In this epic and immersive Viking-inspired romantic fantasy, a woman fleeing a ruthless assassin accidentally joins forces with a group of mercenaries and must use all her cunning to escape with her life—and heart—intact.

The Road of Bones is the first in the The Ashen series by Demi Winters. This was my November 2024 BOTM club pick and I wasn’t exactly in the mood for romantasy at that time last year, but it seemed like the perfect summer read. Vaguely set in Scotland and the northern parts of the UK, this blends some Norse vibes with a found family trope, adventure on the road and a heroine with a mysterious past.

I’m never a fan of cliffhanger type endings, which this title has, so I downgraded my rating for the book a bit because of that, but otherwise, this was a fun and entertaining read and I probably will pick up the next book in the series (which is already out) and possibly the final/third book which has yet to be be published. There’s a slow-burn romance and lots of battle action (not truly epic battle action – battle action lite?), and the characters are a lot of fun. I probably should have been cheering for the heroine, Scilla, but I actually would like more of Hekla, one of the mercenaries who has a metal arm with claws she uses in battle.

I enjoyed the world-building and the hints of magic sprinkled liberally throughout. I am hopeful the evil queen will be a multidimensional character when we learn more about her in book 2, but I was appreciative of some of the nontypical elements of this type of fantasty story that were seamlessly handled (like drug abuse/addiction) and woven nicely into the plot.

Overall, an entertaining, enjoyable escapism read with some cold weather vibes I appreciated on a hot summer date.

3.75/5 star read for me.