This was such an amazing read. I didn’t want to put it down. The characters within this book was amazing. They had to face many challenges which were very interesting and as they had to work through really meant that they had developed as characters. Aurelia and Andar were amazing characters and definitely brought a lot to the story. The way in which everything developed for the overall story and plot I kept wanting to read it to find out more. With how the story ended I am definitely intrigued to see what the next book has install.

3.5 ⭐️

This was an introductory novel by this author and there were positives and negatives as there always is. I do think overall the author had a good idea with the plot, and an interested to see where this series goes. With that being said,

The things I liked about this book: There were some good lines such as “but history has always feared women” which I appreciated in the beginning. I also think some of the side characters (Cillian and Nova) were better than the main characters and had more depth. I did enjoy reading Aurelia’s character as well and thought her quirkiness and wittiness helped the plot as well. I also enjoyed the mystery component to this story and trying to figure out who was hiding what and who could be trusted. There were also some plot twists in this book that I was not expecting which helped keep me engaged as well. The would building was unique and did have a fairytale type of feel too it.

The things I did not like about this book: while I do enjoy a multi-POV book, this one took it a little too far for me to where it was switching POV’s from sentence to sentence. This made it confusing at times and the back and forth between third and first person as well made it feel like there were too many different thoughts happening at once. It made it a little hard to really appreciate any of the characters because I feel like I was getting bombarded by all of them at once. The world building was unique and felt very fairytale as I mentioned before, but all of the different creatures and types of fae was also a little confusing to keep track of and I wish there would have been more in depth descriptions of how their territories worked. I am also an enemies to lover girlie so I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta love (which it is not advertised as enemies to lovers so that is just my own personal issue), and the love between the two fated mates seemed a little too much and cheesy sometimes. I also did not love the MMC and thought he was too all over the place with his thoughts and feelings and seemed a little entitled and out of touch, where as the FMC’s seemed to be a little more in tune with what they wanted and what was going on. Some of the language used during the few spicy scenes was a little cringe, but overall they were executed well.

I am not sure if I will read the next book or not, but this was a good read if you are into fated mates, prophecies, good side characters, and unique world building.

✨Book Review ✨

Blood Iron and Bone by Sera Fox
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Aurelia Bartlett hated her normal existence and life, she felt she was made for something grander than living on a farm with her two parents. She begins to have weird dreams that show another world, another existence and man she believes is destined to be hers. One day she follows the call to this other world, and her whole life changes.

This book had Twitches vibes (IYKYK) and I was loving it! The first half of the book hooked me and was flying through it but the multiple POV in the middle did slow me down. However, the last part of the book really picked up and was action packed!

This book has everything you need in a fantasy book: a unique magical world, fated mates, a mysterious curse and prophecy that must be protected at all costs. It also has a cast of side characters that are very compelling.

This is the first book in the Lightbringers series. I enjoyed reading this one and I can’t wait to pick up the next one!

✨Pub date: 3/21/25 ✨





*Thank you NetGalley, Sera Fox and Agency Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Review to be posted on instagram (1/10) and reshared on pub date. Review will be posted on good reads on 1/01.

**Review: 3.5 Stars**

*Blood, Iron, and Bone* by Sera Foxe is an ambitious and immersive fantasy tale that takes readers on a journey through a richly crafted world filled with intrigue, magic, and danger. The story is told through six distinct POVs, giving readers a comprehensive view of the complex narrative. Each character offers a unique perspective, and while some were more engaging than others, their combined voices created a layered and dynamic story.

Foxe’s world-building is detailed and imaginative, painting a vivid backdrop for the unfolding drama. However, at times, the intricate plot and multiple viewpoints made the pacing feel uneven, and I found myself more invested in certain storylines than others. While the writing was compelling in parts, some moments felt overly descriptive, slowing the momentum.

That said, *Blood, Iron, and Bone* is a solid debut with a lot of potential, especially for readers who enjoy multi-POV narratives and epic fantasy. It’s a book that asks for patience but rewards it with moments of brilliance and emotional depth.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Sera Foxe for providing me with an eARC of this book. It was a pleasure to experience this story early, and I look forward to seeing what Foxe creates next!

Blood Iron and Bone is a unique new adult fantasy book set in both a fae and modern mortal world. The fae world is super interesting and quite different from the usual fae world that we know and love from other fantasy books.

I found that the characters in the book, although very different (mostly), seem to mesh together well and contribute to the plot. I would say, though, that this book has quite a slow pace overall, but there were definitely moments that speed up. In saying this, the author has a writing style that is different from many other fantasy authors I have read before, which may be a contributing factor for making the book feel slightly slow at first. I did get used to the writing style at about 30%.

For those who aren't a fan of common/modern slang in their fantasy books, just a heads up that there are some moments of this kind of language. However, I didn't think it took anyway from the plot. In fact, I thought at times it made sense to use that language.

This book also has quite a few flashbacks. I found them mostly to work well with the plot but did get confused at the relevance in some of them. All in all, the flashbacks did help me understand the characters more.

Overall, I think this book is a 3.75 star read, but I will round it up to 4. The fact that this is a debut is quite impressive, and I am excited to see where the series goes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

3,75 stars. wow, what a debut novel!!

The first thing and what I liked the most was that from the first moment, you immerse yourself in the story. Although at first you don't understand very well how everything works or are clear about what is happening, it is undoubtedly worth continuing reading to see more and more. I think it was from 50% of the book, that I couldn't really stop thinking about the book.
This book has 6 different points of view, so you won't miss anything! Being able to see from all points of view can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the characters are introduced little by little and it's great to see how all their stories intertwine.
I feel that it is not an easy book to read, having so many points of view and many things happening at the same time, you have to spend time situating yourself in the story, so perhaps this can overwhelm someone who is not used to reading fantasy.
As for the plot, although things happen from the first moment, it takes its time to introduce you to the world and everything that is happening around the protagonists, since their lives are intertwined. Also the worldbuilding is very detailed and the descriptions are very extensive.
The plot of the book happens in a very short time but it is mixed with elements of the past so you have a very complete vision of the characters. There is romance in the book but it is not the most important thing or the point of this book. This book has fated-mates among the protagonists but I liked the secondary romance stories more.I really liked the relationship between the 3 protagonists and how their points of view come together little by little.

’ve read this as an arc from netgalley and thought the story telling and the writing was very unique. I’d probably give it around 3.5 stars! The world building was easy to follow and the characters were also easy to understand! Great plot too the only thing I would say is it did feel that my hand was being held throughout the story like the author went into a lot of detail with what was happening and didn’t leave much to guess but apart from that it was a very fun read and can’t wait to read the next!

A quite nice story with a lot of adventure and lovely characters.
I loved the premise and the characters' relationships. I am a fan of multiple POVs, however, in many chapters the POVs were getting mixed up and that I did not like.
It was confusing and tiring. Trying to keep track of who was talking was disorienting.

I will keep an eye out for the next book.

Thank you @NetGalley for the copy!

Getting into this book was a challenge. I’m not sure if it was end of year burn out or the magnitude of different POV’s given in the book where we had to figure out who was talking. No POV indicators are given in the chapter heading as the first sentence/s of said chapter are to indicate who we are reading as. As far as world building goes, it is brilliant. No faults there at all. The world we have been given is beautiful. Pacing of the story is smooth and it’s easy to forget that the story only spans a mere few days. The characters are well developed and written well. The multifaceted romance arcs between the many characters is a little hard to keep up with but once again, it is well thought out and well developed given the limited time the book is set. While I found the book to be a bit of a slog to get through, I found it to pick up in the last 100 or so pages. I am curious to see what happens next and what happens when the prophecy is filled to completion. Sera Foxe has done a fantastic job with this story and I am actually keen to see what happens next.

The writing wasn't bad in this book but I didn't enjoy the six different pov's. She should have just stuck to the main characters.

If you are looking for a true fated mates / prophecy tale which takes place where two worlds overlap. there are hidden identities, mortal vs fae lands. i really enjoyed the romance, if you are a romantic then you will love this. i will say the second half of the book was a much quicker read for me, but as a whole i love the world and cant wait for the next book. Expect, romantasy and fate!

Really enjoyed this book but trying to keep up with the different POVs was difficult at times.. otherwise the storyline and worldbuilding was exquisite and overall was a really good book.

This story follows a group of complex and well developed characters as they navigate the tense politics, prophecies and relationships in the Kingdom of Aithrim. A mortal girl who has visions of the same boy again and again, a fae soldier with a heart of gold, a human servant trapped in the fae lands, the son of the commander and his betrothed, a princess with a prophecy to fulfill. Together, they must work to fulfill the prophecy while balancing their own versions of reality. Darkness has settled into the land, and they need to ward it off before it becomes permanent.

This book reads like a modern, Grimm fairytale. While the plot seemingly starts slow, the writing is purposeful and intentionally intwined. I found myself really getting to know the characters as I got more insight into their backgrounds and stories. I cannot compliment the author enough on how well-rounded these characters are. They genuinely felt like real people and I was able to absorb their perspectives and histories without being drawn out of the story. The romance is very slow-burn but in the best way, the angst and intensity that builds up is much more realistic and overall made the story very enjoyable!

This was a complex read, lots of POVs to keep track of, and the fantasy elements were a little hard to wrap my head around for a solid 50% of the book. I think it might have been easier to stay on top of things if there weren't so many POV's. I spent so long trying to unravel each character's past and then remembering where we were at with their storyline every time the POV would shift, and by the time I felt like I was on top of it the POV would change again and I'd be completely disoriented. It was overwhelming.

I do think I would have enjoyed this more with less POV's and more time spent to truly invest myself and become attached to certain characters. I am absolutely a character driven reader, so I find it hard to fall in love with a story if I'm not particularly interested or connected to any of the characters. I also think I would have appreciated and enjoyed the complexity of the worldbuilding if I wasn't suffering from whiplash from the back and forth between past/present, and trying to manage so many POV's.

Blood, Iron and Bone by Sera Foxe

Thanks to the Author and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read for an honest review.

A great start to a new world building series!
This book was filled with different points of views, time lines and worlds that all beautifully wove together to give us the full picture. I thought it was really cleverly written.

This is book 1 to the Lightbringers series and we meet a whole host of characters as they build towards the day of prophecy. Lark and Ander have been groomed for this day, but not all is as clear cut as they have been told as they have been led to believe their union will break the curse in their kingdom.

I really loved the clever way this book started, we have different parallel universes, as well as timelines but I never really felt like I was confused. It was written in such a great flow that we slipped from one world and POV to another with ease.
The world building is slow, and easy to take in although I do feel the only thing lacking was more explanation to the original curse on the Kingdom.

As we get closer to the day of prophecy tension builds and the action kicks in and I was gripped.
There’s a lot of character and storybuilding up this point, and although it felt like not much was going on, at the same time I was gripped to find out what each character was doing.

If you are a fan of world and character building fantasy’s and in for the long haul, this book series is for you. I’m excited to get into book 2 and find out more.

The tea ☕️

🌎 - world building
📜 - prophecy
💞 - fated mates
⚔️ - political unrest
🪄 - curse/magical powers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 - found family

I LOVE THIS BOOOOK!!!!! I can't get enough of this fae world that Sera has created. I highly recommend this book. Thank you for letting me read this as an ARC. I hope to get many more from you. (I legit finished it and restarted it.)

The book sounded cool but it was confusing with 6 points of view- going backward and forward into the present- everyone lying in some way. It’s a lot of exposition until about 60% when stuff actually starts to happen, but it’s not necessarily stuff you want to happen.
And then add to it some major yuck of sexually being with one person physically while simultaneously believing you’re being with someone else that looks just like them?
I won’t go into more so it’s not a spoiler but it gets grosser and along the same lines.
Not my cup of tea at all.

3.5/5

You know a fantasy book means business when it starts with a pronunciation guide!

I need to be honest—it took me a while to get into the story (maybe until halfway through), but that's often the case with new fantasy series. The beginning had some short sentences that made the pacing feel a little off, but it got much better as the book went on. The 5-6 POVs didn’t scare me (I come from the Zodiac academy's fiasco after all), though I can see how they might feel overwhelming to others.

Now, about the story—the setting reminded me of Holly Black’s Folk of the Air, which is one of my all-time favorites, so I was excited! But honestly, I could have done without the "at least he didn’t have a tail" comment. Don’t come for my boy Cardan like that! :D

There’s still a lot to learn about the world and magic system, but that’s expected for the first book in a fantasy series. It was a solid start, and I’m already eager for some answers. Also, I loved Aife—what a gem of a character!

The love story moved a bit too fast for my taste—I prefer my fantasy romances to be more of a slow burn. But with fated mates, I get it. At least there are other love stories in the background that I’ll definitely follow with interest.

Overall, a nice read! I’ll definitely check out the sequel.

P.s. There is also a glossary at end!

Thank you NetGalley and Agency Press for this eCopy to review

Blood, Iron, and Bone by Sera Foxe is the first book in The Lightbringers series. The story is set in a richly detailed fantasy world where magic and ancient prophecies play a crucial role.

The story begins when Aurelia, a mortal girl hears a mysterious call in the night. Compelled to answer, she finds herself drawn into a world of magic and prophecy. Aurelia's journey is one of self-discovery as she uncovers her true identity and the significant role she plays in the fate of her world.

In another realm, Andar is betrothed to the future High Queen of Áithrim. Despite his commitment, he feels a deep sense of unease, as if his fated mate is not who she appears to be. This internal conflict drives him to seek answers, leading him to cross paths with Aurelia.

The kingdom of Áithrim is on the brink of fulfilling or failing its most famous prophecy. Under a cursed sky, a diverse group of Fae and Humans must come together to confront the darkness threatening their land. This motley band includes characters with their own secrets and motivations, adding layers of complexity to the narrative.

As the story unfolds, the characters navigate their intertwined destinies, facing challenges that test their courage and resolve. The detailed world-building and rich mythology create an immersive experience, though the pacing can feel slow at times due to the depth of the lore.

Overall, Blood, Iron, and Bone is a tale of destiny, love, and the struggle between light and darkness. The intricate plot and well-developed characters make it a compelling read for fans of epic fantasy.