Bonecaller by Logan Keys.
Bonecaller book 1.
When servant girl Raven steals an illegal magic, she draws the eye of an evil wizard seeking power. Now, caught between two sides of a magical war, the hunt for this young dreamer of bones begins.
An ok read with likeable characters. 3*.

The story was slow in the beginning but Holy Sh*t in the end!! So much for a cliffhanger I really want the next book, NOW!😱😃🙌

I am still for John and Raven... please please please dear author.......🙏

AVAST YE, readers! I'm just goin' t' warn ye now that this review will include a whole lot o' pirate slang.

"It started with blood. Doesn’t every good story?"

Holy ship!--that was a good read! Bonecaller is sure to satisfy every lover of the fantasy genre. When a young lass by the name of Raven possesses a deadly, ancient magical ability that she is unable to control, it attracts the unwanted attention of some bilge rats who are hungry for power. This tale contains slow-paced world-building, suspenseful romance, impressive character development, and an endin' that shall leave ye feelin' as if ye've walked th' plank.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Pirates + Wizards + Witches + Dragons + a bit of rum + a hint of romance = one hell of an adventure. I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2. Until then, I will be patiently waiting, Ms. Keys.

For such a short fantasy book this sure did pack a lot in!

This both felt like an exciting fantasy adventure and a whimsical fairy tale. The cruel witch. The enslaved young girl. A wizard who hopes to save her. I adored the early elements of the novel and it both felt like a beloved story as well as something exciting and new.

When another story joined this initial one I was a little confused as to how the two would conjoin. I felt the disparate narratives were a little disjointed and the jump between the two was constantly jarring. They did eventually, however, slide seamlessly together and I enjoyed the ending as much as the beginning portions of the book. With my gained knowledge I feel I would greatly enjoy this book but I found the middle of this novel a little overwhelming.

I desperately wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I don't think it is blurbed very well or perhaps I didn't understand the book very well?

<blockquote>When Raven steals an illegal magic the evil wizard is searching for, a hunt for this young dreamer of bones begins.
</blockquote>

While the book is about Raven and John and written from their POVs, the way I understood it, the 'manhunt' as it was in the book was actually for the first witch and first wizard.

<blockquote><b>A red-haired witch and a grey-eyed wizard. The reward is astoundingly high.
You’d think red-haired witches would be common, and word is they used to be, but now, they’re as rare as a unicorn.
But the reward. It’s enough to buy a small island.
</b></blockquote>

The highlighted reviews also mentioned dragons and there was even one on the cover (which is stunning! But unfortunately misleading). I was rather excited for the dragons because I LOVE dragons and yet... <spoiler>there is only one dragon featured AND it is slain by the end of the book without really having made a large impact on the world</spoiler>. Just don't go into this one <i>expecting</i> dragons. I was disappointed.

I was left feeling at a loss for the majority of this book. I didn't understand the world building and was left with more questions than answers. I didn't understand the elements and the rules of the world - why it was as it was, the limitations of the magic system. Even after the big reveals towards the end of the book nothing made a lot of sense to me and I <i>still</i> didn't understand a lot of what was happening.

<spoiler>
Why did using his power seem to change Sim into a malevolent person?
How did the witch keep Raven and Sim captive? It was never really explained why Raven didn't just run away?
What is the difference between a head witch and a first witch? If the power runs with the wizards why wasn't it handed down to Sim or Dameon immediately when this "family secret" happened to their father?
</spoiler>

<blockquote><b>“Shh!” I all but put a hand to Sim’s mouth. “You mustn’t talk like that! You know nothing will be so bad as if she heard you use that word.”
“What will she do with a star, anyway?” Sim says, angry, doubting Esme’s ability, as he often does, and to his detriment as well.
“I figured you’d know that, Sim.”
He sighs. “No. I honestly have no clue. Catching a star is illegal in the Order and comes with great consequence.”
A twig snaps in the wood, and like a spell broken, Sim and I quickly search the barn, as if the witch lurks there. After we hold our breath, half expecting her to burst in and break us in two, I give a nervous laugh.
Sim turns to me with a mischievous grin.
“I was there, you know,” I say. “When she brought you. She said I was in the village, but I wasn’t. I watched through the window, and I thought to myself, who else has fallen into her snare? I wished on a star, that very night, for you, Simeon. I wished with all my heart that you’d be free. No reason my fate should have to be shared.” I stare down, embarrassed. “I have no people that love me. But you…”
“You do, Raven.”
I glance over, and Sim looks as if he’s overcome by some emotion, but the deep grooves hide whatever it is in the folds of his face.
We stay like that, eyes locked, and sit in silence long enough for the unspoken to drift far away into the wood.
It’s a hungry place, gobbling up all our endeavors, greedily, just like the witch that rules it. And for weeks after my dreams, I’ll see skeletons grinning in the knots of the trees, singing to me. But I’m never afraid.
“We’re supposed to be watching the stars,” I say, taking his drink and moving to climb into the loft.
Sim follows me up the ladder, and we find places under the opening in the roof, where we can lay back side-by-side on the hay. The heavens are brimming on the Edge this night.
Maybe Sim’s right. Things could change.
</b></blockquote>

The writing seemed choppy and the dialogue was stilted and forced at times. The characters didn't seem to be developed to their full potential and I found myself often wondering <i>why</i> they'd done a certain thing. Nothing just flowed freely for me and even after reading the majority of the book I couldn't immerse myself in this world.

I really struggled to connect with anything in this book and because of this I couldn't become invested in the outcome. Even the cliffhanger at the end failed to hook me for the second book.

I'm terribly sad that this one didn't work for me, but since no two people ever read the same book if you think this style of writing and the world could work for you I wouldn't tell you <i>not</i> to try it.

Bonecaller: Book One by Logan Keys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book is a great entry into a world of ancient magics and simmering revenge. I know that sounds rather the norm these days, but it's the magic and dragons and the plot twists that really makes it shine.

I really love the old witch and the buildup. Just wait for the big reveals, too. There's a lot of fun in here.

Now if you're looking for an actual comparison with other novels, try the fact that it evokes the imagery of Mists of Avalon and the crushing defeatism of magical slavery with the hope of revenge. Add a few hijinks on the high seas and more cruel magics, and you'll be bringing these characters together in style.

Warning, however... This is still the start of a full series. This is not a standalone.

Suffice to say, I'm still gonna be following this with great interest. :)

Bonecaller is book 1 in a new series by Logan Keys, I was giving a copy of this book for an honest and fair review. 

The book follows Raven a girl enslaved to an evil witch Esme, Esme wants is a falling star and Raven is made to watch every night for one. The night when the star falls Raven claims the star as her own, this goes unnoticed causing a series of effects that cause Raven unknowing brought into the middle of a magical war. 

While one part of the story follows Raven the other follows John a Captain who is happy just sailing the seas escaping his past. But John simple life is ended when a a stowaway changes his plans and makes he face his past. 

It took me a little to get into the story as I was slight confused with who the character are and the connection to the prologue. As the story progress I got sucked into the story and my confusion pasted as it all started to fall into place. I was surpised by the way it ended and can't wait to see what happens next. 

The character that author has created are interested especially Raven and Sims, the realtionship between them is sweet. Sims ia cursed to look like a old man even though he is young. Raven see passed all that to the person Sims in and would love him in any form. 

This book is about war between magic and human and the people that can change it for good or bad. If you like books like The Bone Witch and Truthwitch than give this book a read.

2.5 stars.

I loved the sound of this book, and thought it would really suck me in and take me on a journey, but sadly I was disappointed.

I found the story to be a little choppy and confusing at times, and the characters didn't always behave true to character.

Actually I seemed to be confused for a large part of the story. What didn't make sense to be was how the witch was holding Sim and Raven captive. I mean, I assume it must have been a spell, but it was never explained.

I was confused by Sim. He would randomly have angry outbursts or become cold/demanding (when normally he was very sweet/caring) and I found myself thinking he was going to turn out to be a bad guy. But no, he would just have these random outbursts, and then everything would go back to normal.

Because I spent a large part of the story feeling confused, I never really became invested in the outcome.

Raven is a servant girl to the cruel witch Esme. She doesn't remember much about her life before. A young wizard cursed with old age also lives there. Raven and the wizard Sim become close friends and help and support each other through the witch's cruelty. One day Raven accidentally steals an old magic that the witch has been looking for. This sets off a chain of events that finally leads them away from the witch who has kept them captive for so long, but that doesn't mean they are going to be safe.

Across the sea John is a ship captain who has been running from his past. One day John finds the witch Mira stowed away on his ship and little does he know how drastically his life is about to change. Eventually the lives of these characters intersect and quite a few secrets are revealed.

Bonecaller is a young adult fantasy that could pass for adult as well. The writing style is easy to read, but the characters feel more grown up than most characters in young adult books. With the exception of maybe Raven who has to be at least 17 or 18 they all seem to be adults anyway so I'm not sure why this ended up being a young adult book.

I was drawn into this story from the very first page. The witches reminded me a little of the Fae at times with their elemental characteristics stemming from the seasons. I also really liked the romantic elements of the story. The relationship between Raven and Sim was a sweet one and I couldn't help but think of Howl's Moving Castle with the whole aging curse. However the relationship between John and Mira was more tumultuous, and though I liked them together some of the things John said and did irked me a little. Despite that I still couldn't help but like him.

At only 200 pages this is a very quick read and it was just what I needed after reading a very long fantasy. This ends with some of the characters still in bad situations and I have no idea when the next book will be released but I definitely want to continue on with the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book for review.

I loved the witches and wizards in this book! The point of views and how the story ultimately comes together is effective and really had me hooked. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

This novel was a very good read. The author tells the story from first person point of view of two characters. This novel involves self-discovery and secrets. Each character has their own secrets, some which are difficult for them to carry. Even though the characters begin is different places, they find themselves being intertwined by the destination and the stars.
Raven and Sim are being help by Esme, a powerful witch looking for a star. She treats them both terribly, especially Raven. Raven and Sim help each other out, but Sim is cursed, having the body of an old man but in reality is a young person with strong magical abilities. When Raven sees the star, she "steals" it from the witch and does not tell anyone and even names the star. The falling stars are said to be guardians but people abused the power of the falling stars and it is illegal to have one.
John cannot remember what happened to his sister when they were young, but has guilt. He travels the seas in his ship and ends up with a stowaway on board. Mira is a powerful witch that is being hunted by the Marshall. The Marshall wants her for his own reasons and Mira has many secrets. John tries to get rid of her, but is unsuccessful.
Raven, Sim, John, and Mira all eventually cross paths. They travel towards the first order, hoping tot get the answers that they seek. Sim is returning home and allows the other to come. However, there are those that are still chasing them, each having a different agenda. This will lead to some secrets being revealed and others having to make choices that will affect them greatly. This novel ends on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see where the author leads us to next!!