The twin of princess, who grew up in the shadows, destined to save the kingdom.
A River of Golden Bones is a new adult/adult fantasy novel by A.K. Mulford that is scheduled to be published December 5, 2023.
The story follows Briar and Calla, twins who have spent their lives hiding in the woods, away from their enemies, and the human who don't realize they are wolves. Now on their 20th birthday, Prince Grae has come to collect Briar for their wedding, which will united their packs and save the Golden Court. Calla and Grae have not seen each other in years and reuniting is worse than they imagined.
Calla has always lived in the shadows of their sister and though they are also a princess, they prefer to pretend to be Briar's bodyguard instead. Calla wants to remain in the shadows, and soon learns that was the king's plan all along.
On the night of the wedding, Briar finds out who her fated mate is, and it is not the prince. At the same time, Briar is placed under a sleeping curse, with her mate stolen away by the witch who killed their parents. Now Calla is determined to save their sister, much to the king's dismay. Running away from the court, and their mate Grae, they sets off into the woods alone. As Calla continues their quest they learns more about the human world they had been hiding from, and the secrets of a kingdom that betrayed them. They befriend a group of performers, who help them get to the border and help them understand parts of themselves they never understood in the wolf society.
Calla goes through a journey of self-discovery, that leads them to finding not only love but who they could be if they were given the chance to live outside of the shadows. It does look lie this book is the start of a series and I'm excited to see where it goes.
One of my favorite parts of this story was the gender exploration that leads to Calla finally understanding themselves and how they fell within their own 'human' bodies. Having never read too many 'shifter' or werewolf books up to this point I found the transitions interesting, especially since there is some pain involved but they can do it when they please. I think Calla having a lot to learn makes up a big part of their story and makes it more interesting overall. The book does have quite a few spicy scenes by the end, definitely making it more of an adult book than one for teens.
Overall, it was a fun dive into a new type of fantasy for me and I really appreciate how the author portrayed the journey of Calla figuring out their gender expression. The book is also a fun take on the Sleeping Beauty story, which I really liked as well.
A 4 out of 5 star read for me.
This book comes out December 5, 2023.
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