I don't think I would read this book again. Very backwards and forwards. Lots of characters as main characters. Would not recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Blood Iron and Bone had a bit of a slow start for me, but once the main characters were united it was harder for me to put down. I love books with the trope of a girl meant for more, and I loved the way that Aurelia, Lark, and Nova’s stories are all tied together.

Initially it was somewhat difficult to keep track of all of the characters, since there are so many POVs in this book. I did very much so appreciate that it was in 3rd person though, which helped! I also felt that in the middle of the book specifically, passage of time was structured in an interesting way. For example, after Cillian and Nova part ways after they first meet, we hear briefly that Cillian gets trapped by Aife in the revel. The next chapter has him running back into Nova and now Aurelia, then the chapter after is back to Cillian in the revel.

Overall though, I am intrigued by the plot and where the characters have to go from here. It seems like each book from here in the series will focus on a different duo, which I think will be an exciting way to see the overall story unfold, and I feel like we’ll get more aspects to this world in each book. I’ll definitely be looking for the sequel when it releases!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in March. I'm sorry but I just couldn't get past the writing. I couldn't get into it at all. You might like it if you like Fae stories but it was not for me.

Thank you for the Arc :)

This did take me a little while to get into but as soon as I reached about 30% I was hooked. I struggled a bit at first with the multiple povs, but ended up enjoying this and the writing style was incredible. I enjoyed all the characters and loved that there are fated mates and fae. I really liked that there are flash backs and world building in this is spot on.

I would definitely read the next book and I'm very grateful I was accepted for this arc.

Thank you to Sera Foxe and Netgalley for the Arc!

There are fated mates, a prophecy, twins, and fae!

So this took me a bit to get into. It wasn't the multiple povs.I had no problem following along. It was the writing, I just think there is room for a little improvement. Some of the dialogue was repetitive, but I did enjoy the characters, and I'm looking forward to the next book!

Aurelia & Andar ❤️

A Promising World Undermined by Repetition and Flat Characters

Blood Iron & Bone, the first book in The Lightbringers series, promises an epic tale of prophecy, duty, and the clash between mortal and eternal realms. While the blurb promised a thrilling fantasy story with high stakes, my reading experience left me with mixed feelings. There are a few standout moments, particularly in the world-building, but unfortunately the execution is lacking in several critical areas for me.

Blood Iron & Bone ♦ Sera Foxe — A Review

Opinion
The novel’s multiple points of view (POVs) lured me into the realm of Áithrim and its rich prophesies. As someone who cherishes the authorial narrative perspective, I hoped that the shifting POVs would provide profound insight into the characters’ feelings, desires, and origins. Unfortunately, this technique frequently failed. Instead of improving the plot, it added unnecessary details about events and exchanges. For example, significant events were recreated from multiple perspectives without adding meaningful new layers. This repetition slowed the pacing tremendously, making various sections of the book feel dragged out. Tightening these sections would have improved the flow and reduced the overall page count while preserving content.

By the time I got 35% through the book, my interest had waned, and I was skimming more frequently than necessary. The characters had an important role in this. Despite the book’s large array of characters, I found it difficult to identify with or care about the majority of them. Even though the book’s diverse cast, I struggled to connect with or care about many of the characters. I normally root for one or two characters, but the large number, I think it was six, of exposed personalities made it difficult to really delve into anyone’s path. The lack of engaging, in-depth character development reduced the plot’s emotional stakes. I wanted to care about Aurelia‘s strange link to the prophecy and Andar‘s struggle with his fated mate, but their personalities were sometimes too weak or clichéd.

Nonetheless, the world-building merits respect. The story of Áithrim, the cursed skies, and the prophecy is well-written and compelling. The world felt alive, with magical systems, political intrigue, and history intertwined throughout the novel. I liked how the authors (behind the penname Sera Foxe) placed the fantasy aspects in a unified mythos, which deepened the story’s bigger themes of fate and sacrifice. However, even this solid base was undermined by a lack of engaging personalities to inhabit it. Without a lively cast to explore a new world, the majesty of the environment was diminished.

The plot showed promise, but it wandered at times, with too many subplots contesting for attention. The basic conflict, which involved the fulfillment of the prophecy and the oncoming darkness, had the potential to be a thrilling adventure, but it was muddied by superfluous tangents and explanation.

Conclusion
In conclusion, while Blood Iron & Bone has some brilliant moments, particularly in its innovative and fresh world-building, the repetitive story framework and less fortunate characters kept it from reaching its full potential. For readers who prefer a well-crafted fantasy setting instead of a character-driven storytelling, this may be worth a try. I’m still undecided on whether to continue the series. The chances are slim and depend on whether future volumes in the series can address these faults and breathe new life into the characters and plot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Tropes:
💞 Fated mates
🧚‍♀️ Fae
🗣️ Multiple POVs (6)
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family
💘 Romantasy

This is one of the most interesting story I have ever read in my entire life. I just read a multiple POVs story with 6 different perspectives and the plot is happening within just a few days but the concept is that their perspectives are all intertwined towards the end. Although it makes me confused and need to focus on every sentence to understand whose POV I’m reading, the world building in this fantasy is greatly well done and I really enjoy the fated mates vibes everywhere in this book. It picks up really fast from 50% onwards and the plot twist at the end, oh my goodness it was insane. I can’t wait to read the second book of this series because I really need to know what happens next!

P.S. Thank you to NetGalley, Sera Foxe and Agency Press for giving me this eARC!

The Lightbringers, Book One. I received an ARC copy for review.

"DESTINED FOR GREATNESS"

First thing that caught my eye was the beautiful cover, then the fact that this was compared to Sarah J. Maas books. This starts off a bit slow for me, however this was an ARC copy unedited. The main characters are Aurelia (the fearless) and Lark (the Princess). Aurelia always felt like she didn’t belong, her parents didn’t seem to love her honestly. Didn’t have a lot of friends either. Her best friend is Pan, her cat. I figured out quickly what was going on with Aurelia and Lark. Lark is like a prisoner in her own home for years. She can’t go anywhere and doesn't have any friends. The story line is well written, and some of the characters have unique abilities which I personally love when reading a book like this. We also get to meet Andar and many more unique characters. Lark wants to be free, she wants to find where she belongs and how she fits in this world. Will the Prophecy that they all have been waiting for save them from the dark, will they finally see the sunlight? Who will be the true bringer of light?

I would highly recommend this read for anyone who loves to read about Fae. I am looking forward to book two, I need to know about Pan.
Go get lost in this book tonight!

NOTE: Thank you NetGalley and Author Sera Fox for trusting me with an ARC for review

Thank you Netgalley, Sera Foxe, and Agency Press for the arc copy of Blood, Iron and Bone.

Sera Foxe's new book is very entertaining. It will be a rapid release of the series so I'm thrilled about that and we will continue on the adventure soon. This first installment begins the journey in March and pre-orders are available. They're offering tons of cool stuff for pre-ordering so that's why I'm bringing it up. I'd recommend checking out their insta for more information. Goodies always make a book more fun.

There is a lot of world building and it has six POVs we follow through the adventure centered on fae and magic. It has an intriguing premise and I think it was mostly pulled off except I found the writing a bit of a struggle in some places to read through. Although, I found the rhythm of the writing very interesting. It reminded me of Dr Seuss movie narration. It has a sing song feel in the beats. The entire story is written about a few days. It's entertaining and fun, that's for sure. I'm definitely looking forward to book 2.

I also struggled with reading the italics. The book uses a lot of italics and I personally just have a hard time with them. So that's on me. Not the authors. I think in general the depiction of fae and the interesting aspects of the world had a lot of entertainment value. The struggle mainly within the pacing and the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Agency Press, and Sera Foxe for the arc.

This book certainly nails the world building, which is not something I expect from most romantic fantasy novels. It was rich in traditional fae folklore, including the concept of the Celtic Otherworld.

While the world bulding was strong, it meant that the narrative was often pedantic and that the beginning of the story dragged on. In addition, six perspectives was a very ambitious feat that unfortunately fell flat. Overall a strong debut, especially from indie authors and an indie press!

I really enjoyed this book! Overall I found the different perspectives very interesting however I did need a lot of brain power to work out which character was talking. The action was perfectly paced and left a fantastic but not overwhelming cliff hanger. I am very excited to continue this series!

this book was honestly so fun to read! the characters felt like i actually knew them and so i managed to root for them throughout the story. the plot was unique and kept me wanting to pick the book up as well! honestly so glad i came across this book, it was everything i hoped it was gonna be. it wasn’t my favourite book i’ve read, but it’s definitely worth reading and i’ll be recommending this!

I read in a review that this is the author's first book and even that there are 2 authors? I would advise they keep on practicing.
The storyline has potential but it is poorly written.
There are a lot of sidestories not adding to the main story and unnecessary repetition. It feels forced and contrived.
6 POV is a lot to follow and makes the world building very slow. I had to drag myself through it.
I was about to DNF after 30% in but after reading some reviews I pushed through. It gets a bit better after 50% but only at 70% it finally gets more pace. However the plot is predictable.
I will not be reading the second book.

I have just started to fall in love with this genre and I am always on the lookout for new material. This is all that and then some. The character has been outcast but she hasn't given up hope. The fantasy is out of this world and the longed for romance is dreamy. I am so happy that this is only the first book which means there is more to come! How exciting!

Fae + Humans
Multi POV (6)
Curses & Prophecies
Magic
Fated Mates
Unique World Building
Little Bit of Spice

Fated Mates. Fae. Animal Companions… I want to know more!

The first book in the Lightbringers series is quite an adventure, and a delightful one at that! Although the multiple points of view took some time to get used to—especially as I prepare to dive into Zodiac Academy—I found the world-building to be thoroughly engaging. I managed to complete the book in nearly three sittings.

I appreciated that this story focused more on developing the world and creating vivid imagery rather than diving straight into action, as many other books tend to do. I believe this gradual buildup will pay off as the narrative unfolds, which is what I am most eager to see in this series.

The magic system is intricately crafted, and I am curious about the direction the story will take in the upcoming installments.

I am excited to continue reading!

Thank you Netgalley and Sera Fox for letting me ARC this read!

Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, Agency Press, and Sera Foxe for providing a free copy of Blood Iron and Bone in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a good idea and concept but it was not executed as well as it could have been. My rating for this book is a 2 1/2 star. What I liked about the book was the world building, the different types of fae and creatures depicted in the book, and the idea underlying the plot. What I didn't like was the writing in the beginning of the book (it needs to be reworked in my opinion), I didn't like how slow it moved in the beginning and the things the author focused on, I didn't like how instant love each of the relationships were, and the lacking of depth in the characters, their interactions with each other and their intenal dialouge. I think the book might be better if it were rewritten for a younger audience and removing some of the spice. After I got through about 50% the book was more engaging, and I did enjoy the story I just think the writing needs to be reworked.

Blood, Iron and Bone
By Sera Foxe

Rating : 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Blood, Iron and Bone follows the story of six characters whose destiny is intertwined with one another's. The main character is Aurelia Bartlett, who has lived her entire life feeling that she did not belong, to her family, to her friends or even to this world. What's more is that she's been plagued with dreams and nightmares of a mysterious boy who is just out of her reach. So one night, when a mysterious sound pull her out of bed, she decides to explore it. What she doesn't expect is to be pulled into another world entirely on the eve of a royal wedding that will determine that world's very survival.

So overall the premise of this book was really intriguing and each of the characters had their own unique attributes that cemented their roles in driving the plot and bringing the book together. There were just a few snags in the execution of the story that I felt took away from it :

***Caution : Spoilers ahead***

1.) Pov's - So this book was narrated in the third person and had multiple Pov's but the problem came when the main characters were in the same scenes and the narration would just slip from one characters thoughts into anothers and then back again which was a bit confusing.

2.) Monologuing - I think that overall the story had 65% monolgue and only 35% dialogue and I think that was mainly because there was a lot of repetition in the characters flashbacks and backstory. For example Aurelia felt that her parents didn't love her and that she was alone or Lark felt that she was a prisoner and it was repeated and discussed all throughout their Pov's everytime.

3.) Pacing - This is also related to the monologuing , because of the information overload , the plot only started progressing towards the last 30% of the book, with the main love interests only meeting on page 271 of 396. Also information at the latter part , like the different races of fae and their prejudices , I felt would have been more beneficial towards the beginning of the book.

4.) Worldbuilding - Okay so this maybe was just my reading but I was really confused about the worldbuilding in this book. So the main character Aurelia is from the human world but it's urban fantasy so she mentions things like prom and school trips and then the humans trapped in the fae world are also from our time so there's an Irish woman like in the middle of a fantasy fae world. In terms of the fae world in the beginning of the book some of the characters are at a war camp but I was really confused as to who they were at war with? We're told that there's a darkness on the land and it will be broken by this prophecy but there's no actual enemy force except later in the book when some fae factions rebel?

5.) Characters - So the only characters I enjoyed were Nova , a little bit of Aurelia (she was the no nonsense type) and Alastair. Lark for me had too much of a victim complex when she literally had everything and Andar..... I didn't enjoy his character honestly. As the leading male character I felt like he wasn't smart enough or just anything. I mean Aurelia and Lark both came to him with concerns and each time he just ignored them or shut them down instead of listening. I felt like Alastair would have done so much more with that screen time , the few chapters that he featured in , he accomplished so much more and he had more of those character traits you would expect in an MMC.

6.) Timing - okay last one, so the entire book takes place in 2 days!!! which was difficult because one minute Andar is watching his best friend kill his father, who he then kills and like 30 mins later he's so joyful at getting with Aurelia. The same with Aurelia one minute she's expressing how happy she is to get to know her mother, then her mother is killed and she's just like oh well, Where's Andar?? It also meant that all the main characters were meeting and falling in love with each other in one night.


Overall, this was a good , interesting fantasy story it was just the above that prevented me from giving 5 stars.


*** Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an Arc in exchange for an honest review based on a personal reading experience***

This book was SO. MUCH. FUN. First of all, can we appreciate the writing?! From the moment I downloaded it on my Kindle, I was HOOKED. I was constantly theorizing about what would happen next, what everything meant, and where the story was going to end up. All I can really say is I need to get my hands on an ARC for book 2 asap.

I had so much fun falling in love, exploring a new world, and following along as the book twists and turns. I laughed, swooned, gasped (in both fear and joy), and stayed up way later than I should just to spend a few more moments with Nova, Maw, and the whole cast of characters.

My HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Sera Foxe for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wishing you the best of luck with publishing!!

(Link to my GoodReads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7145600637)

I had dreams about this book, and I’m not sure how I feel about it, like my brain was trying to make sense of it even while I was away from the characters.

the good:
+ The world is beautiful and intriguing, the magic is interesting, and ‘species’ traits are unique (chameleon type skin? Haven’t seen that before).
+ The basis for the story is solid, a unique balance between modern and medieval, and it seems influenced by more traditional fae mythology (a la The Cruel Prince / Folk of the Air world) and Harry Potter.
+ The absolute best part of the book is the cat, and his story, hands down. I cried at pivotal scenes with the cat and I felt like this was the best emotional connection written in the book.
+ The writing is artistic in a rhythmic, repeating way that feels a little like a riddle, or a nursery rhyme; it is poetic in the way that a single sentence is art, but when strung together quickly you trip over it, so you have to go sloooooowly through it.

the bad:
— It either felt like nothing was happening or it was pure chaos on the page. A lot of page time was wasted with repeating conversations with different character combinations and arguing/bickering like petulant children. Although I do believe this is realistic, it is tedious to the reader and detracts from the story. Add to the fact that the entire story takes place over 48 hours, this book should not have been almost 600 pages long; I think it would have benefitted immensely from a good line/content edit to clean it up.
— There were so many preambles to each scene, either an info dump, a flashback, or a narrator monologue that took so long to tell you forgot what was happening in the scene.
— Too much telling, not enough showing
— I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to know the characters properly. They all come across as dumb, arrogant, immature, dismissive, shallow and selfish. Andar is not Book Boyfriend material because he is literally all of the traits just listed above. I also got the Ick from the inadvertent love triangle and it felt like everyone was just being used and not having a good time.

the best quote:
“ . . . If knowing my name gives you, who has so little, some small measure of power, what of it? This kingdom is small in the grand scheme, and the world is wide, and some of us — many of us, in fact — believe that there is far too much attention paid to power and the petty taking and losing of it at present anyway.”

Unfortunately I have not been able to connect with this book. I knew I was taking a risk as it is not my usual genre but one that I wanted to explore. My review is therefore not really indicative of the book itself as to a reader who enjoys this genre it will be a very different experience.