A river of golden bones

Political tension between werewolf royalty animates this rip-roaring romantasy series launch from Mulford (the Five Crowns of Okrith series). Each of the four kingdoms in Aotreas is ruled by a different wolf pack, "protectors of their human kingdoms." Since before her birth, Briar Marriel, princess of Olmdere, has been betrothed to Grae Claudius, prince of Damrienn. She and her twin sister, Calla, whose royal lineage is kept secret for her protection, grew up hiding from sorcerer Sawyn, who murdered their parents when they were children and took over Olmdere. Now Briar's determined to use the alliance with Damrienn to reclaim the throne and avenge her parents, despite her lack of romantic connection with Grae. Before they can say "I do," however, the Moon Goddess reveals Briar's true fated mate to be Grae's female cousin Maez, while Calla's fated mate is Grae, who has long harbored feelings for her as well. Then, having discovered Briar's whereabouts, Sawyn arrives and curses Briar into a deep sleep. Now it's up to Calla to save her sister, defeat Sawyn, and reveal her royal lineage to the rest of the kingdom. A steamy romance between Calla and Grae unfolds amid battles against monsters and dark magic, intertwined with Calla's fight against patriarchy and oppression and her burgeoning acceptance of her own genderqueerness. This series is off to an exciting start. (Dec.)

Calla and Briar are the last survivors of the Golden Court, one of the wolf kingdoms in their land. After a sorceress ravaged their kingdom, the twins have been hidden their entire lives, protected by a faery. Now their roles to save the Golden Court are nearly ready to be implemented: Briar will marry an ally pack's Prince, and Calla will stand in her sister's shadow, a hidden backup. At the wedding, the plans fall apart when that sorceress arrives to send Calla into an enchanted sleep--and relationships are tested. Calla knows she must find a way to save her sister and her kingdom, but she'll have to hide as a human on her journey in order to be safe. Not only will her quest be challenging, but Calla's discovery of the truth about herself, and the role she is supposed to play, could change not only her own future but the whole of wolf society. VERDICT Mumford's (The Evergreen Heir) romantic fantasy plays with fairy tales, explores gender roles and societal expectation, and starts a delightful trilogy of wolf royalty.--Kristi Chadwick