Ben Oris, a man of science, a doctor to be, confronted wt esoterism, dark magic and the unknown. I think the author succeeded in combining these alike topics, in only one character, who has to fight against his pragmatism and the life of his loved ones and learn "there's no black and white in this world. There are only endless shades of gray" The reader is trapped from the very beginning, building more tension near the end of the story and though it is the first book in a series, you can definitely read it as a stand-alone. I appreciate the author does not finish the story with an open end and wrap up the conflict in this first book. I might guess, Ben Oris would be engaged in another adventure in the 2nd book. Published March 27th, 2018

"The Bone Curse" sounded a bit more interesting than what I actually read. I hated the narrator of this story and felt the writing itself was a bit amateurish. Overall, I really wanted to like it more than I did.

The Bone Curse is a unique sounding thriller. Take one of the most pragmatic people you can think of (in this case a medical student who firmly believes in using facts and nothing else) and force them into a position where they have to believe in something they cannot see. That’s more or less the situation Ben Oris has been put in for this novel.
Warnings first: There is a bit of talk about rape in the context of history; an ancestor was a rapist and a slave owner (clearly somebody we can’t even remotely consider to be a good person), and it’s the groundwork that the rest of the novel sits on. So it comes up a bit. There’s also this freaky dream/rape scene, seen from the rapists perspective. It doesn’t go into extensive detail…but it’s still an incredibly alarming and uncomfortable scene. You’ll get a little bit of notice that it’s coming, but not much.
The main character, Ben Oris is a medical student, and the novel includes the medical jargon to support that. Which was actually pretty cool to see. It also explains why he kept seeking medical reasons for what was happening to him and his friends/family, rather than listening to his friend’s superstitious concerns.
Now for the sake of honesty, I didn’t really like Ben. Sure, he’s a bright and brilliant guy, but he seems to take everyone in his life for granted, especially the women. It isn’t an endearing trait, to say the least. It takes multiple people being cursed and dying before he finally agrees to accept the advice of his best (and female) friend. And even then he only starts taking it seriously after he thinks his father has been curse. As in, the only started taking it seriously when a guy (admittedly a very import father figure in his life) took ill. I know this was likely a coincidence, and not intentional on the authors part (or was it? I could be wrong), but it came off feeling very wrong. Like the women who had already died were disposable.
If I’m being honest, I have a lot of concerns about this novel. And not just what I already mentioned above. I’m worried about the way Haitians were represented in this novel – it frequently felt insensitive. I would love to have an open discussion about this, so please feel free to comment with your input. If I’m being honest I’m feeling pretty conflicted about the whole thing, and would greatly appreciate talking it out with others that feel similarly.
To the author’s credit, I believe she did thoroughly research all subjects covered. Especially the medical side of things (based on her other novels, I feel like it’s safe to say that she has a medical background). I did love all the medical jargon she through in during Ben’s time at the hospital (mostly as a student).
I did find myself wishing I liked this novel more. I love the idea of forcing a character like Ben out of his comfort zone and his preconceived notions of what is and isn’t real. Unfortunately it just ended up falling flat for me.

So I was over perusing Netgalley and came across The Bone Curse's summary and thought that sounds really great. Well sounds great and actually being great are two totally different things; don't get me wrong the book was okay, and I use these words of opinion in the broadest sense possible, there was just something off a little about it. The storyline, or the bare bones, of this story, is pretty intriguing; bone curses and Vodou all very highly entertaining things to read about, right? Well, they are if the prose doesn't get in the way, which it does here. The dialogue between characters seems stilted like that is really not how people talk to each other. And the magical realism of the story started out at a believable pace but exploded in the climax to the point where I felt a bit confused about who was in whose body and basically just shook my head asking myself what the heck just happened. And then everyone gets off the hook, come on that never happens a hefty fine, some community service, maybe even being on house arrest for a bit at least something would have made it all seem more like something that was actionable had occurred. So I normally would have given this one star but I bumped it up to two stars because I did enjoy the bare bones of the plot. I won't be recommending this to anyone personally but if the summary sounds like something you'd like to read give it ago the worst that could happen is you end up not liking it that well like I did.

This book is a real page-turner. Ben is a likable protagonist. He’s not a perfect guy—who is?—but he’s 3-dimensional and his reaction to having his world thrown off balance is believable. After all, it’s gonna take some coaxing to make a science-minded guy believe he’s cursed.

The medicine is interesting. The Vodou is fun to learn about. All in all a great read.

This book attracted me immediately with its creepy cover and intriguing synopsis: Ben is a medical student known for his pragmatic personality. He goes to a trip in Paris with his friend Laurette, where he enters a catacomb and gets hurt in an old bone.

I loved the creepy, horror feel of the novel. I flew through its pages and was always on the edge to see who would fall victim to the curse next and if they would survive! I really liked Laurette, too, a Haitian student who wants to become a nurse to help her country.

But I really didn't like Ben, and thought he was an annoying narrator - he was rude, inconsiderate, selfish and always running after women and claiming to care so much about each one of them, but his grief for them hardly felt genuine, too superficial for the way he allegedly cared for them.

The writing felt amateurish at several points, for example: Ben is described as pragmatic, over and over again, ad nauseum. But we don't get glimpses of that a lot, just of his skepticism and finding himself "better" than people who are believers in any kind of faith. Also more than one time the author had to assure the reader that, when Ben was among only black people and feeling nervous, it wasn't "because they were black", but because of whatever distressful situation was going on. Like - we get it! It didn't even occur to me he might be nervous because everyone around him was black and from Haiti, I thought it clear that what made him nervous was the curse. So this made me feel uncomfortable, as if the author is trying to say "I'm not racist!". But it's okay, I suppose...

Talking about faith, Vodou is a Haitian religion, a lifestyle that many people in Haiti follow. And it felt several times through the novel, that it was used as a tool to give an air of mystery, darkness, a feel of something foreign and unknown to the story. Although Laurette doesn't follow the religion and explains to Ben that it isn't Hollywood's voodoo, it felt that as the novel approached the end, that's exactly what it turned into. The religion and the way the Haitian talked in English felt researched instead of naturally added to the story - the way they spoke, not knowing simple words like "crazy" but able to take classes and talk extensively felt weird and artificial to me.

All in all, I devoured the novel in a few days, it was SO entertaining and fun and dark! If it wasn't for the issues I talked above, it would certainly be a 4 or 5 stars!

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF this book. The blurb sounded great, but I just could not get into this book. It didn’t hold my attention and even though I tried a couple times, I ended up putting it down after a couple pages.

Do you believe in the unbelievable? Are you willing to admit the power of old magic and ancient beliefs can become physical manifestations? The world of medicine and the occult collide when the trip of a lifetime for a young medical student becomes a cursed nightmare that has medical science baffled and one man teetering on the edge between education and the unbelievable. Carrie Rubin’s THE BONE CURSEis a tale of revenge and the power of Haitian Vodou while modern medical knowledge is put on notice that there is more to life than what can be seen under a microscope.

Medical student, Ben Oris is cut by an ancient bone while touring the Paris catacombs and now, it isn’t healing. When his friend from Haiti “feels” a sense of danger, Ben refuses to believe in the possibility of a curse until people around him become deathly ill with an undefinable wasting disease. As the death toll mounts, Ben must face the possibility that there is more to life than what can be dissected or explained. Is there something about Ben’s blood that holds a secret from the catacombs? Why would he be the “chosen one” to deliver death after dedicating his life to healing?

When an innocent is taken as a sacrifice, Ben must learn to believe in order to battle the darkest of evils from the world of the occult, both physically and with the power of white magic.

What could be more intriguing than a pitting medical science against an ancient occult belief?
Carrie Ruben brings chaos to life as one man stands alone against the dark forces of the unexplainable. Teeter on the brink of the abyss with Ben as shadowy malevolence stalks him and logic holds no answers. From that first drop of blood, the stage is set and we become entangled in a world that cannot be brushed aside, that will not let up as we are slammed into a maze of death and darkness with no light at the end of the tunnel for these characters. Just when you think, all will be over, the bottom drops out again, and all we can do is hang on by our fingertips!

Simply fabulous, high-tension reading that will ratchet your heartrate as you feel your pulse pounding!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Science Thrillers Media and Carrie Rubin. This is my honest review.

Series: Benjamin Oris - Book 1
Publisher: ScienceThrillers Media (March 27, 2018)
Publication Date: March 27, 2018
Genre: Dark paranormal fantasy | Science Fiction | Thriller
Print Length: 296 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Author Carrie Rubin lured me into the world of the occult. Logic and reason had checked out at the front door. Disarmed, I crossed the black threshold having realized I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Prepared for the worst. Instead, I got the best of what the author had to offer. Referenced the cultural distinction between Haitian vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. The narrative thrived in the menacing throes of vodou. Chilling. This character-driven storyline ushered me into the awaiting netherworld. I strode on thin ice. The author held nothing back. It didn't matter. I was all-in. My stomach tightened. Chapter upon chapter, relentless action failed to take a back seat. The characters were well-drawn. The ending reached out from the prose, grabbed me by the lapel and shook me head to toe. Left me staggering.

It might have been easy to dismiss this whole premise simply by shutting my eyes to it. But then I would have to close my eyes to many mysterious and wonderful things in this world. Religion for one. Entirely based on belief. If you truly believe in something, it becomes a reality. It's all about perception. Everything. That's when I began to draw a parallel. There is a large segment of the population that believes in angels - the hereafter - the devil. Millions in fact. If some practice and put their faith in Haitian Vodou, for instance, who's to say their beliefs are unfounded? The search for knowledge lies not in what we know, rather, what we don't. What we're willing to accept.

30 year-old Ben Oris was invited to tour the Catacombs of Paris accompanied by best friend, Laurette. In 1786, it became home to the first human bones interned there. Unearthed from a mass grave. Bones of the poor, the downtrodden - slaves. They walked in solemn silence through the underground graveyard. Human remains glared at them from all sides. With no explanation, out of thousands, one particular bone had caught Ben's eye. A large one - a femur. As he bent to pick it up, Laurette screamed for him to stop. It was too late. He already held it in his grasp. A sting was felt in his hand. Gently placing the bone back down, he noticed it contained no sharp edges. Odd. His hand began to ooze blood from a small puncture wound in the middle of his palm. Suddenly, he began to feel woozy.

Immediately, Laurette took notice of the drastic changes that began to overtake Ben. She knew him well. His sleep suffered, appetite waned and personality soured. She feared, no, she knew that that bone was the reason. Her background in Haitian vodou convinced her the bone had been cursed. Though what type of curse was unknown. For help she turned to her most trusted resource, her brother. A respected vodou practitioner of high regard.

Ben had come to learn that over two centuries ago a curse had been placed upon a vile slave-owner. A rapist. The originator of that curse died in the hospital before her wrath could be fully activated. Her remains were transported to a mass grave on the island nation known today as Haiti. Some years later those bones were exhumed and would be the first taken to the Paris catacombs. Little did Ben know that he'd been destined to grab the one that had been cursed. It was preordained. But why him? Could there be any remote chance that he was a distant descendant of the cursed slave owner? The odds of that bearing truth would be near impossible. Though it would be simple enough to find out. Turned out his deceased father kept meticulous records of their family's genealogy. Went as far back to the 1600s. He was not prepared for what he uncovered. Overtaken in shock.

The dust from the bone brought the curse that had remained inactive for over two centuries back to life. The curse had now been passed on to him. In his blood. He learned from Vodou priests that the dreaded curse meant that anyone he loved or cared about would die a sickening death from mere casual contact. And it's deadly arrival was beginning to already fulfill its promise. Beyond dreadful. Horrific. Now cursed by an ancient slave girl who reached out from beyond the grave. Practitioner of the dark arts of vodou. A bokor. Damned to hell. His worst nightmares were yet to arrive. His only chance for survival, for his loved ones, was to find a cure. If there was one. Time was running out.

My thanks to NetGalley and ScienceThrillers Media for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book- it did grab my attention right off the bat though. The ever so talented medical student is suddenly swept away by forces that he neither understands nor wishes to acknowledge, despite all sorts of weird and nasty things happening.
For a medical student, he seems to work hard to avoid looking at some pretty obvious signs that something big is going on. As his situation gets increasingly out of control, he seems to go back and forth between some reason and some really dumb calls.

So long as you suspend disbelief about the concept of fantasy the story moves pretty quickly. There is lots of action, betrayal, confusion, misdirection and some serious misdirection.

The ending is wrapped up pretty well and while out there, consistent with the out-there-ness of the story.
I wasn't to crazy about the character of the med student, but I did like his 'best' friend, and most of all his dad.

Ben is super pragmatic, to the point where is unwillingness to listen and to believe in something intangible costs the lives of several people around him. During most of the book he headbutts his best friend and refuses to believe that there might be something amiss with himself and the world around him. He not only infects his lover, but also his ex-girlfriend, his mother, his father and the mother of his child. All of this happens and he STILL refuses to see that he is at the center of all of this. EVERYONE around him is infected, Laurette tells him a hundred times that he's been cursed, but does he see reason? NOPE. He has to let a bunch of people die before he finally gets his head out of his a**. I did not enjoy this book, the main character was irritating and infuriating.

Read an in-depth review on my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/the-bone-curse-benjamin-oris-1/

The Bone Curse is at the same time a supernatural thriller and a medical mystery, as medical student Ben Oris has seemingly been nudged by outside forces to handle a cursed set up bones in the catacombs beneath modern Paris, while on a vacation with his Haitian friend Laurette. He comes away with a minor wound that won't heal properly and feels a bit out of sorts. Laurette senses something more sinister is at work, and believes that Ben has been cursed. Ben finds that Laurette is more than she appears- she is connected to a network of believers and practitioners of Voudou, and wants to bring Ben into that world to heal his curse.

Ben attempts to complete his medical residency, but some of those around him become sick with a horrible illness. Ben is caught between two worlds, that of science which doesn't believe him responsible, and that of Voudou that requires him to travel through the seedy back alleys of the city to delve into arcane rights and practices hidden from and despised by the modern world.

Ben wants to believe the cure is scientific, but as those close to him suffer, he may be required to abandon reason and follow this other path, which takes him into perhaps an even deeper danger. The author's medical background and research are evident as each aspect of the story is well-written and believable. The sense of danger lurking at every turn made it a real page-turner. The only caveat I had was that I found it hard to believe the actions of the main characters at times, but overall I really enjoyed it.

It was a little slow getting started, but the plot & action really picked up once it got going. I wasn't too sure where it was going and it kept me guessing right up to the end. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books in the series.

You do that voodoo, he’ll do that vodou—if he can bring himself to believe that human evil is stronger and more real than conventional Western medicine.

“The Bone Curse” is a medical thriller that comes with a bonus: Carrie Rubin, a physician as well as a novelist, educates the reader with real-life history and science. West African slaves, transported in the 1700s to a new land, practiced their tribal religion in secret--but over the years, their Vodun became infused with the Catholicism imposed on them, and the practice of vodou evolved.

I'd love to say more, but reading the novel is a more intriguing way to see what this variation on voodoo is really like.

A medical doctor, whether an intern or a licensed practitioner, isn't likely to believe the latest mystery illness killing his patients is a curse he brought back from a bone in the catacombs of Paris. I wouldn't believe it either. But the evidence keeps mounting, and med student Ben Oris has to consider the unthinkable.

When the vodou bad guys keep causing trouble, Ben has an insight I find irrefutable: belief is a powerful thing. It isn't necessary for him to believe a curse has power or not. When others believe it, he is forced to take the curse seriously. And if that means wearing a protective amulet from Laurette, whose family has a long history with vodou, then Ben will set aside his skepticism and reason and wear the amulet.

The curse that afflicts Ben goes back two hundred years and has been biding its time in those catacombs (Rubin's descriptions are exquisite - a must read). In a way it's like the magic of my favorite Halloween movie, "Hocus Pocus," in which 300 years pass before a virgin lights a candle in an old, old house. What is it about Ben that leads him to touch the bone that holds the curse? Well, you'll have to see for yourself. No spoilers here.

Fans of medical thrillers will find plenty of tension and suspense here. My reaction to any book in the thriller genre should always come with this DISCLAIMER: thrillers are not my genre, unless they're laced with dark humor and characters I love. And Ben is not a guy I can love. He's authentic, well drawn, and believable. That's the problem. I can't get past how much he reminds me of certain med students and their cavalier attitude toward relationships. **This is purely subjective.** Ben discovers more than one of his patients is a former lover, and one of them is carrying his child. Won't this open his eyes to the merits of the woman he liked enough to have a fling with, but not a future? If he doesn't commit to this woman, will he fall for anyone? Well, that may be why we need a Book #2. And, to be fair, by the end of Book #1, Ben does undergo some personal growth.

It's a testament to the writer whenever a character drives me crazy because I *know* this guy in real life, or that woman. The more I shake my puny fists of rage at a fictional character, the more power that author has wielded.

The science, the mysticism; the cure, the ancient curse; I love the dichotomy here. I look forward to more of this, too, in a sequel.

Rubin's prose is solid, but my degree is in English teaching, emphasis on literary, which makes me harder to impress than most readers. The lyrical prose I love most is by authors nobody else has ever heard of. Ever hear of Rod Usher? Even after I sang the praises of "Florid States" and "Poor Man's Wealth?"

There ya go. Fans of medical thrillers, you can buy this novel with confidence.

I didn't expect to read this book as fast as I did! From the very beginning.. one is roped into the middle of a story that goes so quickly that one can barely breathe while they read. It wasn't until I finished the book that I realized the author is a physician! No wonder she knew so much about being an intern. One just felt for the main character.. his best friend keeps telling him that he's been cursed by a bone that scraped him while visiting the Paris catacombs. While he has a seeping wound.. he has no idea that those that he's close to are being infected until it's nearly too late.

The story is so well written! The author is a natural story teller! Watch for, "The Bone Curse" to be the talk of the country when it debuts in 2018!! It's one that will be on the best seller list instantly!

The Bone Curse grips you right from the very start. Benjamin Oris is seeing the sights of Paris with his very best friend, Laurette. When they visit the catacombs, Ben feels overwhlemed and compelled to examine the bones that are stacked up in one particular corridor. Against Laurette's wishes and pleading, Ben continues his examination and gets cut by one of the old bones. Back in the US, Ben continues his studies and rotations at the hospital. He starts to notice that odd things are happening and Laurette is acting strangely. Laurette is concerned that Ben is the one acting strangely but is unaware. Not to give away any spoilers, Ben and Laurette are in a race against time to prevent the deaths of those Ben loves most. An old curse, new blood, a baby, and a mental trip like no other. The Bone Curse was full of action, suspense, and surprises. I enjoyed most of the book however, I felt it was a little slow in some parts. It is also my opinion that using medical jargon can make it difficult to reach certain audiences as they may not know what some of the information means or lose interest because of it. Overall, I feel this book was a good read. I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In Carrie Rubin's The Bone Curse (ScienceThrillers Media 2018), first in the Benjamin Oris series but third for Rubin, medical student Ben Oris is injured by an ancient bone while on vacation visiting the Parisian catacombs. Rather than healing, the puncture wound worsens. He begins to get physical symptoms like headaches and lethargy as the papulae becomes red and sore, even bleeding. Because Ben is amidst a strenuous hospital rotation with his medical student program, he ignores it, hoping it will heal on its own, but his Haitian friend Laurette can't, especially after she uncovers a story about a curse involving bones buried in the catacombs. He sloughs it off until people he knows, who have been touched by this festering wound, get horribly ill. At that point, he reluctantly agrees to allow Laurette to help him find treatment in her Haitian community. 

At the heart of this story is the power of alternative medicine. When the Western medicine Ben is studying assiduously doesn't seem to help, he turns to Laurette's Vodou. Not voodoo. There is a distinctive difference Rubin masterfully unpeels, layer by layer, building the drama relentlessly until no reader can put this book down. With an enticing mixture of modern and ancient medicine, the story not only intrigued me but educated me.

I have been desperate for a new medical thriller author and I'm pretty sure I’ve found her. If you haven’t read any of Carrie Rubin's books, do yourself a favor and start with this one. And then read all of them.

Note: This review will be posted to my blog, WordDreams, on January 26th

If you love a bit of mystery, history, action and throw in some voodoo, then this book ought to be on your to-read shelf.
The story begins in the catacombs of Paris where Ben Oris, a medical student, is drawn by some unseen force towards a femur. He gets just a scratch from it, but his best friend and companion, Laurette, knows that there is something evil lurking and when they return to Philadelphia, and Ben's immediate relations start falling ill, then they find themselves in a race against time to uncover the mystery behind the sudden illnesses and deaths. It does not get easier on Ben because he's pragmatic. He believes in Science and Medicine and not voodoo as Laurette is trying to get him to understand. I loved the push and pull between the two characters. Ben's hesitation in accepting the existence of a curse or consulting voodoo priests added onto the suspense and made this a thrill to read.
I was also intrigued by a part of the historical setting of the story because I've always wanted to visit the Catacombs of Paris.
The author's writing style is very engaging and you get the sense that she did an in-depth research into Voodoo before writing about it. She does this by having Laurette take time in getting Ben to explore the possibility that there might be dark magic at play in the sudden awful turn of events in his life. She even goes further to make him realize throughout the story that voodoo is not dark magic, but a religion and nothing to be frowned upon. I respected that.
I could not put this book down yesterday because I really wanted to know whether they'd help Ben and I'm glad I received an arc from the publishers and NetGalley. I'll be on the lookout for the writer's works in the future.