Not for the faint of heart - this is a cruel and devastating dark romantasy.

My heart was wrenched in so many directions from the get go. You can’t help but feel sorry for the FMC, Elaenor, who endures so much trauma, from the people who are supposed to love and protect her. I have no idea how she stayed so strong and hopeful. I spent an unhealthy amount of time questioning who we , as the reader, could trust because this was full of so many betrayals! Like Elaenor , we were all pawns as the turbulent story and the devious manipulations began to unfold and whilst I’m not entirely sure I understand the implications of the ending, it was shocking!

Trigger warnings: Graphic violence, gore, murder, kidnapping, torture, rape, somnophillia, psychological and physical abuse, graphic language, suicidal ideation, depression, PTSD, anxiety, drug use

4.7 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Umm, I'm depressed now let me start with that lol
As many others have mentioned, this is FAR from a happy ending, so make sure you are prepared for that. Nora (Eleanor) is literally put through absolute hell both before being sent to her new kingdom (by her dad), as well as after (by multiple men including her husband Tobias). There is abuse, unaliving and abuse throughout. My heart absolutely broke for her throughout the book and I kept hoping a miracle would happen and she would make it out. The last 10% had tears in my eyes.
The character dynamic of Tobias will legit give you whiplash. You find out so many deceptive and awful things that are being done behind Nora's back. There were numerous mysterious things that are brought up that we do not get any answers for in this book, so I will definitely be looking out for book 2 even if I am going to be going into it with my currently broken heart.

3 -⭐⭐⭐

I won't be a secret there; I will be their queen.

Glass and Bone is the first novel in a New Adult Dark Fantasy Romance series, The Diadem. In this story we follow Eleanor, the only child and princess to the king of Chatis, a cruel man that is rumoured to have led to his wife, the queen's death. Eleanor has been betrothed to the heir of a neighbouring kingdom, Noterra, since she was a baby and as her eighteenth birthday looms so close it soon becomes clear there a many out there who do not was Noterra to gain further control of the realm. Secrets around her past, her mother, and the war at large are at the centre of this and Eleanor is thrust in a brutal game she knows nothing about...except that she has a choice. To remain stuck in the fate left to her by her family to a royal who she fears or to fight for a future where hope sits in the horizon.

I have mixed feelings about this book so let me break it down.

On one hand this is a smooth reading experience for a book. I found Eleanor to be an easy character to fall into and I admired her tenacity and ability to keep going despite all that was thrown at her. She is resigned to aspects of her fate but the little moments where she questions things made her feel realistic. Tobias is a character of duality that continued to surprise be throughout. Theo, the second son, has this sweetness to him that aided a forbidden romance so well. I was incredibly curious (and still am) about the mysterious dream man. All of this is set in a world that is well established with a brewing war and political intrigue.

I also want to make in clear this is a dark romance. There is multiple scenes of SA and assault, with and without the aid of drugs. The main character is brutalized and emotionally tormented and she at times questions her life. The author approaches these situations carefully.

Yet the other hand for me had me more confused about what is on the horizon. I honestly have no idea what the overarching goal of this book is meant to be and I felt kind of at a loss. I kept reading hoping for a purpose to come to place - a light to from a lighthouse to follow through all the darkness we must wade through and as things got darker and darker I still saw not light. Is the romance the goal? Is the rumours of rebellion? Why is Eleanor at the center? What is she meant to do?

The ending is a cliffhanger and not a happy one which left me feeling a bit hollow as it nixed a lot of possibilities. I want to keep reading to see when things will take a turn but I'm also worried.

Do I plan to read the next book? Yes.

Do I recommend this? If you love truly dark romances where the future is dim and unsure as I currently can't promise much more then yes.

Thank you to the author for the arc!

I was not physically prepared for that ending, Talk about a cliffhanger!!!

I am so thankful to have received this ARC. I absolutely loved this story, It was beautifully written and held me captive right to the end.

What I thought was your typical princess being sent off to wed the future king of some other country, was a far cry from what actually happened in this dark fantasy story. The level of betrayal Elaenor experienced is unthinkable. This book does not end on a happy ever after!

Elaenor is sent off to wed Tobias as he is due to become King. The journey to Noterra definitely does not go smooth or safety for Elaenor. And that seems to be the running theme in her life both prior to her journey and after.

The story covers some dark subject such as sexual assaults, suicide, kidnap and both physical and emotional abuse. I would advise the check all trigger warnings for this book before reading.

I cannot wait for the next book, fingers crossed we don’t have too long a wait.