were also a lot of well developed characters and unpredictable plot points that kept it interesting, especially in the last two thirds of the book.

The first third was a bit slow and confusing, though, as there was a lot of world building to achieve, and sometimes terms/concepts weren't clearly explained until after they became relevant. It became easy to forgive this as the book picked up and things became more clear, but unfortunately the ending somewhat took away from these improvements for me. It felt very rushed, which took away from the action and made it hard to fully appreciate.

I did give this a good try, but ultimately DNF'ed. The concept from what I did read felt really fresh. In this day of so many copy-paste stories, it really felt like I haven’t read something similar before which is really hard to accomplish. That was awesome.

It was a little hard to get into the book at the start since there is clearly a developed world that you are dropped into. I wish there was a glossary or some sort of better description of the world at the beginning because I felt like I had no idea what people were talking about in conversations. Magic, relics, witches, reavers, why witches get conscripted, etc. all needed better explanations up front rather than dropping the reader right in the middle of a fully realized world. That could be a barrier for anyone looking to casually read a story. It might be a personal issue in that I typically don’t like the “drop the reader right in the world” type books, but a glossary or even quick rundown as a prologue describing the world and major players could have been really useful. The book summary gave me so much more of a description of the world, but I wish the book text itself had a little more primer.

Okay, I swear all the time, don’t get me wrong, but it almost seems like the swearing is used for impact rather than just describing things in more detail. It sort of took me out of the story since there was a lot of swearing in the first few pages.

The transitions between sentences and situations were a little rough and felt like whiplash at points in order to just get to the next important topic. I felt like I had to go back and reread sentences sometimes to see if I was just missing something, but it was just a super quick topic change.

DNF -- While the premise of the book seemed interesting and initially seemed like something I would enjoy, I was ultimately worried about the content warnings as I began reading the book, and decided it was better for myself to not continue reading. I definitely think there are audiences who would enjoy this, I just did not realize it was as dark from the initial description.

Unfortunately i just could not get into this book and had to dnf it at 60%. The story just felt predictable and immature, leaving me struggling to really get into it. The cover is beautiful however.