The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

TL;DR: After a few days away from this I think this is a hard pass for me.
Source: Netgalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Silla has to run to a far off town for safety after her father is killed and of course she makes all the mistakes you’d expect. And shocker – two hot dudes appear!
Characters: Unfortunately… none of these characters worked for me, especially the main character.
Setting: I did really like the setting here. The Viking Vibes are very strong and the creatures are super fun.
Fantasy: It definitely felt very fantastical with hints of a strong magic but I didn’t absolutely love it.

Thoughts:

Unfortunately this was just… not a great one for me. In fact I finished this just a few days ago and I have already forgotten most of these character’s names. I had high hopes after the initial chapters but it was quickly dashed and trampled into bland disappointment.

Silla is on the run. The Queen wants her, she has no idea why, and her father was recently killed by her men. He tells her to run to a town quite a distance away and seek safety so off she goes. That setup, not super original but the gore and the brutality that we get in those chapters – it was great! But then we fall into the trap, the miscommunication. The flat out lies. Listen, if I’m on the run for a reason I don’t understand but I see the guy I’m lying to for a ride cut off a guys fingers and slit his throat in cold blood for lying? I think I’m going to find a way to fess up the truth. Silla not only lied once and got caught! But lied AGAIN and doubled down.

I dragged myself through this but honestly after that very… unfortunate choice I couldn’t connect or seem to care very much. I had high hopes and initially I was intrigued enough to perhaps finished but with more days it’s soured. This one wasn’t for me, and I likely won’t continue. But a lot of folks have loved it so give it a try if you’re super interested, it could work for you!

2 stars

OMG and I almost forgot her casual drug use? What was up with that? I have no issue with drugs or drug use in books but this was… not well done.