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Outlander: Outlander, Book 1
Diana Gabaldon
4.6
The Road of Bones: The Ashen Series, Book 1
by Demi Winters
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About this book
Silla Nordvig is a woman defined by flight. Following her father’s brutal murder, she is thrust into a desperate quest across the Road of Bones, a harrowing, thousand-mile gauntlet terrorized by warbands and ancient, supernatural horrors. Her only hope for survival lies in reaching the distant shield house of Kopa, but the path is blocked by the Queen of Íseldur’s relentless assassin, who hunts her with single-minded obsession.
To traverse the lethal landscape, Silla infiltrates the supply wagons of the Bloodaxe Crew, a notorious band of Viking mercenaries. Forced to integrate into their ranks, she must navigate a volatile new reality under the watchful gaze of their brooding leader, Axe Eyes, and the dangerously charming Wolf. As the stakes of her journey escalate, Silla finds her survival inextricably linked to the very men who view her as an outsider.
Blending high-stakes adventure with the dark allure of Viking folklore, the narrative weaves a tense, adrenaline-fueled chase where trust is a liability and every shadow hides a threat. Amidst the carnage and the cold, a slow-burning tension ignites, forcing Silla to decide if the greatest danger on the Road of Bones is the enemy behind her or the man beside her.
Available Formats
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What readers are saying
Erinarkin20Great New Fantasy Series!
"I came across The Road of Bones by Demi Winters as I was scanning NetGalley and when I read the summary I was intrigued. I'm always interested in a good Fantasy but when you throw Vikings into the mix, I'm on board. Now, I did have this book on my TBR shelf, but I'm going to tell you, thankfully when I cracked this book open I happened to be on vacation because I couldn't put it down and I've been telling everyone I know who will listen that they need to read it. Not only because it is good but because I NEED someone to talk to about it. Winters starts this book out with a bang and pulled me in from the start...Silla Nordvig is our fmc and she is on the run. We find out very quickly that she and her father have been moving from village to village but we don't truly know why and unfortunately as they are headed on their way out of their most recent village, Silla's father is killed and Silla is on her own trying to survive. What she doesn't understand is why the queen of Iseldur has sent warriors to bring her back to Sunnavik and based on her father's last words to her, Silla is determined to travel the Road of Bones and get to Kopa and the safety of a shield house. After barely surviving her first stretch of travel, Silla overhears a group discuss their travels and she sneaks into their supply wagon. What she didn't count on was that the wagon belonged to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she has to win over Axe Eyes, the crew leader, while not falling for the Wolf's handsome face. As she finds herself getting closer to the whole crew (and slowly winning them over), the queen's hunter is on her tail and is determined to bring her back to Sunnavik no matter what it takes. Like I said, I couldn't put this book down. There is non-stop action in this book. Whether it is the danger of traveling the Road of Bones and coming across the various monsters there or trying to escape the queen's assassin, the Bloodaxe Crew and Silla are always facing some sort of danger along their travels. As for the characters, I love a book that has me feeling all the things for all the characters and this book did this for me. First, there is Silla. I won't say a lot about her backstory as I don't want to ruin anything here but she is put through the ringer here. That said, she doesn't ever give up and I love that about her. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments where she questions everything and doubts herself just like anyone who has gone through what she is going through would but she always tends to sit in it for a moment and then pull herself back together. And despite all this, Axe Eyes still refers to her as "Sunshine" which compared to him is probably fair. Wolf/Jonas - He values family and loyalty so that is a plus but I have a lot of feelings here and I can't say anything for fear that I will give anything away and sway someone's thoughts. That said, I had high hopes for him and I will talk about him more in my review for book 2. Axe Eyes/Rey - As grumpy as he likes to come across, he truly is a protector and while he likes to pretend he doesn't like Silla around, he also doesn't truly want her gone and when things go wrong, he is the one who tends to come through for everyone. Again I won't say a lot here as he has some secrets that are revealed and feed into the next book. Rest of the Bloodaxe Crew - The rest of the crew are a great supporting cast and help to move the story forward. Ultimately, this book was one that did a great job of combining the character's stories with the overall plot and there is an underlying story here. It's not just about Silla trying to get to Kopa. The queen of Iseldur is up to something and while we only get snippets of what the queen wants Silla for through her assassin/hunter, there is definitely something bigger at play. Admittedly, it wasn't a surprise to me as to what Silla's background was but I also couldn't help from feeling all the feelings for Silla as she starts to realize what she is up against and what that means for her. Also, it's a harsh world that these characters live in and Winters did a fantastic job of putting it down on paper and getting me absorbed into it. If you're looking for an adult fantasy to pick up, consider grabbing this one. It has a great story, strong writing, solid world-building, and well-developed characters. Plus...then we can talk about all the things. The next book, Kingdom of Claw, comes out early in 2025 so you won't have too long to wait to see what happens with these characters. I'll definitely be picking up the next books in the series to see what happens for these characters as this book/series has me in a chokehold. ["
November 5, 2024 Verified Purchase
Cara Barbardo4.5 ⭐️ for this epic Viking Romantasy!
"I slept on this book for far too long! I understand the hype now, and it is most definitely well deserved. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it did start a bit slow for me. I was a bit confused by the magic system as we never really got a good picture of how it works. But alas, it did pick up mid way through and I devoured the remainder of the book. There are so many things to love about this book - the found family, the characters, the perilously danger filled journey and the plot twists. There were enough Easter eggs that I was easily able to figure out the twists before they were revealed. The romance also comes with a bit of a twist and I knew it wasn’t right. It felt a little forced and was slightly uncomfortable to witness knowing he wasn’t the right love interest. By the end of the book, I was giddy with glee and look forward to seeing if what I hope will transpire comes to light in the next book. As this is a Viking setting, it comes with a lot of violence and gore, so make sure you take that to heart if you pick up this book. ["
December 29, 2025 Verified Purchase
Cassandra Serenity6 Star Immersive Read
"5 Stars (+1 with the audio for 6 stars) immersive read. Synopsis: After a brush with death and the loss of her father, Silla Nordvig has fled to the Road of Bones. A perilous journey north to safety and freedom. But the Road of Bones is a dangerous place filled with man, monster, and monsters who are men alike. After a second encounter that should have killed her, Silla decided to hide in a wagon bound North. A wagon owned by the notorious Bloodaxe Crew, a band of mercenaries on their own mission. Will she make it to Kopa in the North, to freedom and safety, or will she be hunted down by what travels the Road of Bones with her? Review: This is an INCREDIBLE read. The book is amazing and the audio made it legendary. All hail Islay Jacobs, a single narrator that put on a full cast performance! A fantastic Viking based Romantasy set in a world where magic users, Geldra, are despised, warriors fight monsters for honor and coin, and few are truly safe. An epic adventure, sizzling romance, hidden secrets, corrupted power (with quotas), unparalleled world building, found family, and not enough books out yet! There are so many good twists in this story, some caught me completely off guard which is impressive. I am normally quick with plot points and while I did pick up on several, a few had my jaw on the floor. Each character was richly crafted, the story driven by their strengths, needs, desires, fears, and flaws. I can see why so much of the world has been drawn to this story. I’m late to the party, but I can’t wait to continue in this world. ["
March 27, 2026 Verified Purchase
abcdiana_reads“I belong to myself”
"This was definitely a high fantasy with deep world building and layered mythology. As a mood reader, I should have known better than to go in blind (rookie mistake), so it took me a minute to find my footing. But once I did? I was fully invested. I really liked the FMC and her perseverance. Her quiet sorrow spoke louder than any scream..a heartbreak she carried alone cus the world never paused long enough to notice. And the love triangle yall?! Well done, well played. I can’t speak on it much but I will say I had my heart set from the beginning. And in the last few chapters my adrenaline was thru the roof! Let’s see where book 2 takes us “Because it takes a small man to be ruled by fear and a large one to show mercy. And anyone can see you are no small man.” ["
January 28, 2026 Verified Purchase
