A River of Golden Bones: Book One of the Golden Court―A Romantasy Shifter Trilogy Full of Adventure, Love, Gender Exploration and Self-Discovery. Sprayed Edges Exclusive to First Printing.

A beautiful story of self-discovery, set in a rich and complex fantasy world. Calla, our protagonist, has spent twenty years expecting life to go a certain way. When it doesn't, she has to find a new path, and decide what she wants--a possibility she had never considered. Call'a journey is for or anyone who's felt unmoored, unsure, or unable to fit in the roles and plans set forward for then by others. For anyone who's asked the question, "what do I want?" and struggled for the answers. There's a tense, intimate romance, friendship that turns into family, and some incredible moments of sacrifice in this story, too. A really lovely first entry into this series, which I'll be devouring for sure. 💕

Physical book review: Special edition sprayed edges are super beautiful and a perfect match to the medium purple cover color. They are solid with no discoloration or quality changes in the ink. The packaging also included the big air-filled plastic to help prevent damage during shipping. Story review: Plot- or character-driven? Character Strong character development? Yes Loveable characters? Yes Diverse cast of characters? Yes Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes 4.5 Stars audiobook (Audible) - love a good wolf fated mates story mixed within a Sleeping Beauty retelling. The fated mates status between the mmc and mfm was super easy to determine from their first interaction because the mmc knew it from the start. The mfm goes through a lot of growth and finds themselves throughout the story and most of it revolves around determining who they are and what they want. The build-up to the final scene makes it seem like the villain is all-powerful and would need to be overrun by multiple attackers at once though the final scene appears to complete super quickly. I would have loved to see a more drawn-out scene with more characters involved in the direct fight with the villain. It seemed a bit too easy like the end of the book came and someone wanted an easy quick final uncharacteristic fight for the villain.

This book was a wonderful adventure. Calla is the hidden golden court princess who is a shadow to her twin sister Briar. But as she becomes so much more than a shadow she finds so much more of herself and finds she doesn’t fit into just one thing. A great fantasy about finding yourself and realizing who you were meant to be. I love the love stories and the characters and am excited for their next adventure. 3.5 stars!

A River of Golden Bones is a Sleeping Beauty re-telling that includes some of my favorite tropes. There’s an evil sorceress, a handsome prince, a found family, and an exploration of gender identity that is often not seen represented in fantasy novels (but is perfect here). The character development and seeing how Calla confronts their beliefs based on observations and experiences is such a powerful message wrapped in a beautifully written and adventurous story. If you enjoyed ACOTAR, but wanted more diversity, I highly recommend A River of Golden Bones. And, if you liked The High Mountain Court (or the rest of the Crown of Okrith series by the same author), you will definitely love this book!

&#11088&#11088&#11088&#11088/5 &#128293&#128293/5 A River of Golden Bones is wolf-shifter fantasy romance with a bit of a Sleeping Beauty retelling. There is a lot to appreciate with this story - an interesting storyline, a likeable heroine, good tension, and enjoyable side characters. I really enjoyed Calla's growth and self-discovery throughout the tale. Sometimes the story did seem to fall a bit flat and was difficult to want to push through. I would've loved a bit more world building. One of my favorite parts of the story was the found family with the musician troupe - especially Calla's relationship with Ora. Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to friends. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see where the story and characters go.