The Road of Bones

The Ashen Series, Book 1

By: Demi Winters

Narrated by: Islay Jacobs

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret that threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer—and go to Kopa, where a shield house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen's ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tales with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies-to-lovers romance. It is book one in the Ashen Series.

©2023 Demi Winters (P)2024 Podium Audio

This story was a breath of fresh air

With the genre of fantasy romance expanding so rapidly this book was exactly what I have been looking for, a new world to explore that was unlike any other I have read. The story line, the characters and the twists were perfect. The narrator was Perfect in her storytelling. I am counting down until the next book!!!!

With my upmost sincerity - Read this book.

*NO* spoilers in my review.
I adored this story. It was a wonderful mix of plot to romance. The romance isn’t the entire plot but it has a good amount of romance/tension to plot ratio, throughout. The story draws you in rather quickly. It begins excitingly and ends even more so. I get bored quickly but with this story I did not. It held my interest throughout with adventure, loss, drama, fighting, and slow burn romance. (There are detailed sex scenes). I find the FMC (Silla) to be strong and willful unlike a lot of helpless FMC in other fantasy/romance books. The FMC doesn’t make me roll my eyes or cringe, thank the lord. I really loved her throughout this story.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5 (compared to A Court of Silver Flames by SJM)
Violence: 🩸🩸🩸 /5 (Compared to The Lord of The Rings)
Adventure: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 (Compared to The Hobbit/ The LOTR)

•I do think the spice is 17+
•Violence/gore can get detailed.
•Adventure goes on throughout the story.

If you want to read this book solely for the smut, this isn’t for you. If you want to read this because of the slow burn/enemies to lovers this book is ABSOLUTELY for you.

Exquisitely Written

Fanatic read!!! Everything was well done plot, character development, action, pace, narration was all superb.

Great story! Interesting characters!

FANTASTIC! Can’t wait for the second book!! The plot kept me engaged the entire book. VO talent was perfect!

seriously!!! 💫💫💫💫

amazing! this is a book I will recommend without hesitation! the world building, the secrets and lies and more secrets and the narrator did an amazing job!

Solid, looking forward to the next one

I was initially skeptical but it’s worth sticking with it! Definitely an intriguing story, and a great narrator, too.

The Story was so original and the characters were unique. Can’t wait for the second book to see the “next chapter.”

Character development was key to making this a rich story. And the ending and hope for what’s to come make me want to continue the series. Just wish the 2nd book was out so I didn’t have to wait.

Slow start, but a heartbreaking twist

The beginning of the story seemed long and drawn out. It was difficult to get started. About a third of the way through the story picked up, and it was more intriguing as we incorporated more points of view. If you are someone who does not like shocking betrayals, this is not the one for you. If you are a person, however, who likes an unexpected love interest you will be pleasantly surprised

Refreshing

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and found it captivating. The unexpected betrayal at the end left me intrigued and eager to discover what unfolds in the second book. However, I must admit that I am slightly frustrated by my limited understanding of the magic system

love it

love it!! I felt like I was in it. Can't wait to read the 2nd!!