{"product_id":"broken-souls-and-bones-isbn-9780593818671","title":"Broken Souls and Bones","description":"\u003cb\u003eA #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTogether they’ll restore a divided kingdom—or burn it down—in this new romantasy from \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author and TikTok sensation LJ Andrews.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyra 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs 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.\"LJ Andrews transports us into a rich and dangerous Norse-inspired world. With angst and sizzling romance, pulse-pounding action, and plot twists that left my jaw on the floor, I was hooked from the very first page!\"—\u003cb\u003eDemi Winters, author of The Ashen series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Powerful and gripping, \u003ci\u003eBroken Souls and Bones\u003c\/i\u003e has everything a romantasy reader wants - strong writing, fascinating magic, and a romance to absolutely swoon over. I guarantee you'll love Lyra, Roark, and the compelling, Norse-inspired world they live in. I knew from the first page that I'd be giving this one a rave review, and sure enough, it's five fierce and dazzling stars from me!\"—\u003cb\u003eIndia Holton, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e “LJ Andrews is a powerhouse within the romantasy genre. Broken Souls and Bones has everything you could want—a unique magic system, a vivid world, and a swoony romance that’s both tender and scorching.”—\u003cb\u003eOlivia Rose Darling, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFear the Flames \u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The absolute perfect blend of intrigue, lore, and swoon-worthy characters, LJ brings you everything you could want and more. \u003ci\u003eBroken Souls and Bones\u003c\/i\u003e has you obsessively turning the pages while wishing Roark would sign his words on your cheek. This is a romantasy book I’m still thinking about days later, and one I know I’ll be rereading because the characters feel like coming home.\"—\u003cb\u003eMelissa K. Roehrich, author of \u003ci\u003eLady of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Set in a brutal world and brimming with atmospheric lore, LJ Andrews has crafted a tale of dark magic and forbidden lovers. The passionate bond between Roark and Lyra swept me away like a windstorm—fierce, elemental, and breathtaking.\"—\u003cb\u003eNatalia Jaster, author of the Foolish Kingdoms and Vicious Faeries series\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"L.J. Andrews has created an intriguing fantasy world full of secrets and romance that kept me hooked from start to finish! With dark magic, warring clans, and a morally grey love interest willing to get his hands dirty protecting the main character, the book was impossible to put down. Every reveal had my jaw on the floor! Romantasy fans will be frantic for the sequel.\"—\u003cb\u003eAlexandra Kennington, author of \u003ci\u003eBlood Beneath the Snow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“LJ Andrews delivers a romantasy showstopper with \u003ci\u003eBroken Souls and Bones\u003c\/i\u003e. The characters leap off the page and straight into your heart. Between the unique magic system, intricate world-building, and addictive romance, you won’t be able to put it down.”—\u003cb\u003eJulie Johnson, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Wind Weaver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Expertly weaving together loyalty, love, and lore, \u003ci\u003eBroken Souls and Bones\u003c\/i\u003e offers a compelling narrative that will have romantasy readers enthralled.”—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eLJ Andrews\u003c\/b\u003e is a \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of fantasy romance. She mystically brings to life worlds of dark Nordic and Viking myths bound by conflicts that bring together impassioned heroes and heroines. In her non-author moments, she is courageously corralling her four children to the myriad of life activities that involves, along with spending time with her favorite hero, her husband. Add two high maintenance dogs and a sassy conure to the mix and that sums it up. LJ Andrews thrives spending time in the Rocky Mountains where she lives in Utah.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo learn more about LJ Andrews and her series, including The Ever Seas, Broken Souls and Bones, Broken Kingdom, and more, please visit her online at https:\/\/ljandrews.net1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe boy's death was my fault.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUther was found facedown in the river near the stone walls of the royal fortress before dawn. A new Stav Guard in the unit assigned to my watch, a mere boy of eighteen. The body was rent down the middle, chest flayed, ribs torn apart like a cracked goose egg.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was sent to the hall of the gods in Salur too soon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe flat cart holding the young guard's corpse rolled past a line of stoic Stav. The palace healer attempted to cover his pulpy face, tinted blue from a night in the water, but when the wheel struck a stone in the path, the linen pulled back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy fists curled, digging into the callused flesh of my palms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUther's pale eyes were left open, too stiff to close, staring lifelessly at the noon sun in a wash of fright. Splatters of blood coated his neck, his lips, his shredded black tunic of the Stav.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dravens,\" a lanky Stav Guard murmured to another. \"Had to be. Uther was a bone crafter.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI closed my eyes, despising the truth of it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTales of the different crafts of magic were written in the sagas of the first king, the Wanderer, who rescued a daughter of the gods. As a reward, the Wanderer was given pieces of the three mediums of the gods' power-bone, blood, and soul-to strengthen his fledgling kingdom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost within the realms of Stìgandr believed the tales were mere fables, but magical craft was real enough.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBone craft manipulated bone into blades that were nigh unbreakable. It crafted healing tonics from bone powders, and poisons from boiled marrow. Blood craft used blood for spell casts and rune work. Soul craft took power from the dead, and was the common gift of Dravenmoor, the kingdom across the ravines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDravens despised King Damir of House Oleg, the king of Jorvandal, insisting he used craft to strengthen his warriors and armories through corrupt and forbidden ways.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI would not say they were wrong, but it did not lessen the rage in my blood that a boy was slaughtered for merely doing his duty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If I could, I'd burn every damn Draven on a pike,\" the guard went on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis fellow Stav hissed at him to be silent, his gaze finding me-their superior and a Draven.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy blood belonged to the enemy kingdom, but fealty belonged to Jorvandal after being left for dead at the gates of the fortress a dozen winters ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut to some, even my own men, I would always be their enemy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe heel of my boot cracked over the pebbles when I spun into the arched doorway of the Stav quarters, a longhouse built to fit dozens of men.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the great hall, flames in the inglenook were dying to embers, and drinking horns of thin honey mead were toppled from recent nights of debauchery. Stav trainees had spent the cold months at Stonegate, but after the revelry, they were all now returned to their families and villages across the kingdom to await orders from the king.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA few younger Stav staggered to their feet, readying to greet me. I could reprimand them for not standing by for their fallen brother, but at the sight of the green tinge to their faces, the red in their eyes, perhaps they simply couldn't bear it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI ignored their murmured salutes and strode into the larger chambers meant for Stav officers. My chamber was more a wing than anything. A library and study, a bedchamber, and washroom. I bolted the door behind me and crossed the woven rug to the washroom in ten long strides.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlong the jagged scar that carved across my chest, throat, to the hinge of my jaw, was a roaring ache, like I'd swallowed the howling rage of the sea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBile rose in my chest, a harrowing sort of shadow coated my gaze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI gripped the clay washbasin, breaths sharp and deep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eViolence was no stranger to me, but it grew harder to keep the lust for blood tamed. I was the Sentry of Stonegate, and the Sentry was meant to be the stoic measure of restraint.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this moment, I wanted to be more of a monster than those who'd slaughtered Uther.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeat slowly faded, the storm in my head lessened. I cupped the frigid water in the basin and splashed it over my face, then returned to the room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You, my friend, have the most pitiful stomach. The sight of death and blood has you spewing? Honestly, what sort of royal guardian have I shackled upon myself?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStartled as I was that another voice was in my chamber, I did not show it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSprawled out on my bed, ankles crossed, Prince Thane the Bold smirked back at me, likely aware I'd been berating myself. In my haste to reach the washroom, I'd foolishly left my chamber unchecked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI frowned and it only widened his grin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are an ass and belong in one of the hells. My fingers moved swiftly in response, but Thane could follow even my most frenzied gestures since he'd found me outside the keep, bloodied and broken, my voice carved out the same as my place in my own clan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Really?\" The prince chuckled. \"Which one, the molten or frosted?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBoth. What if I'd had a knife in my hand?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Roark, my oldest, dearest, most frightening friend, the better question is, Why didn't you have your knife in your hand? Growing careless, Sentry.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI shook my head and went to a personal cart topped with a wide ewer of aged wine and a horn. I filled only one horn when Thane waved a palm, refusing my offer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jests aside,\" Thane said, kicking his legs over the edge of the bed, \"you're taking this death too hard.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was my charge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Roark.\" Thane sighed. \"Don't blame yourself for the actions of those bastards. It is not your fault.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was. In so many ways the death of the young Stav was entirely my fault.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe don't know why he was killed, I told him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We'll find out, and when we do, whoever is responsible will pay.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI used one hand to respond. Why are you here? Isn't your mother forcing you to plan your own wedding?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"There likely won't be a wedding if Stav Guard are getting slaughtered.\" Thane winced. \"Apologies, I'm careless with my words in your state of distress, allow me to try again. Yes, I've managed to slip my mother, flee the palace like a frightened child, and come to see you instead.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI let out a breath of air, a soft laugh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThane was a warrior prince from the golden ridge of hair braided down the center of his head to the bones pierced in his ear. He stood just taller than me, and I was no small man. But bony Queen Ingir and her endless revelry was enough to frighten away any man lest he be tossed into the madness of imported satins, silks, and different flavors of fillings for iced cakes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I've come for a purpose.\" Thane reached into the pocket of his trousers and removed a tattered, folded parchment. \"You have heard of Jarl Jakobson, yes?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe jarl obsessed with finding favor from the king?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThane jabbed the folded parchment in the air between us. \"The very one. He's made quite an interesting discovery.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe prince handed me the missive. I read it through once, then once more. Thane was no longer smiling.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy fingers gestured swiftly. Jakobson is certain of this?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Seems my father's blood casts have finally worked.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKing Damir couldn't claim the blood-tracking spells as his since the queen was the blood crafter in the fortress. Not that it mattered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeasons ago, King Damir took spilled blood from the house of the lost crafter. If any soul from the same bloodline came near, blood crafters would know it. The king's spells forced every village to have a royally decreed blood crafter within the borders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll of it was done to find the child who'd disappeared. A child whose magical craft brought three kingdoms against a small village in the knolls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was nothing left of it now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"But there's trouble.\" Thane interrupted my thoughts, pacing in front of my doorway. \"Jarl Jakobson's blood crafter has sold the woman out to Draven Dark Watch scouts.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo the missives speak of a woman? The child who escaped was said to be a girl, more reason for greed and bloodlust from kings and queens to seek her out. Any house sigil?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was common in the kingdoms to ink a brand below the left ear of a child by their first summer, a mark of bloodlines and heraldry for houses and clans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of Thane's brows arched. \"Said to be manipulated. Some of the runes were added later to make a brand of the nameless. Curious, don't you think?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf one wanted to hide rare craft, adding ink to a house sigil until it looked like a waif-and-wanderer symbol-folk without clans or house bloodlines-would be the wisest action to take.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The jarl found the correspondence between the blood crafter and the scout,\" Thane explained. \"Of course, Jakobson now wants some sort of reward for being the township to unearth the lost craft.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe prince went to the tall arched window, looking out at the distant wood over the walls. \"My father always suspected the reported death of the girl was a ruse. You know that's why he forced each jarldom to have a blood crafter casting their spells. After all this time, he was right. A melder has been hidden from the king. A woman.\" Thane shook his head. \"The first in five hundred winters, Roark. You know what this'll bring.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWar, was all I gave in a one-handed reply.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf this report was even true, there would be new battles from the Red Ravines of Dravenmoor to the small seas of the kingdom of Myrda.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamir would not allow anyone to take his prize again, and the queen of Dravenmoor would return for retribution for what she lost during those raids so long ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA melder's craft was only found perhaps once a generation, and rarely in a woman's blood. It was a collision of all three crafts-dangerous, coveted, and owned by Jorvan kings through treaties made long ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"War is certainly a risk. Which is why you're to go to this Skalfirth village.\" Thane chuckled when my mouth tightened. \"The king has already arranged for Baldur to go with you. What a fortunate bastard you are.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA soft groan breathed from my throat. Baldur the Fox was as cunning as his name, brutal but a damn skilled Stav.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe'd trained together since boyhood, but when I surpassed him in skill with the blade, he built up resentment toward me. My rank in the Stav Guard as Thane's Sentry made me the prince's blade, his protection; it required me to do anything to keep the royal blood in his veins from spilling, even becoming a killer in the shadows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Sentry was not a true leader in the king's Stav, more assassin and brute when needed. Still, my position kept me under Thane's word and not the king's.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBaldur spent the night after my ranking by drunkenly mocking me, as though I ought to be disappointed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs though I had not been placed exactly where I wanted to be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I wish I could be there,\" Thane said. \"But with the attacks, I doubt I will ever be permitted to leave Stonegate again. Not unless my father sires another son, but alas, my mother would need to allow her husband into her bed if that were to happen.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs soon as the words were out of his mouth, the prince paused and shuddered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat does the king wish us to do if it is confirmed the lost melder is alive? I gestured the question slowly, already anticipating the reply.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Deal with the traitor who sold her out first, then use your methods to bring the melder home. Roark.\" Thane's voice lowered. \"I know you don't always care for the craft of melders, but you must admit it has its uses to keep our people safer.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDebatable. My jaw pulsed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThane chuckled and rested a hand on my shoulder. \"The king plans to increase patrols and move his ceremonies to more private locations. In fact, that is the other piece of this. Only select Stav will join you, guards who are sworn to secrecy. They will not speak of what you find in this village.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt wouldn't matter how the king tried to keep craft hidden behind the walls of the fortress. Blood and death always found melders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe magic that ran in the veins of a melder crafted abominations that left souls and bodies corrupted, altered, and vicious.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLast harvest, the king's personal melder had been slaughtered. I felt nothing but relief with Melder Fadey's death. I thought, for once, there might be peace if melding craft were not here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGods, I'd almost allowed myself to forget the past wars, to forget lives had been lost trying to reach a small girl with silver in her eyes. Perhaps, I hoped, the Norns of fate had already cut her threads of life and sent her to Salur.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe to one of the two hells to burn or freeze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo mistake, now blood would spill again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We do this discreetly for as long as we can. We don't want another raid,\" Thane said, soft and low.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI closed my eyes against memories of distant screams, of smoke and burning flesh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo kingdom escaped without loss. Thane lost his uncles. The smaller kingdom of Myrda lost its loyal seneschal and the queen's nephews.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMe-I lost my homeland and voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You're to leave at first light,\" Thane said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. \"Be careful, my friend. This woman will not be Fadey. I'd hate for her to bespell that dark heart of yours.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI scoffed. I'd slit her throat if she tried. I have no love for melders, and that will never change.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI was once told we never truly knew another soul until we saw the darkness they kept inside.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this moment, I was looking into the eyes of evil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI blinked, hoping the bastard could see a bit of the silver scar bending the dark center of my eyes, a warning he ought to choose his next moves with care. Pukki did nothing but gnaw on the clod of grass, wholly unbothered by my disdain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Move.\" I tugged on the rope around the goat's neck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA lethargic bleat followed, and the creature dipped his head to continue his graze of the meadow. I held out a palm, as though Pukki would understand the threat, and whispered, \"I could break you, you stupid beast.\"","brand":"Ace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299837530341,"sku":"NP9780593818671","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593818671.jpg?v=1767723102","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/broken-souls-and-bones-isbn-9780593818671","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}