Well, I daresay it's official - I have a new morally grey shadow daddy book boyfriend named Silas!

The way that I found myself completely hooked on this one from the very beginning; I mean - death sketches!? Then the running away and the capture? It was all just well written and just so incredibly engaging. The magic system is beautiful and so unique, and the world building is incredibly phenomenal!

This book is such an emotional roller coaster and I can hardly wait to read the next book! I need more Silas immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to J. Ember Hintz, Specter Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of Masquerade of Bones!

"There is definitely something wrong with me. I should not be imagining all the things I would let this man to do me in the dark."

This book and series as a lot of promise and had me intrigued from the start. Everly and Silas' bickering was full of tension and they obviously had a spark from their first meeting. It drove me bananas to see Everly cling so tightly to her relationship with Gideon while she had so much chemistry with Silas. Seeing what would happen in this little love triangle kept me reading.

I will say that there were moments in the book that the writing had me a little lost. I felt like the story would be reading and focused on one train of thought and then switch to an entirely different scenario without any break or notice. This definitely detracted from the flow of the book for me. I also thought the ending was... bizarre. The twist made sense, but I was not a fan of the way it was written.

I am interested to see where the author takes the rest of this series and will definitely read book 2.

I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars rounded down.

I could NOT put this down- literally stayed up late reading this!

This is a slow burn Romantasy- like seriously slow burn. I was doubting if they were going to get after it at all kind of slow burn. The banter between the two characters was just- fun. It was super flirty and spicy!

There were all sorts of surprises in the story that I won’t give away but were super fun and I am SO looking forward to reading the next installment!

Things are not as they seem in this world where magic is stored in the bones and remains of extinct magical creatures. If you start showing symptoms of being a witch- or being able to use these relics to wield magic- you’re immediately conscripted to the military essentially to be used as fodder in a magical war.

The downside to the magic-it makes you go crazy. Everly has been hiding who she is in order to care for her brother after her parents have been murdered. She ends up in a magical bond with a shadow wielding stranger who has a penchant for strangling witches in dark alleyways. So what if he happens to be handsome.

The bond will only be broken when she completes her side of the bargain- participate in a royal heist to steal an important magical relic. Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do I guess.

Masquerade of Bones by J. Ember Hintz

⭐️⭐️ 2.5/5

I struggled a bit to get into this one. I probably picked it up and put it down five times before I finally was able to get through more than a few pages at a time, and it threw me into a baby reading slump. It’s a very slow start with a lot of info dumping right at the beginning. The info dump was done in the form of dialogue between our main character, Everly, and her best friend, Wallace, who she has supposedly know for years. They were talking as if they both didn’t already know all of this information, which wouldn’t be very consistent for two characters that live in the same area, have access to the same information, and have known each other awhile.

Once I was able to finally able to get into it, I did enjoy it a little more. I thought the magic system was interesting, but I wouldn’t say I was able to get a super clear grasp on how it operated. It was also very confusing trying to distinguish who was good and who was bad. And it wholly depended on the place, apparently. Not to mention the geography. That was a whole other world of confusion. A map would have been super duper helpful there. The creatures were also very confusing. Werewolf/alligator? Yeah sure. Shapeshifters? Maybe, why not. And also a cat. The history wasn’t easy to digest and didn’t make much sense either. I have no idea who fought what war or who won or why it was important. It made it difficult to get a clear picture of what was at stake for the characters.

Everly seemed a bit childish and immature to me. She kind of acted like a pick me girl. I really struggled to see the connection between her and Silas. The only reason we’re given for how much he likes her is that they’re life bonded. They have no real connection or chemistry besides what the bond gave them. It wasn’t natural at all.

The whole plot is very rushed and then forgotten about altogether. They go all this way on a journey to capture a dragon (that has apparently already been detained) only to get caught by a rival clan right before they get to the gates after making a very stupid navigation decision that yeah, did look quite suspicious. Instead of the king giving them a letter saying they were coming in his stead with his seal of approval and scent on it, all they had was the invitation which very easily could have been stolen. It was such a poorly thought out plan that I genuinely don’t understand how anyone in that traveling party thought it was going to work.

There’s also this mysterious frost dragon egg that we never learn anything else about. We know it’s possibly sentient and that you’ll freeze to death if you go near it, but we never find out why Silas’s crew wanted to steal it, what they were going to do with it, or why it even mattered in the first place. It became an afterthought in the end. Very big plothole.

The ending especially had me spinning in circles. It literally came out of nowhere. It’s like it smacked me in the face, which is not a sensation I want to have as a reader. The pace went from steady to light speed in like two paragraphs. It was so pointless for her to get so close to where they were going then get snatched up and deposited back home like it never happened with Silas and the whole crew straight up ditching her. And oh yeah, her best friend who has been irrelevant the whole book might actually be important somehow. And also, major plot twist out of nowhere with no setup whatsoever, that guy is a dragon and that guy is were-gator. And everything works out perfectly, and all is forgiven, and they disappear without solving anything we just read a whole entire book about. I’m assuming there will be a second book where all of this is cleared up, but if not, this book had zero point whatsoever.

All in all, maybe not the book for me. I really wanted to like it. They were some high parts. I loved Bas, Serin, and Nellie. Awesome characters there. Although, I stand firm on the opinion that Nellie’s death was pointless and added nothing to the story except shock value. I also enjoyed some of the romance. There were some scenes there I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn’t recommend this to my followers.

Thank you to NetGalley, J. Ember Hintz, and Specter Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review will be posted only on Goodreads and with a spoiler cover.

Book Review‼️
Masquerade of Bones by J. Ember Hintz
Format: E Book
Release Date: 25 February , 2025
4.5/5
3/5 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley & the author J. Ember Hintz for the early access of Masquerade of Bones

✨Magic
✨Dragons & other magical creatures
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Shadow Daddy
✨One bed/Horse
✨Blood Oath Bonds
✨Heist Scheme

Synopsis:
💫Everly Thorn, a privileged elite, faced a life-altering turn when she contracted witch fever and heard dragon bones whispering to her. To protect her secret, she resorted to desperate measures, including gambling debts after the murder of her parents and the broken betrothal to the crown prince.
Silas Drake, an infamous outlaw, sought a witch with unique skills, the kind Everly had vowed to avoid. When Silas discovered Everly’s secret, he offered her a blood oath to aid him in stealing a relic and securing her financial freedom, or face capture.
Determined to break free from male manipulation, Everly risked everything to undermine Silas Drake and his thieves.💫

My thoughts:
💫This book was absolutely fantastic! It perfectly encapsulated all the elements I adore in a book: yearning, mind-reading, enemies-to-lovers, and magic, all rolled into one. I was captivated by the world-building and the witty banter between the two main characters. Silas is now officially added to my list of book boyfriends. 💫

I read this after finishing up the Fourth Wing series. It had a lot of the same elements as that series, and I caught myself picturing the same world as Fourth Wing a few times.

The characters are pretty basic fantasy characters. They have their own little squad/family just like SJM’s Inner Circle and Yarros’s Quest Squad. I’m a sucker for squads! The two main characters can speak to one another through a blood oath, just like the bonds between Rhys and Feyre and Violet and Xaden. I’m kind of new to fantasy, so I’m not sure if that’s a consistent thing to be found in this genre. I do love the paranormal aspects like the rougarou clans.

I felt like there were just too many things left unexplored. Like the witch fever and what not. Also, there’s a dragon involved and I don’t really understand how Everly is just drawn to it since they’re rare. I hope there is a second book because I need to know more!!!

Overall, this was a delightful and quick read. I’d recommend it if you’re in a rut, as I feel like it might be a nice little way to get back into reading after a slump.

**spoiler alert**
The writing style and the plot was great. It had me hooked from the first 10 pages. Loved the description of magic, gender-inclusive witches, and getting magic from magical artifacts. The FMC is definitely on the nerdy side, which I liked. It's nice to have a FMC who is a bit more realistic: she didn't learn to channel all her magic in one day, she didn't just immediately figure out how to throw knives, and she makes mistakes often. She keeps secrets, but ultimately can't protect herself. Which, makes for a great romantasy.

Didn't see the literal DRAGON of a man coming, but who doesn't like a bit of surprise?
Thanks, Netgalley, for the early read!

This book needs all the hype!

I loved every bit of it! The tension and banter between the MMC and FMC is just perfect. This book needs more hype! It had that perfect mix you look for when you reach for a romantasy. I can admit the last bit of the story felt slightly fast-tracked. But honestly that didn't take away from the story overall. The characters are relatable, and the story sucks you in.

I cannot wait for the next in the series!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book the plot was gripping and kept me reading and the characters were brilliant. However, I did find myself needing a little bit more in terms of world building to really get me into the universe and it took me a few chapters to catch my brain up with what was going on. I loved the twist at the end and can’t wait for the next instalment to see what happens.

The characters were the highlight of this book. My favourite being Silas Drake, a secretive shadow-powered outlaw. The chemistry between Silas and Everly developed really well starting from reluctant allies through lots of banter until they reach a really good point in their relationship. The found family aspect of this novel with Silas and his crew is also a great read and made the book even more enjoyable.

Thank you to J.Ember Hintz, Specter Publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy. All opinions in this review are my own!

The premise of this book made me eager to read it but it was better than I expected in so many ways! Amazing world building, interesting magic system with witches, relics and dragons that was easy to get into but different than your typical witch magic..and the characters?! Oh my what a fun bunch.
Everly is a very lovable, smart and quick-witted FMC that shows a lot of strength and the moment the villain was introduced the fun banter started. Silas had me kicking my feet and giggling while reading, more than once. I loved many of the side characters that were introduced and the author made me want to know more about each one of them.

The story starts off strong and got me hooked within a few pages, it keeps you interested and wanting to finish it in one go. Even though it is part of a series, it doesn't leave you on a cliffhanger and has a good satisfying ending. I will say it felt a bit rushed towards the end but maybe thats because SO MANY things were happening.

All in all it's one of my new favorite books and I'm grateful this was my introduction to this wonderful author! Easy 5 ⭐'s!
And beware Rhysand, Azriel and Xaden ... cause Silas just joined the shadow daddy party ;)

Some of the tropes in this book: Enemies to Lovers, Villain gets the girl, Shadowdaddy, Found Family, Royals, Heists, Magic & Dragons!

The romance in this story is to die for, and the found family something to crave. I was pretty much hooked from the first page, and was not disappointed. I can't even say there was any spots where my interest died down and I struggled to finish. Even the side characters were interesting enough that I wouldn't have minded getting more time with them!
It's truly a magic story that I look forwards to eventually gaining a physical copy of (look at that cover, how could I not?) And plan on one day rereading. In the mean time I seriously encourage others to take a look at this book, if you are a fan of any of the tropes it contains you'll be entertained as much as I was.

Tropes
🥷Heist
⚔️Enemies to lovers
💀Touch her and you die
🧠He can read her mind
🖤Villain gets the girl
🤺Duel together
💞Fake dating
⏳Chasing scene

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review.
This was such a good book! I couldn’t put it down. The plot was impeccable, the writing style and world-building seamlessly intertwined, and the romance tied it together. I absolutely love books that have heist plots, and this book was so well-written that it kept me hooked. I loved the characters (and absolutely hated a few as well). I can’t wait to read the sequel!

If you are looking for your new shadow daddy then Masquerade of Bones is definitely on that list.

Here are some featured tropes.
🖤 shadow daddy
🫂 found family
❤️‍🔥 enemies to lovers
🦴 witches
👑 heists, royals & outlaws
🐉 dragon
🐴 only one horse

Overall, I loved this book with great characters, a gripping story and a found family. However for me the delivery wasn't as developed as I would have liked. The world-building aspect needed a bit more development to be fully immersed in the story. I loved the twist at the end, however I feel as though it was rushed and could have had a little more closure on some things. However there is a second book and leaving us wanting more is always a good thing.

The characters were the best thing about the book. Each was so individual and well developed. Our main character Everly Thorn is a fierce independent witch, living in an oppressive monarchy who forces their witches into the military or be hanged. Everly is barely making it after the death of her parents whilst hiding who she is even from those closest to her, especially her former fiance the Prince Gideon. Her world is rocked by a chance encounter with Silas Drake, a dangerously alluring and secretive shadow-powered outlaw.
The chemistry developing between Everly and Silas is a very tentative alliance with very little trust. However the touchy-feely protectiveness that Silas has over Everly makes her toes curl. As their relationship develops their banter is sharp and playful, with Silas effortlessly teasing Everly in ways that are both innocent and sinful. I love their relationship especially as Silas respects her boundaries whilst still being very possessive of her.
Silas’s found family also speak of his protectiveness of the group. Each character is well rounded and independent. I loved the tentative friendship growing between Everly and Saren, whilst the relationship Silas has with Bas is my favourite.

#Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Enemies to Lovers
Villain gets the girl
Shadow Daddy
Heist
Forced Bonds
Found Family
Fake Dating
Magic & Dragons
Spicy
Cranky Cat

This is a slow burn fantasy romance, but it burns HOT.
I enjoyed every page of this book and I could not get enough of this story.
The magic system was very well thought out and the author put a nice spin on the old tales of magic that when you use magic it takes from you and it cannot be used constantly because the price to use it is steep.
The main characters were amazing. Silas had me melting and drooling. He is everything a fantasy male character should be.
I encourage all romantasy readers to give this book a go because I can promise that it will not disappoint. It is top tier and worth 5 stars.


A huge thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Incredible world building and a plot that I couldn't resist reading just one more page in the early hours of the morning!
The slow burn enemies to lover is just the right of tension. Loved this book!

This gave me hogwarts meets TOG meets fourth wing vibes.

Absolutely devoured this once I could sit down and read without interruptions.

Magic. Witches. Dragons. Mates. Slow burn. This checked all the boxes. I am really hoping for a second book in this series because I need it! I cried, I laughed. I can’t get enough of this one.

Everlys growth in this story was beautiful. At a young age she is taking care of her brother, trying to make ends meet while not letting herself get lost. I’m here for any Morally gray shadow daddy, Silas is definitely on my book boyfriend list. Silas is an over protective ass at times and I’m here for it. I honestly wasn’t sure about him at first and even 70% in the book I was still unsure.

I would love more side stories about some of the other crew! So many questions still about the Princess, about Silas, about the crew.
I need more.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This fantasy introduces us to an fmc that can sense the power of magical relics in a society that sends people to the gallows for unsanctioned magic use. In her struggle to provide for herself after a swift descent from royal graces, she becomes entangled with a brigand of outlaws, challenging her perceptions of the world as she knows it. This story has magic, betrayal, banter, & high stakes. The plot progression is fast paced which makes for a fun, easy read. The ending left me wanting more & anxiously waiting for the next book release!! I’m so happy I was given the opportunity to experience this world as an arc reader

Thank you Netgalley and Specter Publishing for this ARC!

This book was EVERYTHING I need in a romantasy book. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, banter, etc.
The characters in this book were very likeable, I love them all so much!

The world was super interesting as was the magic system (using relics of magical creatures to access magic).

I can't believe I have to wait a year for the next book

I read this book in one sitting - could not put it down!

I loved the romance between the FMC and MMC and the jealous ex. The chemistry between Everly and Silas is built up and developed across the book and the shadow spice was an excellent touch.

I hope for more world building in the next book in the series as for me that’s the only thing holding back from 5*.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book - bad ass FMC and shadow daddy! The surprise at the end got me too as I never expected it! Would highly recommend for any Romantasy lover!

I hope this becomes a bestseller romantasy because it has all the elements to be one. I can barely contain my excitement and write the review as I want.
I stayed until 2 am to finish the book.
This has my favourite trope: enemies to lovers with slow burn. I waited half the book for them just to kissssss 🔥 even though they meet in the first chapters.
The FMC is a witch in hiding. The MMC is a shadow summoner and the villain of the story.
We have the one bed and one horse tropes, mates, a lot of banter and a lot of tension. Beside witches there are humans, goblins, half-goblins and another magical creature but I'm not gonna spoil that. 👀
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: romantasy
Relationship: M-F
Format: first person POV
Now I'm gonna buy a physical copy so I can have it in my personal library.

✨ thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review✨