Broken Souls & Bones: Characters, spice levels, review, triggers

Written By Esta Pinto

If you’re here for a Broken Souls and Bones by L.J. Andrews review and book guide that skips the fluff and gets straight to the goods, welcome. 

I’ll go through the Broken Souls and Bones synopsis, the side, major & main characters, spice levels, plus show you where to find the spicy chapters that turn up the temperature. 

I’ve also got the Broken Souls and Bones trigger warnings laid out for anyone who wants to go in prepared. Whether you’re in it for the angst, the romance, or just want to know if the BSaB spicy chapters are worth the hype, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it.

Happy reading friends!

 

Broken Souls and Bones synopsis.

Together they’ll restore a divided kingdom—or burn it down—in this new romantasy from USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation L.J. Andrews.

Lyra Bien intended to live a quiet life to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king in the fortress of Stonegate. Until Roark Ashwood—the prince’s silent guard and rumored killer for the crown—invades her village and uncovers the truth behind the silver scars in her eyes. To save her best friend from death, she’s forced to reveal her abilities, and is immediately claimed by the crown as the next melder.

To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.

As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know, or accept their dark destiny.

Get Broken Souls & Bones here.

 

Broken Souls and Bones characters.

Broken Souls and Bones is narrated from a first person point of view, from two perspectives: Lyra Bien, and Roark Ashwood. I’ve included their quick character overviews below.

Main characters.

Lyra Bien.

Lyra Bien planned on staying quiet, unnoticed, and far from the king’s radar, until a silent guard with a reputation for killing walked into her village and exposed the truth behind the silver scars in her dark eyes that she’s worked so hard to hide with thistle dye.

Now, to save her best friend, she’s been forced into the role of royal melder. It’s a position that’s equal parts power and slow death sentence. She didn’t ask for any of it, but she’s not backing down either.

Roark Ashwood.

Roark Ashwood doesn’t need words to make an impression. With dark hair, sharp instincts and golden eyes that miss nothing, he communicates through sign language. 

His silence isn’t romanticized or treated like a gimmick, it’s just part of who he is. Roark is a steady, grounded and emotionally present protector who is assigned to protect Melder Lyra Bien..

Supporting characters.

Below are all the characters, besides Lyra and Roark that we meet in Broken Souls and Bones, from major to minor characters as well as mentioned character names who don’t appear on-page.

  • Lyra Bien: Melder of Skalfirth

  • Kael Darkwin

  • Sentry Roark Ashwood

  • Skul Drek

  • Thane Oleg

  • Emi Nightlark

  • Princess Yrsa

  • King Damir

  • Queen Ingir

  • Baldur the Fox

  • Queen Elisabet of Dravenmoor

  • Fadey

  • Hilda

  • Gisli

  • Edvin

  • Freydis

  • Tomas Grisen

  • King Hundur

  • Queen Breetha

  • Pukki (stubborn goat)

  • Jarl Jakobson

  • Mikkal Jakobson

  • Selena

  • Thorian

  • Vella

  • Margun

  • Berserkir Ake

  • Krisjan

  • Lady Gerta Solveig

  • Ser Bjorn Stonehands

  • Henrik

Mentioned names (no on-page appearances)

  • Stav Uther

  • Prince Nivek

  • Jarl HendriksonMain characters.

Review: Broken Souls and Bones by L.J. Andrews.

My rating: ★★★★★

  • Spice level: 🌶🌶🫑 (2.5/5, moderate spice)

Fantasy and romantasy is currently overrun with fae courts, dragons, vampires, and morally ambiguous shadow daddies trying to out-brood each other.

And I love it, yet simultaneously, I’ve read enough of them to last me several reincarnations.

So when Broken Souls and Bones introduced me to Viking-inspired fantasy romance, I perked up. Then I devoured it.

But Broken Souls and Bones didn’t just win me over with aesthetics. It felt fresh because it gave space for grief, silence, rage and softness, all coexisting without cancelling each other out.

What really stood out to me was Roark, the male lead, who communicates using sign language. It’s clear LJ Andrews put in the work to get it right.

The signing is so vividly described, you can almost see his hands moving and feel the weight behind each gesture. As a non-speaking character, Roark isn’t reduced or romanticised. He’s a protector without being possessive, and emotionally present without being sanctified.

Furthermore, FMC, Lyra is anxious, introverted, and emotionally intelligent. Not the kind of FMC who’s “not like other girls,” but one who is like a lot of us. Her social anxiety isn’t framed as a flaw to be cured, it just is, and that’s what I loved.

Meanwhile, everyone has a take on the balance of enemies-to-lovers… whether it’s too insta-lust/love, too slow-burn, too much vitriolic enmity, not enough true enmity. We’re all just Goldilocks out here testing the porridge, hoping for the right temperature.

But perhaps timing isn’t the problem. Substance is. I don’t care if they kiss on page 50 or in book two, if there’s no emotional backbone, I’m out. But Broken Souls and Bones delivered a perfect amount of tension, ideological friction and payoff.

That balance is why I quietly bumped this book’s rating up to five stars when I couldn’t stop thinking about it a week later. LJ Andrews clearly knows how to balance fantasy and romance without flattening either. There’s texture and nuance.

I’m surprised this book isn’t more talked about. I feel it’s one of the strongest romantasies I’ve read this year and I’ve read a lot of them.

I just need to give a shout out to the side characters because this book doesn’t waste its supporting cast on filler. Prince Thane is hilarious. Kael is Lyra’s loyal brother-from-another-mother. And there are multiple women — Emi, Yrsa, Hilda — who aren’t written as foils or competition for Lyra.

They’re layered, loyal, flawed, and feel like they exist outside the frame. Just women supporting women, surviving brutal systems together.

The worldbuilding and magic system sealed the deal for me. To be honest, the first half is quite intricate and demanding but once you wrap your head around it all, the reward is worth it. The magic system feels really unique.

Lyra’s power isn’t pretty, it’s horrifying and crunchy with consequences. I love magic that exacts a price, especially when it forces characters to grapple with power, morality and identity. That’s what made the worldbuilding and plot extra compelling.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough: no cringe nicknames. I was at peace.

And finally, FYI for my fellow animal lovers: no dogs or wolves die, even though there was an opportunity for that to happen earlier in the book. There are plenty of other content warnings though, so be mindful of that.

If you liked A Fate Inked in Blood or any other Viking-inspired romantasy, odds are this will work for you too. But even if Nordic-inspired romantasy isn’t on your radar yet, it should be. This was my first foray into it and I loved it. If you’ve been burned by too many copy-paste romantasies lately, give this one a shot. It surprised me with heart, weight and soul.

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Australia for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

 View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.

 

Broken Souls & Bones by L.J. Andrews FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.

Is Broken Souls and Bones part of a series?

Yes, Broken Souls and Bones is book one in The Stonegate Series. I can’t find information as to whether this is a duology, trilogy or something more, but I will update as soon as I know. Watch this space.

What are the content and trigger warnings?

  • Misogyny

  • Sexual harassment

  • Attempted sexual assault

  • Gaslighting

  • Body horror

  • Grief/loss

  • Adult language + profanity

  • Sexual content

  • Murder

  • Death

  • Violence

  • Blood

  • War

  • Injury detail

  • Panic attacks

How many chapters are in Broken Souls and Bones?

There are 51 chapters in Broken Souls and Bones.

Is Broken Souls and Bones spicy?

Spice level: 🌶

2.5/5.

The spice level is moderately spicy, with plenty of flirting, kissing, steam that delivers on real spice..

What are the Broken Souls and Bones spicy chapters?

Whether you're skimming past the spice or hunting it down chapter by chapter in Broken Souls and Bones, you're in the right place. I’ve mapped out the key moments: kissing, tension, steam and really spicy and rated them on a capsicum-to-chili scale. Here’s where things get interesting…

  • Chapter 30: 🫑

  • Chapter 33: 🫑🫑🫑

  • Chapter 34: 🫑🫑🫑

  • Chapter 37: 🌶️🌶️

  • Chapter 38: 🫑🌶️ (Very hot flirting)

  • Chapter 39: 🫑

  • Chapter 42: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

  • Chapter 44: 🌶️🌶️

What is Broken Souls & Bones’ age rating?

Broken Souls and Bones is an adult romantasy, so the age rating is approximately for readers 18+ as it contains adult themes. Please see content warnings above for more information.

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Esta Pinto
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