As someone who adores A.K. Mulford's previous work, A River of Golden Bones did not disappoint! This book blends a classic fairy tale retelling with a fresh twist, bringing in shifter wolves, fated mates, and strong LGBTQ+ representation. What I loved most about this book was Calla's journey of self-discovery, paired with the intricate pack politics and deep familial bonds. Mulford does an incredible job of balancing action-packed sequences with tender, introspective moments.

The plot, the characters and the world building were good and full of potential. The pace was very slow and dragged at times.
Want to read the next one and hope that the past will be more even
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for this review.

Apologies for my delay, I’ve had a very hectic few months.

But this book wasn’t really for me unfortunately. Honestly I found certain parts of it really bad.

I do love a werewolf books, definitely ne of my favourites and I was drawn in by the concept of this book and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed at all, the story was really interesting and I loved the characters, I got a bit frustrated at times with their decisions, but I only get frustrated when I like the characters and I’m so looking forward to more

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is an exciting page turning journey of action, adventure, self-discovery and romance and the first book in the Golden Court series. It has a Sleeping Beauty retelling theme and is set in a fantasy world complete with werewolves, fated mates and royalty. The romance element in the story is quite spicy.

Thank you net gallery for the arch.

An enjoyable quick read kept me entertained and the storyline kept me engaged. Liked the main characters and plot.

A pair of royal twins are the only surviving natives of Olmdere. One is betrothed to the Silver Prince, the other is a secret that only the Silver King and his son know about. Raised to be regal, Briar is protected until she is of marriageable age. For her own protection, Calla is raised as a warrior of unknown heritage. Under a magical moon, two couples are fated. The confusion this event brings is only the beginning of the drama. With the onset of a curse and a kidnapping, kingdoms are thrown into turmoil, wolves are forced to choose sides, and the fate of the land rests upon a powerful sorceress and a group of outlaws. Let the battles commence so that a victory might be claimed.

Before branching into discussing the actual book, I just want to settle on the praise I wish to extend to A. K. Mulford. I am grateful to Netgalley to have had the opportunity to read this book and indulge in the lives of the fallen wolves and their human allies. I cannot wait for the next installment and here’s why…

I really liked how the book began. It started off quite sedate with a brief introduction to the main protagonist. Almost immediately, I found it giving off Twilight vibes. This was more to do with the way the romance element of the story is introduced rather than the fantasy aspect of the novel, although the inclusion of wolves in the story did help.

Like Twilight, it does not put a heavy emphasis on the use of magic. Although it exists, the characters that do have extraordinary powers are more human than otherwise, giving them relatable qualities and appeal. Despite whom and what they are, they suffer from the same trivial and not so trivial problems that we all go through. It was particularly a pleasure to watch the journey that Calla’s character undertakes as, unlike Bella Swan, she grows up quickly and does not give out all this teenage angst behavior. Perhaps it is because the former was out to please herself whilst Calla forges herself a mission that has the potential to serve anyone but herself in the first instance.

As a character, Calla undergoes a major shift that is visible, understandable, and appreciated given the plot that she is a part of. The supporting cast of characters also experience their own growths, whether personally or as a result of relationships they form or terminate with others. Watching the story unravel, there is a sense of coming-of-age and self-discovery in several characters, especially with Calla but also with Sadie.

As the first novel in a planned series, there were lots of cliffhangers, many of which were solved within this book. Although the end is a major cliffhanger in itself that leaves enough breadcrumbs to leave you wanting more of the meal when book two comes around. I also feel that the book takes the saying, ‘sex sells’ to the wire with the latter half of the story involving quite a few explicit scenes, not all necessary in my opinion. Regardless, I am excited to see where this goes next as will any fantasy reader and think that this would translate well from book to screen. The boook was written and edited to a professional finish and demonstrated that a lot of love and thought had gone into it.

I love Calla's road to self expectance. This book let's my oldest be seen for who they are.

I love that this story is a sleeping beauty retelling but with shifters. I really like that the fated mate trope isn't the primary focus that overpowers the storyline.

I love that all Calls wants is to save their twin even though that might mean that they take the throne in her place.
Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Sadly. this wasn’t for me, and I really believe this to be a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation.
I don’t usually pick up werewolf books because they’re typically not my thing, but I like to branch out of my comfort zone and the concept of this book sounded really good.
Ultimately, it fell a bit flat it execution for me. The plot had potential and I could have seen myself enjoy it more, had it not been for the characters.

I did not enjoy the main character, they were very stubborn and I was a bit frustrated with many of their decisions.
The other characters felt not fully developed to me, granted I DNFed at the halfway point, but that’s enough time to have more character depth than I found here.

The romance was another aspect I didn’t vibe with. I understand why it was insta-lovey as it was needed for the plot development, but that doesn’t mean I liked that turn of events regarding the romance. After that, I found the actions a bit inconsistent, it was all very hot and cold.

The writing was decent. I can’t say much about the genderqueer rep, there were hints of it in the first half, but I did not get far enough to truly be able to comment on that.

Ultimately, there were just several things coming together that I didn’t enjoy, and after having read half the book, I felt like I wouldn’t get to a point where I would enjoy it more.

I’m sure others will love this book a lot more than I did and I would definitely recommend it to readers who love werewolf books!

A Sleeping Beauty retelling but with Wolf Shifters... yes please!

Briar and Calla have been hidden away their whole lives following a curse and the untimely death of their parents, but a betrothal between Briar, a Gold Wolf, and Grae, a Silver Wolf, should make it safe for them to come out of hiding... but the same Sorcerer that cursed their parents has other plans

Calla has always trained to be Briars protector but after another sleeping curse hits, she needs to find her place all over again and realises this is can be so much more than she ever realised, especially with Grae and a ragtag band of human travellers by her side

I love AKs previous series, The High Mountain Court, so was so very excited for this new series as well, and it did not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley, and Harper Collins/Harper Voyger for the chance to read and review this before release - out on 07 December so not long to wait now!

An absolutely fantastic read! Filled with action, adventure and a sprinkle of spice. Mulford delivers another brilliant Romantasy that delivers representation and romance. Absolutely love Cal! Such a great protagonist and inspiring lead. Excellent story and highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. This was an ok read for me, I think alot of people will enjoy it, but it had way too many troupes for it to be a favourite of mine. I think I would have enjoyed this more if there was a little more depth to the side characters and if it was a little longer, but it felt rushed in many places. I did like the non-binary rep, that was very well done

I really like A.K. Mulfords books, they are so readable, fun and inclusive. This is a new romantasy series that’s full of favoured tropes. The wolf lore is especially great given the genre is full of elves, so I loved this. I just love a shifter romance and a slow burn one at that. The one bed troupe was introduced well and the spice scenes are good. I also enjoyed the plot which centres around a curse, family secrets and royal court politics. Overall a solid romantasy (3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫) full of adventure and fun. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Calla and Briar are twins, the last of the Golden Wolves, hidden away by magic as their mother's dying wish. Now they're turning 20, Briar can take her place married to a Prince with Calla there to support her. Cursed by an evil Queen, Briar is sleeping and Calla sets off to the country of their birth to deal with the Queen and make everything right.

It was all fine but too full of tropes for me. The "fated mates" idea just had me rolling my eyes, and the attempt at tension between Calla and Grae wasn't enough to make it less dull. The travelling musicians of Galen den Ora were the best bit, I really didn't care about Calla and Grae but would read more musicians' adventures happily.

There is something that is so addictive about A K Mulford’s writing that it is so easy to binge through her books. The way she builds the angst, tension, heat between main characters is *chef kisses*.

This follows Calla and Briar, the remaining Royal gold wolves who have been hidden since birth from the sorcerer who murdered their parents. Briar has been promised to Grae, a silver wolf, in order to unit kingdoms but when Sawyn returns and performs a curse, Calla will do anything to save her sister.

I thought I knew where this story was going to go but once Briar and Calla had reached the silver kingdom I was pleasantly surprised by the plot. There is slow build romance, fated mates, great side characters and excellent character growth, and spice!

Really enjoyed this, thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'A River od Golden Bones' by A.K. Mulford.

Not really liking this is probably my fault. Shifting wolf stories aren't exactly my cup of tea but it had elements of Sleeping Beauty and I'm a sucker for a fairytale aspect. 'A River of Golden Bones' is the first in this series and if you do enjoy shifting wolves and mates, then honestly this will be an absolute stunner for you. But not my cup of tea.

If you love romantasy, high fantasy, fairytale retellings and twists, werewolves, LGBTQ and non-binary representation, fated mates and a compelling fantasy world, stop and pick up A River of Golden Bones now! A.K. Mulford has crafted a beautifully woven tapestry that effortlessly reimagines faery tales of old melding them with wolf-lore and a truly refreshing queer twist to create a compelling and engaging story with a definite hint of spice!

The core focus is on the lead protagonist Calla and her elder twin Briar, who lost their parents and their kingdom at birth to Sawyn, the dark sorceress and are destined to return on their 20th birthday for Briar’s marriage to Prince Grae and ultimately, to regain rule of their lost kingdom.

I know it all sounds pretty average fantasy, doesn’t it however, Mulford weaves traditional tropes beautifully, overlaying non-binary representation beautifully, emphasising the marginalisation and emotion to create a sense of empathy and understanding. She/they don’t fear to tread the path of challenging misogyny and what could be described as colonialism, and balanced plot, pace and action with introspection, self-awareness and understanding to create a truly balanced story.

I truly enjoyed and raced through this book, which not only entertained but, educated. It has given me pause for thought and I suspect will continue to do so…or at least until I get my hands on the next book in the trilogy.

Thank you Harper Voyager/Harper Collins U.K./Harper Fiction and Netgalley for the arc of A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Not for me! I do think a lot of people will like this book, but it just wasn't for me. The tropes were my biggest issue!

✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: A River of Golden Bones
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): AK Mulford
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.75/5

“𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.”

💛 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆
🐺 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
💛 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗖
🐺 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
💛 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲
🐺 𝗔 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲
💛 𝗔 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗻
🐺 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺

A River of Golden Bones is a queer and wolfish twist on the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty. The author’s take is so refreshing. I mean, you hear “wolf” and “fairy tale” and straight away you think Red Riding Hood or Beauty & The Beast. However, Mulford effortlessly weaves shifter wolves, pack lore, and an unconventional main character into a fairy tale that was designed for a man to save a woman with his kiss.

And this is why I love reimagined fairy tales. Not only for the magical nostalgia and the freedom of creative expression but for taking a story that most children grew up knowing intrinsically and applying it to adults who perhaps never quite fit in as they were growing up.

I am genuinely a sucker for fated mates. Nothing is quite like that instant connection that snaps into place. If done well, of course. I thought that it was done well in this book. It helped that Calla, our main character, and Grae, the love interest, were childhood friends. Although, I wasn’t actually a fan of the spice. I felt like smut scenes were happening at the most inopportune times, there’s nothing quite like being attacked by a giant insect that gets me in the mood to shove my tongue down someone else’s throat? Sometimes, it’s nice to just let a tense moment be tense to get the adrenaline flowing.

I thought the non-binary representation was brilliantly done. The author managed to make a marginalized identity relatable with their use of emotionally provocative language. In fact, I found this novel to be equal parts adventure and equal parts soul searching.

Whilst the pacing was a little slower than I liked, and I found some parts repetitive, this is such a strong start to a new and revitalizing romantasy trilogy.

—Kayleigh🤍

50000/5 stars! I might be slightly biased because I have loved everything AK Mulford has written, but I was blown away by this book. She really stepped it up in this story and I adored the queer representation. This felt more mature than some of her other stories and I ATE IT UP! Can't wait to see what's next.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.