Bones and Blood Spells: A Dark Academia Romantasy

by Jules D'Or, JC Andrijeski

Leda Shadow finds herself alone at Malcroix Bones Academy at the beginning of winter break. Caelum Bones, her sometimes enemy, sometimes ally, and recently, her sometimes something else, remains in hospital after his own father nearly killed him.

Her friends all scatter to the wind, or so she thinks, until a group of them begin to coalesce among those who stayed behind. When Caelum returns to campus, they form a sort of “Holiday Club,” digging into archives both inside and outside the school for a dangerous and secret project led by Lucifer “Luc” Mocking, one of Leda’s closest friends.

Meanwhile, events outside the school’s walls are heating up, with governments across Magique growing increasingly unstable after the capture of the charismatic “face” of Dark Cathedral, Caelum’s infamous father, Malefic Bones. Violence erupts from their supporters, and calls for the release of the prisoners grows louder and more insistent.

Then people begin to disappear. Before Magical law enforcement can find them, they always reappear, and claim to have no memory of where they were. Yet rumors circulate that they come back different.

When Caelum decides to take matters into his own hands, and investigate these disappearances himself, it unlocks a sequence of events that will change Leda’s life, and his life, forever.

For fans dark academia (with adult characters)enemies to loversspicy, spicy, spicy“touch her and die” / “touch him and die”slow burn, epic romancedark and light magicforced proximityangsty, trapped, morally grey herosecret identitiesunique world and magical systemfound family (ensemble cast)plot twists, complicated political world, and big character revealslots of arguing :)possessive, protective MMC and FMCdark cults and hidden enemies
Bones and Blood Spells is book three in the dark academia romance series, Bones and Shadow. Meet Leda Shadow, first hybrid to live in Magique in over a thousand years, and Caelum Bones, the prince prick of the magical university where she finds herself. This dark academia, enemies to lovers, romantasy series, Bones and Shadow, features all adult characters in a brand new world, filled with deadly creatures, dark sorcerers, invisible cities, ancient myths, animal spirits, dark magic, and cults obsessed with wiping out the human race.

517 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2026

About the author

Writer of magic, dark and light heroes, strange races, and unusual fantasy worlds, often with lots of found family. When not hanging out with her imaginary friends, can be found drinking coffee at various shops, collecting odd trinkets, and wandering foreign lands with her laptop and a camera. Resides more regularly in California at the moment, although the urge to be elsewhere remains, so it's difficult to know how long that might last, particularly in these troubled times.

Reviews

[Saki]

I loved this series from the first book, but i was sure that this was supposed to be a trilogy and that this was supposed to be the final book?? I know i checked before starting and preordering because i needed to read something that was complete for once, so i was happy i will only have to wait for the final book for 20 days.
As it turns out this is NOT the final book, there will be book 4 in the end of July (hopefully without any surprises and changes).
So i am disappointed that this book ended the way it did and i have to wait yet again for one more series to finish.
Please don't make the main story more than 4 books, i am all for more books form the same universe and other characters but i have already felt played and disappointed ( fourth wing anyone? ) and now i feel bitter that i started this series at this time at all 😐
Which is why i dont want to give star rating now, because i am passed and dont want it to affect the overall score.

If i ignore that this is not the last book, i really really like the characters and the story is good and every book was keeping me reading until i finish, so it was a one day read because i couldn't stop.
Also it doesn't feel like filler (again, the fourth wing could have been waaaaaay shorter series, as it was supposed to be).


I recommend to wait until the 4th book is out before starting with this, even for those who already read the first two, because this cliffhanger is worse than in the previous books.

[Lauren Snowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reallllyyyy wanted to love this book. I was so obsessed with the first two, and I was chomping at the bits for this one. HOWEVER it was just not that good😭😭😭


I really love this new genre of fantasy where it feels like you’re living every moment with the characters, so it almost feels like more of a tv show than a book. I also don’t mind that sometimes that means a book is really only a week.

For this book specifically I felt like that style of writing / most of the book was filler unfortunately. What could have been a paragraph took up a few pages. That led me to skim a lot of it.

I also felt like the whole back and forth between bones and shadow was ingenuine. It felt like a plot piece filler rather than organic to their relationship.

I wish there had been more plot editing and synthesizing. I really wanted more from this, but it just kinda fell flat.

I also felt like the ending was incredibly predictable.

Trust I will be reading Book 4 though!!!! Bones and shadow forever🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Talia the book-addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Ouch.

My primary complaint is that Leda and Caelum spent far too little time together. I was SO uninterested in the other characters. Luc, Alaric, Caelum’s mom… etc, etc, etc. All those side characters pffff…

I JUST WANT LEDA AND CAELUM PLEASE.

The storyline was also a bit confusing. I’m finding the worldbuilding a bit hard to follow. Everything is just far too complicated.

And tbh it felt like the same thing was happening over and over?? Caelum gets hurt, Leda gets upset, Caelum apologizes and they have sex. Rinse and repeat.

Very sad times. But maybe I’ll just go back the OG ;) I need H & D.

[Barbara Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complex read but compulsive

The world building is amazing in this third book as it has been all along and I have to wonder how the author keeps track. Loved this third book, loved the growth of the relationship between Bones and Leda and the way the peripheral characters are growing into their own place in the unfolding action. I do not like cliffhangers normally but can’t wait for the next book.

[Jen T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving this series so much and this book kept me up way too late reading ‘just one more chapter’! I loved that in this third book in the Bones and Shadow series we get to see a lot of Lena and Caelum’s relationship as it continues to grow. There’s a lot going on in this book as they navigate the repercussions from book two, and new learnings about the Dark Cathedral. No spoilers here, but once you start, be prepared for several late nights because this book is unputdownable!

[Ragnhild Hynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!

The first quarter of the book left me a bit frustrated, as I felt things moved along too slowly.

But really, it was just to rile me up for the rest pf the book, I think. :D

I loved this third book just as much as the two first, and cannot wait to get the next.

This one ends with a massive cliffhanger.

[Matthew & Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️

I'M STILL OBSESSED! The author's writing and storytelling are so good. At book 3, do wish we had a little more honesty between my MCs, yes. Does Caelum need to stop putting himself in danger? Yes. Does Leda need to stop second guessing her own role in everything? Yes. Do I care enough about those things to stop reading? No.

[T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bones and Blood Spells, book three of the Bones and Shadow series, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). An excellent series by a writer who never forgets the secondary characters are just as important. I love the tension and reveals-- story telling at its best.

[Kathy Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

talented author!!!

All her works are amazing!! Her twists and smart writing are everything! Can’t read her books fast enough and could care less if the series is finished yet either.

[Teri Tennison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark academia

A university of magical beings is the setting for an unlikely pairing in a tortured love story. Most of the action in this book takes place over the long winter holiday break.

[Jules Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg noooo you can’t leave me on that cliffhanger like that. I spend all day reading and I’m loving this series. I’m dying for the next book. I honestly might have to reread.