Broken Souls and Bones

Kristin M O'Donoghue

A viking inspired fantasy with a unique magic system and a romance that scorches!

"If you’ve been with me for a bit or taken a look at my fantasy bookshelf, you know that LJ Andrews is one of my fav authors. Her brand of viking inspired fantasy with unique magic systems and romance that always scorches, is a must read me for every time. Therefore, I was so excited to finally read her first traditionally published novel, Broken Souls and Bones, that introduces a new world filled with political power struggles, dark magic, deadly secrets and a cast of characters that are wonderfully complex and will entertain you on every page. As the story starts, we meet Lyra, a young woman who has spent most of her life hiding her secret in plain sight among one of the clans Jorvandal. Lyra holds a hidden power whose legacy has plagued her all her life—she possesses the magic of the melder craft, the most rare type of magic amongst all the crafts passed on from the gods . Coveted by some and hated by others, Lyra has never wanted to use the magic running through her veins and has worked to keep the signature silver markings of a melder’s eyes hidden. Unfortunately for Lyra, a run in with warriors of her territory’s King, Damir, forces her to reveal her craft when her closest friend, Kael, is threatened. Now, not only is she forced to help a king whose quest for power is insatiable, but she is under the watchful eye of the his silent and dangerous sentry, Roark Ashwood. Roark, who had been left for dead by the enemy Draven clan, has a deep hatred for those with the melder craft because of the sanctity of the soul bones it can manipulate. With Lyra’s identity as the long lost melder is revealed, Damir’s enemies press in, threatening the peace and lives of those Lyra cares for most, she finds herself relying more and more on the deadly skills of her reluctant body guard. However, the pull to know more of the complex Roark Ashwood is one that Lyra finds harder to ignore as she comes to see the beauty and intimacy in the quiet language of his hands and the gentler side of his nature. Roark and Lyra begin to see that in sharing the darkest corners of one’s soul, light can find a way in. And this is LJ, so you know once the romance hits, it hits hard and deliciously! As the enemy clan and it’s shadowy assassin Soul Drek increase their attacks, Roark and Lyra’s tenuous understanding is challenged not only from external threats but from internal secrets and betrayals that could shatter the trust they’ve slowly started to build, leaving a path of destruction that touches everyone they care about. LJ delivers some wonderful twists and that ending….jaw dropping! I can’t wait to see what comes next. One of the things that I have always loved about LJ’s writing is the way that she weaves in beautiful themes of found family and gives us such a great cast of characters to absolutely adore. This book is no different and I found myself enamored with so many of the side characters and biting my nails for their safety. At the top of the list, Prince Thane, who first protected a wounded enemy boy and became a brother in all things but blood to Roark. His dynamic with Roark is heartwarming and Thane is a source of hope, light and humor when it’s most needed. Lyra also has a fiercely loyal friend and adopted brother in Kael, who is steadfast in his protectiveness of her, putting her safety above all else, including his own kingdom and life. I could go on and on but just trust me that so many characters in this book are going to grab you and never let go. The second book in this duology comes out in March so if you haven’t had a chance to read this book yet there is plenty of time! Also, if you are interested in finding out more of how exactly Roark Ashwood came to be the man he is, then you should check out LJ’s recently released novella, When Fate is Cruel, that features prequel stories for two of her most loved MMCs. ["

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January 26, 2026 Verified Purchase

Ashley Copeland

A Cringeworthy Delight of Brutal, Gruesome Magic

""Sometimes souls just understand each other." 💕🔥👏🏻 Maybe I shouldn't describe a dark fantasy romance book like this, but it was oozing with brutal, gruesome magic. It was bloody, soulful, and spoke to all of my senses. I cringed, but in the best way possible. Is it flowery and full of imagery of the world? No. The world is dark, and she allows you to imagine what it would look like in your own mind. I mean, they travel through a forest and live in a castle. I've seen enough of those to know what they look like. So, if you need a book that describes every rock, tree, and sunset, this book is not for you. However, if you are interested in vivid descriptions of a unique magic system created from blood, souls, and bones in intricate detail, this is it. For me, the only reason I rated it 4 stars is because I needed a little more action in the middle. It felt a bit repetitive, and my focus drifted away from the book. It was mentioned several times to the shadow that Lyra was hunting for bones, but there weren't any scenes actually showing her doing that. This would have added additional action to help move the plot along and made more sense when characters kept referring to her hunting for The Wanderer. Despite that, I couldn't stop reading, and I absolutely NEED more of this world! LJ Andrews knows how to write a book that gives you all the feels. ["

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June 7, 2025 Verified Purchase

Regina J

So, so good!

"4.25☆ Broken Souls and Bones is definitely a must read! In true LJ fashion, the writing is elaborate and beautiful, but not so complicated to understand or follow. It has all my favorite tropes - touch her and unalive, awesome banter, magical system, court/clan politics and intrigue, forced proximity and so much more! It's such a unique story with betrayal, love, secrets and characters who communicate with sign language! I look forward to learning more about Skul Drek. "It is a curse that has been burdened on an unfortunate... soul". I cannot wait for book 2, Heir of Twisted Lies! ["

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February 18, 2026 Verified Purchase

readbykaycee

Possessive signing man who will burn down the world for her

"No one writes Viking inspired romantasy quite like LJ Andrews. I still cling to the Ever King as my favorite of her books but this story was delightful. I didn’t start with the audiobook and due to the language and word choice used. I struggle struggled to get into it until I switched back to reading it on my Kindle. I’m not sure if it was the accent of the narrator, or if it was to verbiage of the book, but I found the beginning clunky and had a hard time getting into it until I switched to reading a traditionally. After that, it was smooth sailing. I lived for Roark’s POV chapters. They are the best. To get a window into his thoughts and feelings really added to his depth. The positioning of these chapters were perfectly placed. Roark is tormented, keeping secrets but adorable loyal. His friendship with Thane is beautiful and so genuine. I’m anxious to see how things progress in the next book. Lyra is a solid FMC. She has spent her life hiding and trying to go unnoticed to hide her powers. She is obviously found and dragged to participate in magic that will corrupt her. Roark drags her back to the castle where she is a honored member (prisoner) of the kings palace. She’s forced to use her magic as a melter which draws the attention to a dark ominous spirit who seems to stalk her. Things aren’t what they seem and there is a lot of foreshadowing and hints of what’s to come as you read. By the end a lot of things are able to be predicted but I didn’t see the exact ending coming and it ends in a pretty big cliffhanger. I loved that Roark communicated through sign language and how Lyra was pulled to the language. The whole storyline around his words and the importance of language and communication was a great subplot. This story overall has some dark undertones but has great pacing and is full of hope on brightness. I absolutely adore the whole cast characters and their connections and emotions between them. Here were my thoughts while reading if interested….they were fun to look back on after I finished This is confusing and clunky… I can’t audiobook this — too many words I need to read to understand Selena, Thorian, and Kael… these names remind me strongly of another trio … I can’t be the only one making this connection Well… this isn’t going to go well for Lyra Ouch. That was violent and painful… I did not see that coming I’m reading another book with a character named Draven… this is confusing The clunkiness has dissipated… this is drawing me in now Is he actually hateful or can she just not read him? She’s really picking up tha sign language Ooo … tap tap tap. I’ll watch for that 😏 One bed? …. Nope 🤣 you got me there Well That happened faster than I thought. Ugh the king is a power hungry man. He’s possessive! Yes. Love that. We transition from hate to pining to spice quicker than anticipated. I don’t hate it. Love Thane. He’s the best. Lyra is loyal to her Prince. That’s surprising but touching. I didn’t see that coming. Something is up with the Queen. I have theories. I think those theories are right. ["

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January 24, 2026 Verified Purchase