The Road of Bones by Demi Winters: Book Guide and Series Order

The Road of Bones is the first book in Demi Winters’ Ashen series, a Viking-inspired romantasy about a gentle, secretive young woman who stows away with a crew of mercenaries to survive a thousand-mile road. This guide explains what the book is about, how spicy it is, who the love interest is, which content warnings apply, and how the whole series fits together, including the novella and the upcoming fourth book. The main sections avoid major twists. One clearly labeled section does not.

Quick answers

• Who wrote it? Demi Winters, a New York Times bestselling author based in British Columbia, Canada (press kit).
• Is it part of a series? Yes. It is Book 1 of The Ashen, which the author’s press kit describes as five novels plus one novella.
• Is it spicy? Moderately. The author lists graphic sex in her content warnings, and reviewers rate it about 3 out of 5.
• Who is the love interest? Rey is the series’ central romance, though Book 1 also features Jonas (light spoiler, explained below).
• What comes next? Embers of Chaos, scheduled for May 2027.

What Is The Road of Bones About?

Silla Nordvig is twenty years old, soft-hearted, and no warrior. She lives in Íseldur, a Viking-inspired kingdom built on Iceland’s mix of fire and ice, where the crown hunts and executes people who wield magic. When the queen sends warriors to bring her to the capital, Sunnavík, where death awaits, Silla’s father is killed in the attack. His last words give her one instruction: get to Kopa, where a hidden shield-house is waiting.

Reaching it means crossing the Road of Bones, a thousand-mile route patrolled by warbands, haunted by dangerous creatures, and stalked by an unidentified killer. After a brutal first stretch, Silla hides in a supply wagon that belongs to the Bloodaxe Crew, a notorious band of mercenaries. To stay on their road, she has to win over their brooding leader, Rey, known as Axe Eyes, while keeping her distance from his distractingly attractive right-hand man, Jonas, known as the Wolf. All the while, the queen’s assassin is closing in.

The result is a road-trip quest with a slow-building romance, a large ensemble cast, and multiple points of view. The author has said Silla’s strength lies in her resilience rather than her skill with a sword, and describes the series as intended for adult readers.

The Road of Bones Book Details

The Ashen Series Reading Order

The official series name is The Ashen. Many readers search for it as “The Road of Bones series” because that is the first title. It is the same series. Read in this order:

The author’s site describes the series as five books plus one novella, so the main story runs to five novels. Three novels and the novella are out now. The novella, Roots of Darkness, follows Hekla and the rest of the Bloodaxe Crew in the village of Istré, and the author says it should be read after Kingdom of Claw. It is a side story, not a main-novel installment, but the author’s recap for Dawn of the North summarizes it, so most fans read it before Book 3.

Some pages list earlier dates for the first two books. These appear to reflect the original self-published editions, before Delacorte Press and Gollancz acquired the main series in 2024.

Embers of Chaos release date: The author’s recent posts announce May 18, 2027, and mention that the date slipped by about two weeks. Penguin Random House’s listing for the 608-page hardcover still shows May 4, 2027. Confirm the date with the publisher or your retailer before you plan around it. No title or date has been announced for Book 5.

Is The Road of Bones a Spicy Book?

Yes. The author’s own warnings list graphic sex, while reviewers describe the steam as moderate, about 3 out of 5.

There is no official spice rating. What exists is a mix of the author’s content warnings and reviewer estimates, and they point in slightly different directions:

• The author’s own content warnings list “graphic sex,” so readers who avoid explicit scenes should plan accordingly.
• Bookish Goblin rates the book three chili peppers out of five and calls the steam decent but not especially graphic.
• Darling Reader scores it 3 out of 5, which it labels “warm.”

Treat those numbers as reviewer estimates, not as a rating from the author or publisher. We found no verified chapter-level spice guide, so none is listed here. Spice tolerance varies, and two readers can describe the same scene as mild or intense. The romance is also slow-burning, so intimacy does not arrive early.

If spice matters to your decision, note that the author lists explicit, open-door scenes for the Roots of Darkness novella and graphic sex for Dawn of the North.

Is The Road of Bones a Love Triangle?

Not in the lasting sense, but the first book does put two men in Silla’s orbit.

The official blurb sets up Rey and Jonas as opposite temptations: one she must win over, the other she must avoid. The tension between the two men over Silla is real in Book 1. However, the review sources we checked do not list “love triangle” among the book’s tropes, and the series ultimately commits to one central romance (more on that below). Reader interpretations differ. One reviewer thought the book was deliberately misdirecting about which man is the real lead, and a second found the romance less convincing overall.

If you dislike triangles, expect an uncertain stretch early on rather than a series-long “who will she choose” plotline.

Who Is the Love Interest in The Road of Bones?

The setup (no spoilers): Two crew members are introduced as possible romantic interests. Rey, the leader, is guarded and suspicious of Silla. Jonas, his second-in-command, is friendlier and more openly drawn to her. The official tagline promises a “forbidden romance,” and the early chapters build tension in both directions.

The direct answer (light spoiler): Silla’s first-book relationship is with Jonas, but the lasting romantic lead of the series is Rey. According to the author’s own recap in Dawn of the North, Jonas begins a secret affair with Silla and later turns against her, and Rey is the one who helps her escape. From Book 2 on, the recaps describe Silla and Rey growing closer, and the Book 3 blurb refers to the warrior who has “captured her heart” without naming him. Book 4’s description mentions a prophecy that shakes “the foundations of Silla’s love.”

In short:

• Initial attraction: Jonas.
• Romantic tension that builds: Rey, who starts out antagonistic.
• Later developments: the author’s materials treat Rey as Silla’s partner in the sequels.

The Road of Bones Characters and Tropes

Key characters (spoiler-free)

• Silla Nordvig: The protagonist, a gentle, secretive young woman on the run.
• Reynir “Axe Eyes”: Leader of the Bloodaxe Crew, brooding and watchful.
• Jonas “the Wolf” Svik: The crew’s second-in-command, with an older-brother bond to a crewmate.
• Hekla “Rib Smasher”: A fierce crew member who uses a prosthetic arm and later gets her own novella.
• Sigrún: A crew member who is non-verbal. The author says her backstory is explored later in the series.
• Gunnar and Ilías “No Beard”: Other members of the crew.
• Skraeda: The queen’s relentless assassin.

Tropes: what the sources confirm

• Viking-inspired fantasy: Confirmed by the author and every source we checked.
• Enemies to lovers: Listed by Bookish Goblin and Darling Reader. The author’s own recap calls the leads’ early relationship antagonistic.
• Slow burn: Listed by both reviewers. One of them wanted the buildup to last longer.
• Found family: Listed by both and singled out as a highlight in one review.
• Grumpy and sunshine: Listed by both. The author describes the series as featuring “grumpy heroes” and “softer female lead characters.”
• One horse: Listed by both, and mentioned in reader praise on the author’s site.
• Forced proximity: No source we checked names it, though the stowaway-on-the-road setup suggests it. Treat it as a reasonable reading, not a confirmed label.

Themes

• Resilience as strength: The author has said she wrote Silla to show strength as endurance rather than combat skill (press kit).
• Addiction and recovery: Listed in the official content warnings. The author has said she wanted to portray it realistically in romantasy.
• Abuse and its aftermath: Domestic violence appears in the official warnings, and the author ties it to the same resilience theme.
• Persecution of magic users: The Ashen are the Galdra, magic-wielding people oppressed by the king (author FAQ).
• Found family: Highlighted by reviewers (see tropes above).

Spoiler zone: first-book reveals

Spoiler warning: skip to the next section if you want to go in fresh. The author’s official recaps confirm these developments:

• Silla is not who she thinks she is. She is a missing princess, Eisa Volsik, and the girl she keeps seeing is her older sister, Saga.
• The leaves Silla takes for headaches are suppressing her magic.
• Rey has a secret of his own: he is a magic user, and the unexplained killer on the road.
• Jonas, devastated by a loss, hands Silla over for a reward.

Content Warnings and Who Should Read This Book

The author lists the following for The Road of Bones and notes the series is intended for readers 18 and older:

• Violence and harm: violence and gore, blood letting, execution by stoning, captivity, kidnapping, forced drugging
• Sexual content and abuse: graphic sex, implied and attempted sexual assault, discussed domestic violence with some emotional abuse
• Health and mental health: strong addiction themes including withdrawal, agoraphobia and social anxiety, psychosis, loss of a parent and siblings
• Other: religious persecution

Source note: every warning above comes from the author’s official book page. We did not add warnings from reviewers or from our own reading.

Later books add more warnings, so check each book’s list on the author’s site before continuing.

You may enjoy this book if you like: banter-heavy ensemble casts, found family, grumpy heroes paired with a softer heroine, slow-burn romance, Norse and Viking flavor, and a heroine whose growth comes from endurance. The author has said she wanted to portray addiction realistically, and reviewers noted that the book treats it as a core part of Silla’s arc.

It may be a weaker fit if you: want fast action from the first chapter (two reviewers found the middle slow), expect deep world-building up front, prefer fade-to-black romance, are sensitive to the themes above, or want a self-contained story.

Is The Road of Bones Worth Reading?

Editorial note: This section is a research-based reader guide drawn from published reviews, not a first-person review.

The two independent reviews we checked differ, and both make fair points.

What works for many readers: The found-family ensemble gets the strongest praise. Bookish Goblin gave the book 4 out of 5 and called the supporting cast well-developed and diverse, with witty dialogue. The same review credits Silla with real growth and describes a final stretch that makes the slower middle worthwhile. The book was also a Book of the Month pick in November 2024.

What holds it back: Both reviewers found the pacing slow in the middle road chapters. Bookish Goblin found the prose brisk and repetitive in places. The Quill to Live rated it 6 out of 10, citing thin world-building for a book of this length, an uneven middle, and a romance that felt underbuilt. The author acknowledges the magic system gets only light treatment in this book and says it is explored in more detail in Kingdom of Claw.

Bottom line: If you want a character-driven, banter-rich romantasy and can tolerate a road-trip pace, it is worth trying. If rich world-building or a fast opening matters most, calibrate your expectations. The reader testimonials on the author’s site are promotional, so we did not weigh them as independent reviews.

Editions and Where to Buy The Road of Bones

• Hardcover and paperback: The US Penguin Random House page covers the Delacorte hardcover and the trade paperback. UK (Gollancz), Canadian, and Australian editions are linked from the author’s book page.
• Ebook: Linked from the author’s page: Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play.
• Audiobook: Available on Audible, Apple Books, and Spotify. The author credits narrator Islay Jacobs in her FAQ.
• Indie bookstores: The author maintains a list of indie bookstore partners and a retailer hub.
• Special editions: The author’s page lists Moonlight Book Box and The Inkpages as special-edition partners. We could not verify the details of those editions, so check the vendors directly. The author notes that more special-edition news is coming.
• Translations: The author lists German, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and French editions, with Turkish, Czech, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Slovak marked “coming soon.”

Availability and pricing were not checked retailer by retailer as of October 17, 2026. Confirm stock before recommending a format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Road of Bones a standalone?

No. It is Book 1 of The Ashen series. Its main road journey reaches a resolution, but the larger story continues in Kingdom of Claw.

How many books are in The Ashen series?

The author plans five main novels plus one novella, Roots of Darkness. Three novels and the novella have been published.

What is the reading order?

The Road of Bones, Kingdom of Claw, Roots of Darkness (novella), Dawn of the North, then Embers of Chaos. See the table above.

Is The Road of Bones spicy?

Moderately, with open-door scenes. See the spice section above for reviewer estimates and the author’s warnings.

Who is the love interest?

Silla’s first-book romance is with Jonas. The series’ central romance is with Rey.

Does the book contain a love triangle?

Book 1 sets up two possible partners, but it is not a lasting, series-long triangle.

When is the next book expected?

Embers of Chaos is slated for May 2027. The author’s posts say May 18, while some retailer listings show May 4. Book 5 has no announced date.

Where can readers find official book information?

The author’s book page, FAQ, and press kit, plus the publisher’s Ashen series page.

Nisbah

Hi, I’m Nisbah – a blogger with over 2 years of experience creating content and a fantasy enthusiast who loves exploring magical worlds, fantasy books, captivating stories, and unforgettable characters. I share book recommendations, reviews, fantasy insights, and story discussions and creating guides to help readers discover their next great adventure.