3* Super Power Stars

This story revolves around Charlotte who had an unfortunate upbringing for the first 7 years of her life when a pair of serial killers killed her mother and then kidnapped her. After they are caught and arrested she is reunited with her father who then exploits her experiences with the kidnappers for his own gain through movie franchises and novels. She moves away and changes her name, hoping she is safe from a stalker and her father, and because she still has major trust issues she is treated by a psychologist named Dylan who unbeknown to her gives her an experimental drug which enables her to have incredible strength. She then uses this to her advantage by drawing a serial killer out from hiding.

This is a long book but I enjoyed that the chapters were quite short and this made the story flow well and at a fast pace. I loved the cover of the book.

If you are looking for a story that has the perfect blend of suspense, is thrilling and incorporates sci-fi then and has a light touch of romance to it then this book will delight you.

I was randomly selected on NetGalley to read and review this book after I wished for it, many thanks to the Publisher Thomas & Mercer.

4.5 Stars

'Bone Music' is an exhilarating first book in a new genre-defying series that will appeal to readers of all kinds. I'm a big fan of the author and have read several of his other books. The description had me intrigued from the beginning and I was excited to see what the story would be like. I definitely wasn't disappointed - the author delivered another fantastic book for readers to lose themselves in. There were a couple small things that bothered me personally. The one that stood out the most was the author's writing style - namely the third person point of view. It's my least favorite - mostly due to the fact that we as readers can't connect as deeply with the main character. There are several major characters in this novel and I understand the choice to use the third person POV, but I (personally) would have loved it even more if it had been done in the first person from Charlotte's perspective. She's an awesome main character and I definitely wish I could have connected with her and gotten to know her better throughout the book. She has a very unique history and with all the craziness happening, it would've been great to get a front row seat to everything. The other thing that sort of bothered me were the multiple "mini" story lines that occur at the same time as the others and eventually come together in one way or another. It's a bit confusing at first, but once I got used to the writing it became easier to integrate the various plots into one major story line.

As for the rest of the novel - it was fantastic and all that I had hoped for. As I mentioned, Charlotte is an awesome MC and I loved getting to know everything about her. She really blossoms throughout the story and I liked watching her come out of her shell and gain confidence and power. The secondary characters were well rounded, even though there were quite a few of them. They all had distinct personalities with quirks and flaws and helped flesh out the story line. The main plot of the novel wasn't exactly unique or wholly original - not much can be called that anymore. But the author found a way to take a couple of different plots and wound them together to create something new and fascinating. Like I said earlier - it's a genre-bending novel that is sure to appeal to fans of several different types of fiction. I'm definitely awaiting the next book in the series to see where it'll take us next - and if this novel was any indication - it'll be a wild ride worth the wait.

Beautifully crafted and excellently written. The descriptions used were magical and the character development was sublime.

4.5*
Trina Pierce was abducted as a baby and spent her first seven years with the killer couple who murdered her mother. They wanted to ‘train’ her to be just like them. After she was rescued from the clutches of the serial killers, Abigail and Daniel Banning, her nightmare should have ended, but her father saw fit to exploit her experience, through the tabloid press and the movie industry. That, together with a weird stalker who admired the Banning’s, gave Trina the incentive to escape and detach herself from everything her life had been and had become by going to live with her grandmother.

Now, as Charlotte Rowe, she lives in seclusion in the Arizona desert, working from home and seeing Dylan Thorpe, her therapist, on a regular basis. Dylan however has his own agenda and tricks her into taking what she believes is a new drug to calm her anxieties. The effect is mind-blowing and once more Charlotte’s world spins out of control, leaving her with a whole set of frighteningly different problems.

There are multiple story lines, including that of Graydon Pharmaceuticals, a drug company illegally testing experimental drugs, all meshing together as the narrative progresses. I had no preconceptions about the book as Bone Music is my introduction to Christopher Rice’s writing and I enjoyed it very much. Short chapters keep up the fast pace, with solid characters who are developed and fleshed out extremely well. Even as belief had to be suspended slightly a time or two, still the basic concept of the story is an intriguing and could really happen scenario.

Mostly told from Charlotte’s point of view. but with several others included as well, the narrative completely held my interest. The characters are complex and well defined, Charlotte has a small circle of engaging friends backing her up, and the difference between the good and bad is distinct. The concise backstories for the characters show the reasoning behind their actions and responses, whether justified or not. Apart from the happy and normal time she spent living with her grandmother, Charlotte has endured much and been exploited all her life, so to see her turn the tables was very satisfying. It’s an fascinating story, with a worthy protagonist, which ends leaving threads to be picked up in the next book.

If there was anyone alive who had a better reason for not trusting than Charlotte Rowe, it would be hard to imagine. She was kidnapped as an infant by a pair of serial killers who chose her mother and their next victim and brought her along. They raised her as their own for seven years until the FBI discovered them and freed her. Physically free, she was still imprisoned by other's expectations of her. The press gave her the name of "The Burning Girl" as she accompanied the woman whenever she burned the clothes and belongings of the victims, although she never had any idea what was going on. Everyone wanted to see her, to touch her, to know her. She was a dream girl for marginal sociopaths everywhere who thought she would be their perfect partner.

Her birth father, who one would think would be overjoyed to have his daughter returned to him, instead saw a chance to cash in. He wrote a book about Charlotte's experiences and then took her on a speaking tour. When she finally rebelled, she left to go live with her mother's mother and that grandmother supplied her with her first sense of normality in her life. After her death, she changed her name and moved out to the desert to live alone always protected by her guns and security system.

But evil will not rest. She gave one man her trust and he instead drugged her with an experimental drug under the guise of medication to let her sleep. Instead it gave her superhuman strength and the ability to fight her way out of any situation. When it proves successful, Charlotte is on the run again, this time from the man who gave it to her and the company that made it. She runs back to her grandmother's house, where with the help of her grandmother's boyfriend and a deputy sheriff she knew in high school along with a hacker on the run, she decides this time to fight back. Will Charlotte be successful?

Christopher Rice has made a name for himself in the thriller genre. He is, of course, best known by some readers as the son of Anne Rice and has co-written with her. This novel, the first in a series, shows his skill in setting a fast-paced story that grabs the reader and never lets go until the end. Charlotte is a tough woman, created by a life that most can never imagine and she uses the situation to resolve many of the ghosts of her past. This book is recommended for thriller readers.

Bone Music is the newest from Christopher, and it’s an interesting mix of Serial Killer and SciFi.

Charlotte is going through a lot and trying to deal with the aftermath of who her parents were. Then dealing with what she believes is a stalker. She is then thrown into something else, that can be understandably difficult to deal with. This story had some significant character development, and I can tell that the author took his time with it.

But for me, it was challenging to get into the story at his fullest. I just have a hard time reading in the third person; I feel like, with third person, I can’t connect with the characters on a personal and emotional level. Which as a reviewer is critical to me. I feel like I’m the outside looking in. Not to say that no one will enjoy and love this book.

Overall, I have to give this Two Boundless Stars. It was ok, but I feel it could have been better.

Not for me I’m afraid. I liked the premise but I just couldn’t connect with the story.

I've read two other books by Christopher Rice, The Heavens Rise and The Vines, and was enthralled by the dark, supernatural elements in both.  Bone Music takes a different, but captivating path.

Charlotte's backstory is tragic, and yet fascinating.  Being raised by serial killers, it's a miracle she's a functioning adult, let alone sane.  I enjoyed watching her regain some control over her life, and renew her relationship with Marty.  Something that intrigued me was the lack of distinct definition between 'good guys' and 'bad guys'.  Nearly every character is a murky gray, believing they're doing the right thing, or trying to atone for a past behavior.

The cohesion of the story troubled me.  I felt like there were three separate stories within the novel - Charlotte trying to maintain her privacy and escape a twisted stalker, a serial killer kidnapping and killing women, and a drug company illegally administering experimental drugs.  It all comes together in the end, but Charlie's reasoning behind her decision to go after the serial killer is somewhat of a surprise.  Obviously, from the book description, the reader knows it's coming, but how she gets from point A to point B doesn't seem logical.  Don't get me wrong - when she catches up with him, it's a thing of beauty and highly satisfying.

Bone Music contains a fascinating and unique origin story, and I'll be interested to see where the author takes this series.  

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.