Book Review: Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog!
Published: February 4, 2025
Series: The Ashen #2
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: I loved Road of Bones, but Kingdom of Claw is even better. If you're new here, start with book one, but if you're wondering whether you should continue on with the series, it's a definite yes from me. You get the same Viking-inspired setting with more character growth and the addition of royal court politics told from a new character in multi-POV. This one will have you reading all night long!
Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
-
Mental Trauma/Illness
Substance Abuse
Death/Grief
Graphic Violence
Suicide Attempt
-
Forced proximity
Slow burn romance
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Royal Court Setting
Political Intrigue
Forbidden Love
One Bed
One Horse
Protective MMCs
Dual-POV
What is Kingdom of Claw about? (Spoiler Free Summary)
Silla Nordvig survived the Road of Bones.
In the aftermath of her journey, her dreams of a simple life have been shattered. Beaten, betrayed, and reeling from the revelation of her true name, she flees Kopa with Reynir Galtung, ruthless leader of the Bloodaxe Crew. But Silla soon discovers Rey has been keeping secrets of his own, and they're forced into hiding together.
Stuck in a shield-home with the murderous man she thought she knew, Silla forms a new plan: master the magic flowing through her veins to save her sister. But before she can do that, Silla must face her most formidable opponent yet--her own inner demons.
Saga Volsik has nothing to lose.
They’ve murdered her family. Stolen her throne. And now they expect her to marry their son. But when she discovers her foster mother has been keeping the biggest secret of all, everything changes.
Saga’s goal: dismantle Queen Signe’s plans piece by piece. The only problem? The handsome Zagadkian dignitary who knows far too many of her secrets.
Meanwhile, dark threads continue to weave themselves through Íseldur as magic long thought dead begins to wake. In this follow-up to The Road of Bones, both women will need to find the strength to step into their destiny and stop chaos from sweeping across the land.
Return to the Kingdom of Íseldur where enemies become lovers and dark secrets hide around each corner. This installment digs deeper into Íseldur’s forbidden magic and the simmering attraction growing between two unlikely couples.
Kingdom of Claw Review
Before I begin, while this review does not contain spoilers for Kingdom of Claw, it may spoil the first book in this series, Road of Bones, if you haven't read it. If you have started The Ashen series yet, check out my review of Road of Bones here.
Wow, I really enjoyed Road of Bones, but Kingdom of Claw was even better. We were immersed in the same Viking-inspired setting steeped in Norse mythology that we experienced in the first book, and the plot followed Silla and a new POV from her sister Saga as they navigate their separate storylines in the kingdom of Íseldur.
Multi-POV & Pacing
Most of Kingdom of Claw is told in multi-POV between Silla and Saga as they both work to save each other, while not knowing what the other is doing. This created so much tension because as we see the story play out in one POV, it created a nerve-wracking realization for us readers when as we realized the implications for the other. This book was so well constructed and really fun to read!
Characters & Romance
Demi Winters is also the queen of complex characters and meaningful growth arcs. All of the characters—Rey, Silla, and Saga—have demons that they are conquering throughout the story. Silla still has the sunshine personality she had in the first book, but now she's working through recent revelations about her identity and the betrayal that forced her to flee Kopa with Rey. Rey going back to his home village of Kalasgarde with people from his past added so much depth to his character. Previously, he was the dark, mysterious leader of the Bloodaxe crew, but we finally get to understand why he is the way he is, and it made me fall in love with his character.
Silla and Rey spend a lot of time together, which led to the most natural romance I've read in a romantasy in a long time. As Silla is going through training and learning more about herself, she and Rey build a lot of trust and the intimacy comes naturally. Sometimes I feel like authors purposely drag out romance for the sake of it, but this felt like a slow-burn that was rewarding and heartwarming.
Meanwhile, we get to know Saga and her strategy to subtly undercut Queen Signe's plans. Political stakes always add an extra layer of intrigue and danger that draws me in, and I love how well it fits into the rest of the story instead of clashing or competing with it.
So, should you read Kingdom of Claw?
If you loved Road of Bones, this one's even better. If you're new here, start with book one, but if you're wondering whether you should continue on with the series, it's a definite yes from me. You get the same Viking-inspired setting with more character growth and a new character who is navigating royal court politics. This one will have you reading all night long!
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Kingdom of Claw FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
-
Kingdom of Claw is book 2 in The Ashen Series and is not a standalone. The series is planned to have five books total, plus one Hekla novella. The third book, Dawn of the North, is scheduled to release on February 3, 2026.
-
Kingdom of Claw features several popular tropes including grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, slow-burn romance, found family, forced proximity, one bed and one horse, courtly intrigue, touch-her-and-die MMCs, and multiple POVs.
-
Yes, Kingdom of Claw is spicy with a 4/5 spice level rating. It features explicit, open-door sex scenes that appear primarily in the latter half of the book.
-
The spicy chapters in Kingdom of Claw are 49, 52, and 67.
-
Yes, the sequel is Dawn of the North (book 3 in The Ashen Series), releasing February 3, 2026. There are five books planned in total for The Ashen series.
-
No, Kingdom of Claw does not have a complete or happy ending. It ends on a cliffhanger, but we do get answers to questions from book 1. The series will need to continue for a full resolution.