Interesting premise but too many details. Haitian voodoo was a bit too much for me. Unfortunately the book was not my cup of tea and I won't read the subsequent books in the series.

Ben Oris is a medical student from Philadelphia. He gets cut by an old bone while touring the Paris catacombs. Laurette, a public health student from Haiti, senses danger and worries that a curse is running through Ben. Ben is skeptical and simply believes that he has a wound that refuses to heal so he returns to his stressful clerkship at the hospital. But, as people close to him succumb to a grisly illness and he finds himself being pursued by a dark priest, Ben's skepticism wavers. With the help of his companion, Laurette, Ben scrambles to find a cure through voodoo before more of his loved ones die. But, before he can cure his loved ones, hehas to battle the mysterious priest who is determined to have Ben's blood as his own.

This was an incredibly well written medical drama that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire story. All of the characters were well written and I loved getting to know Ben, in particular, as a character, so I was glad to see that this is the first in a series. I will absolutely be reading the rest of this series! I particularly liked how Ben was skeptical at first and seeing him as he began to see what was truly happening to him. He has trouble believinganything that he can't verify scientifically so he truly struggled to believe in curses and voodoo. I really enjoyed the author's writing style. She has a knack for creating an intense story that holds your attention filled with dynamic characters. The story was action packed but the action didn't get in the way with getting to know the characters.

Atmospheric and creepy. Short horror read to breeze through in an afternoon. Kinda violent. Did NOT like the flash-back ancestral rape scene and frankly, the story is horrific enough without it. Gratuitous violence against women, especially against women of color, is unnecessary and does not add to the story and is getting old.

I should have finished this book ages ago, but life got in the way and I am still playing catch up. Sorry. This is just the right book for an October read! Medical thriller, with voodoo tossed in for good measure. It's a pretty intense scary read; just right to read to get in the mood for Halloween. I wonder if old bones really could cause illness and death...? Something to Google!

Loved this book!

We start of right smack dab in the middle of an intense moment, and it doesn’t let up from there. This story was woven together really well, and will absolutely read another book from this author.

Strong world building, not only likeable but relatable characters, and a fantastic plot to keep you hooked. I also am a fan of the writing style. I never felt like it was slowing down, and didn’t find myself bored.

Highly recommend this one!

I enjoyed the character of Ben. I enjoy reading thrillers and this one had a medical/supernatural twist. Well-written with some edge of your seat moments as a curse overtakes Ben. His friend Laurette has a sense about what is going on and dives in to help Ben and his family. No guts or gore, but there is some dark moments mixed with voodoo and black magic. Something different for the fan of thrillers!

Excellent read. Well written, with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. This book is a supernatural suspenseful thriller. Ben Oris is a sensible, medical student until he cuts his hand on a old bone in the catacombs of Paris. The cut becomes a horrible wound that leads him into a world of Voodoo curses that threatens everything he knows and loves. He doesn't have to do this alone, he has his best friend Laurette to help him through this nightmare.

DNF at 42% I tried several times to get into this, but I didn't like the main character and the mystery of what was happening to him (aka the curse) wasn't very compelling to me. Maybe others will like it, but this was not for me.

Stay out of the catacombs!

Ben Oris is a medical student who has a plan for his life. He works, studies, and repeats. But when given the opportunity for a free trip to Paris with his best friend, how can he say no? Little does he know this trip is about to throw his whole life into a tail spin. One that will have consequences beyond comprehension.

This book starts off at a break neck pace. Things start happening from the first page. When I first started reading, it felt like I had picked up the book and started reading from somewhere in the middle. I was very happy that the author did a great job of keeping the pace throughout the story, while filling in all the missing pieces along the way. This was a quick, enjoyable read that was thrilling and slightly creepy.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Stars: 3.75 (that sums 4)/5

The Bone Curse was a medical science-fiction book that revolved around Haitian Vodou practice and culture and a curse that travelled father to son and messed up Benjamin Oris’s pragmatic thoughts and life. The story is about religion vs science and faith vs agnosticism, logic, trust, friendship, and vengeance.

Characters-
Ben (Benjamin Oris) was introvert medical student who worked hard to get into med school and Internal medicine clerkship under Hitler like attending (Dr. Smith) was even harder than the admission. He was pragmatic to fault. He never believed his best friend Laurette when she warned him about the experience in Paris catacombs, the way bone hurt him and now he carries the evil with him, he didn’t believe her. Even though one after another all his loved once gets mortally sick. Weird thing is he clung to his skepticism till the end of the book as if all that happened to him and what he experienced was nothing, which I didn’t like. He even doubted Laurette, when all she did was help him. There were many flaws in this character- he was selfish, he cared only about his career, always at internal war, escaping his responsibility, he never talked about things when he should and so messed up many relationship in his life. That’s too many right? Well I was glad he developed in almost everything by the end of the book except in his skepticism which remained.

Laurette– she was my favorite character in the book. Her friendship toward Ben was most remarkable, she never given up on him even though Ben let her down again and again by not trusting or believing her. She was smart, funny, selfless, kind, and humble woman. Not a single thing about her I disliked. Her logic were similar to Ben she was also a believer which was the reason of all doubts for Ben.

I even liked Ben’s both gay fathers and his mother Harmony. Sophie was real great, the way she gave him a chance to escape his responsibility and handling the situation was not easy thing to do for a woman who is abandoned by her family. Character development was good in the book. I loved the way Ben’s relation with his mother was developed and change in Dr. Smith’s attitude towards Ben, and Ben’s gradual development as the book progressed.

What I liked-
It was like half of the book take place within hospital and other half of the book was about Haitian vodou and main character and people around him were tangled in this juxtaposed setting.

Beginning was strong with interesting paranormal experience of Ben and Laurette in Paris catacomb. Book was tense, gripping, and suspenseful with horrifying elements. The flow of the book was perfect it was not too fast or slow, every scene were placed in nice and smooth order that made the book very interesting.

The story was narrated through Ben’s POV and as he was medical student working for clerkship there was lot of medical science terminology which awesome and showed author’s experience in the field. I specifically liked Ben’s rounds in the hospital that was not only just medical talk but also gave overview of his colleague, hospital staff, and his relationship with them.

Vodou practice, culture and history related to it was depicted vividly with mention of all the small things that easily conjured up scenes. I loved reading about the curse, its story and the reason why it travelled from catacomb to Ben and why it is making him contagious and making his loved ones sick. There was also touch of racism along with religious beliefs.

Ben’s logic and reasoning as a science students was right at its place but there are somethings beyond science that is called faith and religion that you can’t be reason with. Both things is different but has a fine line was represented in the book amazingly. Whole curse thing, illness and Ben’s experience through vodou practice was given a two way explanation, one scientifically and one a cultural belief, and Ben’s metal turmoil between this two was more focused in the book which made it realistic.

Some turns I could see coming and some twists were surprising. Climax was shocking and unpredictable. So much happened from climax to end that kept me on the edge. End was good only I’m not happy with Ben’s end thought.

why 3.75 stars-
The reason was Ben. I didn’t like his skepticism. Till some point it sounded logical, liked his realistic approach but then he started irritating me. His constant mind battle in tense situations just fueled my frustration. I just wanted yell at him ‘to do something fast, believe for a minute, save people and get over with it’. As I said I didn’t like his end thought and the way he treated Laurette. There was something off with his narration, I couldn't feel his emotions, it just made me understand his situation and his feelings but it didn't reach to me.

Overall the plot and subplots was great, unique, intriguing that glued me to book till the end. Those who like mix of science and religious belief, and occult practice would love to read this book.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Bone Curse (Benjamin Oris #1) by Carrie Rubin from NetGalley and ScienceThrillers Media in order to read and give an honest review.

Part thriller, part paranormal mystery, this is a fast-paced, well-crafted and brilliantly original novel!

Pragmatic medical student, Ben Oris, is on vacation with his best friend Laurette, a Haitian medical student, when an injury occurs while visiting the Catacombs. Ben possessed by unseen forces accidentally cuts his hand on a centuries-old bone, a cut that puts Ben and all those he holds dear in a life and death battle with evil forces too irrational for his rational mind to believe. Laurette knows that something evil is following Ben but it challenges his logical, scientific mind putting their friendship and lives in peril.

The book weaves a tale through medical anomalies, Haitian Vodou and the bonds of family and friendship which culminates in a heart-stopping conclusion. The characters are interesting, quirky and believable which when combined with an intriguing plot will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found this to be unique and captivating and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller with an occult twist. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Carrie Rubin's next Benjamin Oris book!

I have never read this author before, but after reading this one, I’m sure to pick up more. Ben is a med student who picks up either a curse or a new disease while visiting catacombs in France. What follows is Ben trying to come to grips with which one it actually is while the people in his life fall prey to whatever he has. I found this book well-written, especially the parts about the voudou religion. I love it when authors really put authenticity by doing a lot of research for their books as it makes the books so much more believable. Along with the great research and writing, the book was fast-paced, had lots of interesting turns, and had an interesting horror plot. Admittedly, I did find the characters a little less defined than I would have liked to really be invested in them, and sometimes I found Ben to be a little too wishy-washy and stubborn about what was going on. With all of this, this is the first in a series, and I’m not sure where we are going to go from here, but I am willing to pick up the next one. Recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)/ScienceThrillers Media for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

Science vs. Haitian Vodou: Ben Oris, a medical student, is now living in both worlds.

Drawn to a centuries old pile of bones while touring the catacombs in Paris with Laurette, Ben handles a femur and is pierced. The bone carries both a residual papule infection and a blood curse.

Racing the clock as an unknown deadly pathogen begins to target the most intimate or important people in Ben’s life, Ben struggles to rely on medical science for a solution while Laurette’s Vodou interpretation becomes more real.

The Bone Curse is a strong and compelling read through most of story, but the ending lacked a little polish as there were too many loose threads that were not tied quite tight enough.

Really good book can't process all my emotions just yet but a proper review will be coming soon.

I found this on NetGalley and couldn't resist requesting a copy. Once I was approved, though, it sat on my kindle for quite some time before I really dug in. Honestly, this was almost a DNF on more than one occasion, but I kept reading. If it weren't for the fact that I put in a little more effort to finish NetGalley books, I might not have finished it.

This one was just Meh, for me. It wasn't horrible and it wasn't amazing, it just sort of... was. I started this book at least 3 times before actually digging in. The pacing was a little slower than I expected and Ben's life and daily routine didn't really grab my attention. Even the beginning when he first gets scratched/cut by the bone in the catacombs fell a little flat for me. For a suspense novel, I expected it to grab my attention and not let go. I wanted it to reach through to me from the pages and shake me, but there were a couple of times I just wasn't interested.

Now, there were some wonderful parts to this that ultimately saved it for me.

One of which was the attention to Vodou and what it entails. I can't even count the number of research papers I did when I was younger growing up in Louisiana about Vodou, Vodoun, and Voodoo. It's hard to escape the subject growing up so close to New Orleans, but it is not what people think and it plays a huge role in this novel. There was some research done here and I not only noticed but also appreciated the author taking the time to understand how important it was to get this right. I'm not an expert by any means, but I think she did a very good job here.

The pace did pick up as well, which saved the day in the end. At about the 50-60% mark, the action was in your face and the chase was on (so to speak). I really enjoyed that chunk of the story. There were some unexpected moments that had me asking a million questions and flipping pages. If it weren't for that, I think my rating would have been lower, but this chunk of the story is what still stands out weeks after reading the book.

The ending was... meh again. It felt like the story ran out, the epic battle had been fought, and now everything is just magically back to normal? Ummm, no. A LOT happened and A LOT went wrong for Ben. Things don't just go back to normal with a little pat on the back and strange explanation that doesn't even begin to account for everything that happened.

I'm glad I finally tackled it, I just don't think it lived up to my expectations based on the synopsis. There was nothing that hooked me in early on, which was almost a fatal flaw had I not been so sucked in by the time the action picked up the pace.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The bone curse is a supernatural medical thriller story about a medical student, Ben, who gets cut by an old bone whilst touring the catacombs in Paris.
His Haitian travel companion, Laurette, worries that there is more to this wound and that the bone has cursed Ben.

The ever rational medical student scoffs at the idea and believes that he just has a wound that is slow to heal.
However when people that are close to him start to succumb to an unknown and grisly illness his skepticism falters.
Ben starts to wonder if it is possible for an ancient bone to cause this seemingly unstoppable illness?

With the help of his friend Laurette, Ben races to find a cure through Vodou before more of his loved ones die. In order to do this Ben he must confront the mysterious priest who's bent on vengeance and determined to claim Ben's blood for his own Vodou tool.

I have not read a medical thriller before and was not sure of what to expect. The blurb definitely 'sold' the book for me, however I was kind of disappointed whilst reading the book.
I did not connect with Ben, the MC, in fact I just found him quite annoying and repetitive. I kept thinking that if he was my friend that I would have slapped him several times by now.
There were some comments made by Ben that I just felt were not necessary and just left me confused about why I was being given that information.
Overall I felt that the characters did not have much depth and that the story was more plot-driven than character-driven.

I felt like the story didn't really take off until the 75% mark, and I didn't feel that all of that previous 75% was necessary to the story and that the pace could have changed a lot sooner.
I really enjoyed the joining of western medicine with Vodou medicine and belief, but I felt that the Vodou aspect of the story was not explored as much as the western medicine aspect of the story and I really wanted to know more about the Vodou medicine and Vodou beliefs.

I feel like the author has really taken the time and a lot of care to weave those very different worlds together and I believe that she has done a magnificent job, you can tell that she really did her research.
I did enjoy her writing, and despite the fact that this book is not a favorite I would pick up another book by this author and I am also keen to try some other medical thrillers.

I would recommend this to book to readers who do not need to connect to every character they read about, and who love a great story.

Thank you Netgalley and Science Thrillers Media for the ARC.

When Ben injures himself at the Paris' catacombs, little does he know the rollercoaster ride he's about to enter.
The initial pace of this book was too slow for me and it took me a while to get into. There are quite a few characters to get familiair with, and decisions to be made that can't be rushed. But once it clicked I couldn't stop reading. I enjoyed learning more about Haitian Vodou. While the ending is nothing too exciting, all in all this is a good medical thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review "The Bone Curse
by Carrie Rubin". One of the most original books I have ever read. I have never read anything like it! The book centers around Ben Osiris, a young man who is an intern at the hospital. After a trip to France, Ben cuts his hand on an old bone in one of France's catacombs. Ben's life takes an interesting turn when weird events in his life start to take place. Ben is trying to decide if his cut is medical or if he should listen to his friend Laurette's idea of him being cursed. I read this book in two days. I was completely engrossed in the story. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book!

This was an interesting and a sort of new read for me, especially with the Vodou involvement. I have read another book by Carrie Rubin and fully enjoyed it, Eating Bull. However, The Bone Curse was one of those where my feelings were mixed and it had its highs and lows.

For this one, I really enjoyed the medical aspect that was introduced from the beginning. I felt like I was going through Ben’s crazy schedule in hopes of becoming a surgeon. Also, I found weaving in the paranormal, toward the beginning, was really good. There was an anticipation to see what was going to happen next and a fear of who else would be affected.

Unfortunately, when the Vodou stuff came up, the intensity started to become lost. This could partially be because of Ben’s constant wrestling of what’s real and what’s not. I found his character to be a bit too whiny and repetitive each time he mentioned how what was happening to him cannot be real, especially toward the end. The other part could be because some of the terminology used were words that I didn’t know, such as, “bokor”, “Lwa Met Tet”, “mambo”, and “chwals”. These were described once, but I kept forgetting the difference between the words. I also thought the ending “fighting” scenes/sequence went on for too long that I lost interest in what was happening. All of this made the pacing slow for me.

The other aspect that made this a less interesting read was not really getting to know Ben as a person. I felt the story was more plot-driven than character-driven, and I like a balance of both. There were times when the reader learned about a bit of Ben’s past, but he still felt distant from me, and it was challenging to sympathize for him. Aside from Ben, the other characters felt very one-dimensional, and I didn’t connect with any of them either.

Overall, this was one of those reads that I sometimes enjoyed picking up and other times not so much. I also found myself needing to read something in between this one, which is probably why it took me so long to finish.

I think I would recommend to those who may enjoy reading about a curse that needs to be broken and a story that is more plot-driven than character-driven.