If you’re looking for a queer story about love, shape shifters and curses, then you have to read A River of Golden Bones. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I ended up finishing this one earlier than expected because I had to know what happened next. Keep reading this book review of A River of Golden Bones.
Summary
Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in life: Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan.
No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court.
Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to wonder: who could she be if she dared to try?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
With a sleeping curse, shapeshifters and kingdoms of tensions and politics, A River of Golden Bones is an utter win all around. If you’ve been looking for a queer adult fantasy to sink your teeth into, this is the one! I loved the ways A River of Golden Bones examines our identity versus the collective. And what happens when our collective, when our pack, alienates us, when we don’t agree with it. It’s about the distance between the story, happy endings, the immortalize refrains, and reality.
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At the same time it’s about what happens when we embark on our own. When we are without our twin, the people we’ve always thought we knew, and are forced to question what we thought we knew and who we are. All the ways we have to realize we have to question things. And all the ways we can find a new path, a new notion of home, family, and our future. But besides that, if you love shapeshifters, stories about overcoming odds and re-examining our beliefs, and politics, this is for you. It’s a series I know I’ll be keeping up with. Find A River of Golden Bones on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.