MASQUERADE OF BONES
J.Ember Hintz
4⭐️
3🌶️

✔️Slow burn
✔️ Witches
✔️ Possessive MMC
✔️ Dangerous quests


Wait till booktok gets their hands on this outstanding novel!!

A blood oath. A botched heist. A dangerous deal with the enemy.

This book had me gripped from the beginning. The chemistry between Everly and Silas was phenomenal! I appreciated that this was a slow burn and my god did it explode like fireworks 🧨
I loved Everly from the start - we see her passion her fears and her strength throughout the book. I would do anything to have Silas call me a “good girl” 🥵 he’s was so possessive, secretive and undeniably loyal!

The world building was remarkable! You are thrown into this world and it’s like you’re right there - proper fly on the wall moment! I found everyone exciting and was drawn into them wanting to find out more about their own stories.

The ending was excellent, I didn’t see the reveal at all. Well done J. Ember Hintz! I can’t wait for book 2!

✨crying now while I’m waiting ✨

A must read in 2025!

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Everly thinks it cannot get much worse for her. She is struggling to make ends meet with her Menagerie wages, drowning in gambling debt, learns that her ex who is a Prince is newly betrothed, and is suffering from a debilitating curse with no cure.

She draws death sketches of witches on execution for some spare change when one day, the dark, broody and annoyingly handsome outlaw Silas steals her sketchbook and ropes her into a blood oath tying their lives together. Looking for a possessive, shadow wielding, morally grey MMC? Look no further.

What ensues is a mission that goes beyond their crew of magic wielders into a northern kingdom where they hope to discover more about a mysterious relic locked away in the dowry of the new Princess.

We get found family here with Silas' crew and the new friends Everly makes on her mission. Intricate world building, a unique magic system with relics worn on the body to grant the wielder with enhanced magic ability, and dragons...need I say more.

The ending will leave you shocked! Cliffhanger alert. Despite all the hints leading up to it, I still did not see that coming!
Seems like there are plans for subsequent books in this series!

Masquerade of Bones
By: J. Ember Hintz
Released: February 25, 2025

I was gifted access to this ebook through @netgalley and as soon as I finished this book, I ordered the physical copy because I had to make sure I owned this book and convinced everyone to read it. So this a real review of a book I needed to own. Yes it is that good! I genuinely have no idea how this book has flown under the radar. I would be shocked if this isn’t in a special edition box once it takes off. Now onto the *no spoilers* review:

We meet Everly when she is at what she *thinks* is the bottom. Bankrupt, running from thugs, orphaned, hiding secrets from her brother and only friend, and cast out of the royal court life. Oh, her employment also sucks, side hustle is morbidly depressing, and her ex fiancee prince is coming back to town after shattering her heart. Not even her stray cat likes her.

Yet, this isn’t her rock bottom after all. Her bottom is when she meets Silas Drake, a villain through and through. This isn’t a morally gray character. His control over her future is absolute, his blood bond demands the betrayal of her last remaining loved ones, and his demands endanger innocent creatures. But when did a FMC ever let a villain win?

This journey is a fantastic blend of magic, mythical creatures, found family, and romance. I won’t spoil it and tell you if Everly’s ex fiancé gets his head out of his behind or Silas makes an abrupt turn around. Just know as the reader, you’ll be feeling the spicy burn of hatred and lust with. There’s also found family, side characters that WILL make you cry (sorry the little warning I will give you) and DRAGONS 🐉.

Stars ✨: 4.5/5 (A little abrupt in the beginning. After it’s a solid 5/5 for me)
Spice 🌶️: 3/5 Listen- hatred is gasoline on this fire. You may have read the words before but not in this combination!
Yearning 💕: 1/5 see above to hatred instead
Redemption: 100/10

A shadow wielding, morally grey MMC? Sign me up!
This was such a good time! The magic system was so unique and the book was so action packed that you didn’t have time to put it down

I need more books like this where the dedication to aftercare was 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼🫡

More people need to read this one!

Updated Review: Finally finished and sooo much to unpack and so much to anticipate in Book 2!

I can say for certainty that Silas Drake should be on everyone's Shadow Daddy of the Year list for 2025. He is everything you could want in a morally grey, possessive, dangerous MMC; someone you definitely want on your side and not to cross blades with in the wrong way. He is always two steps ahead for any plans he creates. I thoroughly enjoy the witty banter between him and Everly and how they both get under each other's skin any time they interact.

As for Everly, I absolutely felt her pain and frustration when having to confront her former lover/betrothed after all that has happened to her. The way she was cast aside basically especially after her parents' death, and then having to confront Gideon for all of the hurt he put her through was like taking a knife to the heart for me. The moment she found out Gideon paid off her debt without him even coming to her first about it just shows he doesn't really know her anymore after all of these years, effectively setting herself up into a deal she can't back out of anymore.

And that plot twist! Drake is a dragon!! It all makes sense now, and it was really a cool way to reveal that secret! I really started to love the side characters of Serin, Bas, and Tiny, so I really hope we get to see more of them in Book 2 and finally figure out more about the dragon egg; which brings me to me next realization- if Drake is a dragon and this is a dragon's egg the was so keen on getting, is he somehow related to this egg??! This better not be a secret dragon love child of his from centuries ago...otherwise I actually really enjoyed how the author took her time with laying out the pieces for the plot and not rushing it too much just to wrap it up for the end of the book. Book 1 definitely ended on quite a cliffhanger so I now have to wait a whole year for Book 2!!

Great book! This is my first time reading this author. I look forward to hearing more about Everly and Silas and how their lives unfold. J. Ember Hintz’s books are going in my TBR pile!

My ARC Review of Masquerade of Bones by J. Ember Hintz

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of Masquerade of Bones, and there’s no doubt this is a bold and imaginative romantasy debut. With cursed magic, dragon relics, and a reluctant alliance between a cursed artist and a notorious outlaw, it hooked me with its premise straight away.

Everly is a compelling lead—snarky, stubborn, and trying to keep her head down despite the chaos that keeps finding her. Her cursed ability to hear the remnants of dead magical creatures was eerie and fascinating, and I loved how it made her both powerful and deeply vulnerable. Silas, the morally grey love interest, definitely gave off classic brooding antihero energy with a dark, dangerous edge. Their dynamic had strong enemies-to-lovers tension, and the banter between them was a highlight for me.

That said, there were moments where the pacing lagged, especially in the first half. The setup took a while to gain momentum, and I occasionally found myself wishing the world-building had been more organically woven into the story—it sometimes leaned toward info-dumping. A few character motivations (particularly from the side cast) felt a bit underdeveloped too, which made some of the emotional stakes fall a little flat.

But when the plot kicks into gear, it really takes off. The heist at the Menagerie, the twists involving the relics, and the slow unraveling of both Everly’s past and Silas’s true intentions were all incredibly satisfying. The ending left just enough unresolved to make me excited for what’s coming next.

Overall, Masquerade of Bones is a dark, magical, and romantic ride with a lot of promise. It’s perfect for fans of morally grey characters, cursed magic, and reluctant partnerships that teeter into something more.

Although an incredibly interesting premise, this unfortunately just didn’t hit the spot for me. I found the main plot to be a little lost in the middle and the ending, although I could see why it went in that direction, it just didn’t quite land the way I would have expected it to.

Masquerade of Bones is a captivating read that combines fantasy, romance, and supernatural mystery. The main character, Everly Thorn, can hear the whispers of dead dragons and magical beasts.
This book is perfect for someone who is looking for a steamy fantasy romance!


Thank you #NetGalley and #Specter Publishing for this ARC!

"The sting is always worse after you've been seduced by the sweet."

I feel as though I am at an utter loss for words to describe how much I loved this book and yet, I find I'm also filled with all the words and seemingly no right way to form them into a complete sentence that expresses my love enough...though that won't stop me from trying.

This book is full of magic and desire, mysteries and adventure and was a complete struggle to have to step away from on the rare moments that required I put it down. 

In the very beginning, I had some sliver of hope for Everly and Gideon. Though it did not take long for me to root for her and the sassy Shadow Daddy that is Silas. Their plithy banter lit a fire in my heart and I couldn't get enough of it, even more so when they turned that heat up and added a little bit of spice to the mix.

The journey to the end was certainly an adventure in itself and as Everly unearthed more secrets during their travel, I continuously found myself having been deceived in the most delicious of ways. And I was nowhere near ready for the plot twist at the very end. Completely unexpected and yet, in retrospect, it makes so much sense. 

I cannot wait to get my hands on tbe next book in this series and I have so many questions I hope to have answered when the next book arrives: What kind of witch exactly is Everly? Is there a way for her to escape the burning? Why is she seeing ghosts? Is she Silas' mate? Is he the dragon the first Krimore king befriended? Does he know the dragon whose egg they are in possession of? If the dragons were thought to be extinct but aren't, does that mean some other creatures, like the Thunderbird, could potentially still be around too?

In my impatience for book two, which is thankfully slated for Spring 2026, I will be diving into this author's other books in an attempt to satiate my desperate need for more of Silas and Everly's story. I have no doubts they will be equally as wonderful and easy to fall in love with as this was. 

A huge thank you both to NetGalley and Specter Publishing for this amazing ARC and to J. Ember Hintz for writing such a beautifully enchanting tale.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 🌶️

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book! It had me hooked from the dedication and every day, I was excited to read this. In this story we follow Everly and Silas who are bounded by a blood oath. During their time together, they form a bond but not one they were expecting. You can feel how much Everly wants to hate Silas but a part of her inside is drawn to him.

The plot was INCREDIBLE and definitely had me squealing at certain points. I laughed, I was shocked and oh my god THE ENDING!! I was so so happy with how you left it. I was looking at the percentage praying that it wasn’t going to be cliffhanger and you made me cheer with joy. I am so excited for book two to be released in 2026!

Well, I daresay it's official - I have a new morally grey shadow daddy book boyfriend named Silas!

The way that I found myself completely hooked on this one from the very beginning; I mean - death sketches!? Then the running away and the capture? It was all just well written and just so incredibly engaging. The magic system is beautiful and so unique, and the world building is incredibly phenomenal!

This book is such an emotional roller coaster and I can hardly wait to read the next book! I need more Silas immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to J. Ember Hintz, Specter Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of Masquerade of Bones!

"There is definitely something wrong with me. I should not be imagining all the things I would let this man to do me in the dark."

This book and series as a lot of promise and had me intrigued from the start. Everly and Silas' bickering was full of tension and they obviously had a spark from their first meeting. It drove me bananas to see Everly cling so tightly to her relationship with Gideon while she had so much chemistry with Silas. Seeing what would happen in this little love triangle kept me reading.

I will say that there were moments in the book that the writing had me a little lost. I felt like the story would be reading and focused on one train of thought and then switch to an entirely different scenario without any break or notice. This definitely detracted from the flow of the book for me. I also thought the ending was... bizarre. The twist made sense, but I was not a fan of the way it was written.

I am interested to see where the author takes the rest of this series and will definitely read book 2.

I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars rounded down.

I could NOT put this down- literally stayed up late reading this!

This is a slow burn Romantasy- like seriously slow burn. I was doubting if they were going to get after it at all kind of slow burn. The banter between the two characters was just- fun. It was super flirty and spicy!

There were all sorts of surprises in the story that I won’t give away but were super fun and I am SO looking forward to reading the next installment!

Things are not as they seem in this world where magic is stored in the bones and remains of extinct magical creatures. If you start showing symptoms of being a witch- or being able to use these relics to wield magic- you’re immediately conscripted to the military essentially to be used as fodder in a magical war.

The downside to the magic-it makes you go crazy. Everly has been hiding who she is in order to care for her brother after her parents have been murdered. She ends up in a magical bond with a shadow wielding stranger who has a penchant for strangling witches in dark alleyways. So what if he happens to be handsome.

The bond will only be broken when she completes her side of the bargain- participate in a royal heist to steal an important magical relic. Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do I guess.

Masquerade of Bones by J. Ember Hintz

⭐️⭐️ 2.5/5

I struggled a bit to get into this one. I probably picked it up and put it down five times before I finally was able to get through more than a few pages at a time, and it threw me into a baby reading slump. It’s a very slow start with a lot of info dumping right at the beginning. The info dump was done in the form of dialogue between our main character, Everly, and her best friend, Wallace, who she has supposedly know for years. They were talking as if they both didn’t already know all of this information, which wouldn’t be very consistent for two characters that live in the same area, have access to the same information, and have known each other awhile.

Once I was able to finally able to get into it, I did enjoy it a little more. I thought the magic system was interesting, but I wouldn’t say I was able to get a super clear grasp on how it operated. It was also very confusing trying to distinguish who was good and who was bad. And it wholly depended on the place, apparently. Not to mention the geography. That was a whole other world of confusion. A map would have been super duper helpful there. The creatures were also very confusing. Werewolf/alligator? Yeah sure. Shapeshifters? Maybe, why not. And also a cat. The history wasn’t easy to digest and didn’t make much sense either. I have no idea who fought what war or who won or why it was important. It made it difficult to get a clear picture of what was at stake for the characters.

Everly seemed a bit childish and immature to me. She kind of acted like a pick me girl. I really struggled to see the connection between her and Silas. The only reason we’re given for how much he likes her is that they’re life bonded. They have no real connection or chemistry besides what the bond gave them. It wasn’t natural at all.

The whole plot is very rushed and then forgotten about altogether. They go all this way on a journey to capture a dragon (that has apparently already been detained) only to get caught by a rival clan right before they get to the gates after making a very stupid navigation decision that yeah, did look quite suspicious. Instead of the king giving them a letter saying they were coming in his stead with his seal of approval and scent on it, all they had was the invitation which very easily could have been stolen. It was such a poorly thought out plan that I genuinely don’t understand how anyone in that traveling party thought it was going to work.

There’s also this mysterious frost dragon egg that we never learn anything else about. We know it’s possibly sentient and that you’ll freeze to death if you go near it, but we never find out why Silas’s crew wanted to steal it, what they were going to do with it, or why it even mattered in the first place. It became an afterthought in the end. Very big plothole.

The ending especially had me spinning in circles. It literally came out of nowhere. It’s like it smacked me in the face, which is not a sensation I want to have as a reader. The pace went from steady to light speed in like two paragraphs. It was so pointless for her to get so close to where they were going then get snatched up and deposited back home like it never happened with Silas and the whole crew straight up ditching her. And oh yeah, her best friend who has been irrelevant the whole book might actually be important somehow. And also, major plot twist out of nowhere with no setup whatsoever, that guy is a dragon and that guy is were-gator. And everything works out perfectly, and all is forgiven, and they disappear without solving anything we just read a whole entire book about. I’m assuming there will be a second book where all of this is cleared up, but if not, this book had zero point whatsoever.

All in all, maybe not the book for me. I really wanted to like it. They were some high parts. I loved Bas, Serin, and Nellie. Awesome characters there. Although, I stand firm on the opinion that Nellie’s death was pointless and added nothing to the story except shock value. I also enjoyed some of the romance. There were some scenes there I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn’t recommend this to my followers.

Thank you to NetGalley, J. Ember Hintz, and Specter Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review will be posted only on Goodreads and with a spoiler cover.

Book Review‼️
Masquerade of Bones by J. Ember Hintz
Format: E Book
Release Date: 25 February , 2025
4.5/5
3/5 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley & the author J. Ember Hintz for the early access of Masquerade of Bones

✨Magic
✨Dragons & other magical creatures
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Shadow Daddy
✨One bed/Horse
✨Blood Oath Bonds
✨Heist Scheme

Synopsis:
💫Everly Thorn, a privileged elite, faced a life-altering turn when she contracted witch fever and heard dragon bones whispering to her. To protect her secret, she resorted to desperate measures, including gambling debts after the murder of her parents and the broken betrothal to the crown prince.
Silas Drake, an infamous outlaw, sought a witch with unique skills, the kind Everly had vowed to avoid. When Silas discovered Everly’s secret, he offered her a blood oath to aid him in stealing a relic and securing her financial freedom, or face capture.
Determined to break free from male manipulation, Everly risked everything to undermine Silas Drake and his thieves.💫

My thoughts:
💫This book was absolutely fantastic! It perfectly encapsulated all the elements I adore in a book: yearning, mind-reading, enemies-to-lovers, and magic, all rolled into one. I was captivated by the world-building and the witty banter between the two main characters. Silas is now officially added to my list of book boyfriends. 💫

I read this after finishing up the Fourth Wing series. It had a lot of the same elements as that series, and I caught myself picturing the same world as Fourth Wing a few times.

The characters are pretty basic fantasy characters. They have their own little squad/family just like SJM’s Inner Circle and Yarros’s Quest Squad. I’m a sucker for squads! The two main characters can speak to one another through a blood oath, just like the bonds between Rhys and Feyre and Violet and Xaden. I’m kind of new to fantasy, so I’m not sure if that’s a consistent thing to be found in this genre. I do love the paranormal aspects like the rougarou clans.

I felt like there were just too many things left unexplored. Like the witch fever and what not. Also, there’s a dragon involved and I don’t really understand how Everly is just drawn to it since they’re rare. I hope there is a second book because I need to know more!!!

Overall, this was a delightful and quick read. I’d recommend it if you’re in a rut, as I feel like it might be a nice little way to get back into reading after a slump.

**spoiler alert**
The writing style and the plot was great. It had me hooked from the first 10 pages. Loved the description of magic, gender-inclusive witches, and getting magic from magical artifacts. The FMC is definitely on the nerdy side, which I liked. It's nice to have a FMC who is a bit more realistic: she didn't learn to channel all her magic in one day, she didn't just immediately figure out how to throw knives, and she makes mistakes often. She keeps secrets, but ultimately can't protect herself. Which, makes for a great romantasy.

Didn't see the literal DRAGON of a man coming, but who doesn't like a bit of surprise?
Thanks, Netgalley, for the early read!

This book needs all the hype!

I loved every bit of it! The tension and banter between the MMC and FMC is just perfect. This book needs more hype! It had that perfect mix you look for when you reach for a romantasy. I can admit the last bit of the story felt slightly fast-tracked. But honestly that didn't take away from the story overall. The characters are relatable, and the story sucks you in.

I cannot wait for the next in the series!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book the plot was gripping and kept me reading and the characters were brilliant. However, I did find myself needing a little bit more in terms of world building to really get me into the universe and it took me a few chapters to catch my brain up with what was going on. I loved the twist at the end and can’t wait for the next instalment to see what happens.

The characters were the highlight of this book. My favourite being Silas Drake, a secretive shadow-powered outlaw. The chemistry between Silas and Everly developed really well starting from reluctant allies through lots of banter until they reach a really good point in their relationship. The found family aspect of this novel with Silas and his crew is also a great read and made the book even more enjoyable.