Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i> The Cold Is in Her Bones </i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>The Cold Is in Her Bones</i> by Peternelle van Arsdale is a solid addition to the young adult fantasy genre. The novel, while engaging, falls into the familiar territory of fairy tale retellings and coming-of-age stories. With a foundation rooted in classic themes of curses, folklore, and self-discovery, the narrative builds a world that is both enchanting and ominous.

<h4>The Details</h4>

The characters are well-crafted, and the author successfully explores themes of isolation and the consequences of fear. The friendship dynamics add emotional depth to the narrative.

Van Arsdale's writing style is descriptive and immersive, allowing readers to visualize the cursed village and its inhabitants vividly. The pacing is generally steady, though some parts of the plot may feel predictable. The incorporation of folklore and mythology enhances the world-building, creating a rich backdrop for the story.

The story's reliance on familiar tropes may leave readers seeking a more innovative take on the genre somewhat disappointed. While the resolution of the curse is satisfactory, it follows a conventional path that lacks surprising twists.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>The Cold Is in Her Bones</i> is a commendable fantasy novel that delivers a captivating narrative within the boundaries of its genre. It offers an enjoyable reading experience for fans of classic fairy tales and mystical adventures.

Gothic romance that I highly recommend..the writing style is beautiful and haunting..you will not soon forget this novel and characters.

This is a young adult fantasy based on the myth of Medusa. It sounded great, but it fell a bit flat. I was expecting more a connection to the Greek tale, but it was just a loosely inspired story. It was good enough to keep my attention, and I did like the pace and characters.

This is my least favourite kind of review to write. This is one of the books that there’s nothing really that I disliked a lot or that’s wrong with it but I just have kind of underwhelming feelings about. I think people who like kind of mythology/folktale type books might like this better. It’s got a very fairy tale feel, kinda like if Gail Carson Levine wrote dark books, and if that’s something that appeals to you, this might be more your thing. But I’ve talked before about fantasy books can be a hard sell for me and this was one of those cases.

Also can we talk about the fact that this is supposed to be a Medusa retelling? Because I didn’t get that at all. Like okay, I got that there was a snake thing, and at times I went, “Oh this is Medusa inspired,” but I never would have called it a Medusa retelling. I don’t think having one thing in common makes it a retelling.

Something I think that really made this not work as well for me is actually how long it is. It’s under three hundred pages? Sometimes the plot time-skipped months at a time and yet it didn’t feel like time was passing because it happened in a sentence or a paragraph. With that, the characters felt under-developed. They’re fine, but they never excited me. I didn’t feel like I was getting to know them or understanding them, just… observing them. And what I was observing wasn’t that interesting at the beginning.

I think the thing I thought was most interesting was the idea that anyone in the village Iris came from would use the threat of demon possession against any girl who acts angry or has any sort of spine at all. Of course that would happen. It has happened, again and again, historically. But it’s so under-explored that it was honestly disappointing. Most of the girls that happened to don’t even get names.

Plus like, what about queer girls? How does demon possession effect them? Are they targeted by families more? There aren’t any in the book, so I couldn’t tell you. There’s nada for diversity in this, period, and it’s kind of dull to read honestly.

I will say, props to the cover designer for getting a very accurate one. The girl actually looks like Milla, and the snakes are exactly like they are in the book. I also did really enjoy that there was basically no romance in this. It’s nice to read books without romance sometimes.

Overall this just wasn’t my favourite book in the world.

I got about halfway through this book before putting it down. Nothing specifically bothered me, it just wasn't for me. 100% subjective.

I was a little disappointed with this one after reading van Arsdale's first novel, The Beast is an Animal and absolutely falling in love with the atmospheric darkness of it all, I think the brevity of this one really hindered the narrative, and didn't let it breathe. It felt like it was trying to be too many things in a very short amount of time. For something marketed as a sort of Medusa parable, I was surprised by the turn it took into using Victorian madhouses as a metaphor for keeping girls down. If that had been mentioned in the synopsis itself, I may have enjoyed it more, as I am a gigantic fan of Victorian plots. I would have liked to have seen Peternelle can Arsdale take her sweet time with this one, to really let the reader stew in what she was trying to get across, because at the end of it all, I felt like she did have something powerful to say, it just wasn't as impactful as it could've been.

This is a loose retelling of the Medusa Greek myth. I say loose because we have a Christian-religion girl who grew up lonely an isolated. She befriends snakes and lets them nest in her hair, and this causes scandal in the town and she is seen as being possessed by evil.
This book screams folktale, or a future Tim Burton film. The prose is beautiful and haunting, with just enough "gore" to make it a little cringe worthy. This book is definitely odd and therefore not for everyone. but if you are looking for something different, this is will fit the bill.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a different take and a really loosely based story on the Medusa myth. When I say loosely based I mean there' really only 3 similarities, the snake element, the family issues, and one pissed off supernatural.

I had a hard time getting into it and I couldn't really identify with the characters. It was also really slow in more than a few places. Some of the things that it did have going for it were the many layers of story. It may not have been executed as well as it could have, but it was a really cool concept.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, the jury is still out on that one. It really didn't meet my expectations and it was just ok for me

I found this book concept very unique and I enjoyed reading it. I found it fast paced and easy to get into

I expected so much based on the description of this story. And as I began reading it just didn't grab me. I read maybe the first few chapters and then couldn't finish

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book for a review. This is a Medusa – inspired tale and not what I was expecting. If you don’t like snakes this is not the book for you. It is a dark fable more on the lines of the original Grimm brothers rather than Disney.

Peternele van Arsdale writes a chilling story of demonic possession, female friendships and unity among secluded communities. Miller has been protected from the dangers beyond the safety of her family. However, when her brother’s wife to be, Iris, friends MIlla, she is thrust into a world of forbidden secrets and terror. When the demon comes for Iris, Milla must decide between staying safely in her comfort zone or fight for the lives of many possessed girls.
I seriously enjoyed this novel. Devil possession is a buzz word for me, as I love horror and twisted tales, Arsdale definitely delivered that. The writing of the girls who are under possession are chilling and creates a vivid image of horror in your imagination. I loved especially, that the writing gives you enough information to picture the scenes in your head and have your own take on the novel, rather than the narrator blatantly telling you step=by step what is happening.

The writing was compelling, scary and vivid and extremely unique. I would recommend to young adult readers who are looking to dip their toes in the world of horror.

This book has an interesting premise - a sort of twist on the Medusa legend. Overall I enjoyed this story. I did find some parts a bit scattered, but for the most part, the story made sense and I was interested in seeing how things turned out. There were some weird parts (but then, what is weird when you are in a fantasy story?), in the second half of the book. I'm glad I finished this book, but I don't think it is one that I would reread. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy and who is interested in twists on classic mythology legends. It was an entertaining read! I requested an ARC of this book through Netgalley #netgalley #thecoldisinherbones

This Medusa-inspired tale is captivating! I felt for Milla, feeling all alone and kept apart from everyone... But when the story unfolds, we understand why and oh the fantasy of it!

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is so magical and wonderful. It paints such vivid imagery throughout the story. I would highly recommend this to my friends.

Who can resist a tale that is inspired by the Medusa myth? I certainly couldn't and was from the very first page lost in this dark mesmerizing tale. The Cold is in Her Bones is all about the bonds between siblings, friendship, young women finding themselves, and vengenance too. I feel that this is a novel that will appeal to both YA and adult audiences, even if snakes aren't your thing. I felt the atmosphere of the novel very similar to the hysteria that surrounded the Salem Witch trials in the 17th century. The way in which all girl children were looked at as being suscepetible to the demons or the darkness and were often ignored by their society. Peternelle van Arsdale captured me with her haunting imagery and I most certainly am placing her on my "must- watch" list

Suspenseful and vividly imagined, The Cold Is in Her Bones is a novel about the dark, reverberating power of pain, the yearning to be seen and understood, and the fragile optimism of love.

The characters in this book were very interesting the villains very complicated, and a plot pulled from a dark fairy-tale. This was a very suspenseful and quick read, one that held my interest from cover to cover with a very satisfying ending.
Thanks again to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A dark fairytale about girls who don't conform and curses, The Cold in in her Bones is different and refreshing in its plot, but as far as the writing goes, it didn't hold my attention. When Milla's new friend and to-be-sister-in-law gets taken by the curse that plagues the girls of the village closest to her family's farm, she sets out to save her. She herself has been kept ignorant of the curse and life limited to the farm and its environs, but as the curse starts to affect her, too, in a very different way, she starts to question the origin of the curse.

I really thought it would have Medusa references, but aside from a couple of snakes growing out of her head, Milla is pretty much a regular girl who has been lied to by her parents, her brother, and her neighbors. She sympathizes with the cursed girls, which is why she tries to free them from the villagers (there is a bit of witch hunting like scenario going on, with them getting rid of every slightly disobedient girl this way - which I feel could have been explored better to round out the plot), and then tries to start a new life. However, the curse will linger until its broken, so she has to face it. I felt it took too long to get to that point, and built a lot up, but then the climactic scene was meh? The bonus is there is no romantic subplot to distract from the story, so that is good.

Overall, it is a good read but not something that kept me ensnared.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to Netgalley & Simon and Schuster Canada for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not gonna lie, I don't know how to review this book. There were so many good things, and so many meh things that I find it hard to articulate the finer points. But, I will try my best.

This book is a 3.5 for me. Despite how engaging it was and how in the last couple parts I couldn't put it down it didn't cross that 4 star threshold.

This story, at it's core was a story of sisterhood. Of bonds between women that break familial ties. It's a story of how you don't need to wave around a sword or be able to kick ass to be a strong woman.

Milla's growth from a meek, obedient girl to a woman who speaks her mind and doesn't back down was the best part for me. Although the rebellious instincts were a part of her the whole time they were barely acted on in fear of the curse. I had some issues though. Her strong will to save her friend's life was admirable but extremely naive at times. She kept insisting she knew things when she didn't and get frustrated when people would tell her she was wrong.

The journey was lacking in places and in some parts the story was moving at a snails pace. To counter that, once I was half done, the story really picked up and that's when it got excitingand we started to see Milla's growth. Seeing Milla not give up and charge forward to save her friend was a good change of pace. Not a lot of stories focus on friendship and I liked that. The ending had parts that didn't really need to be added. I feel like the solution could have been figured out regardless of Milla needing help.

I loved the focus on women in this book, and the relationships created between them. Especially Milla's fierce protectiveness over other female characters regardless of only meeting them for a short time. I loved that her and Iris' friendship was so strong that even when Milla was told that Iris' mind was gone, she knew it wasn't true.

The writing was very engaging. There were a few times when the author was describing a drink or a setting and I could feel myself cringing from all the icky details. I loved how simple the writing was? It reminded me of how fairy tales are written, this one just turned out to be a longer fairy tale.

They market this as a medusa retelling, but the only thing medusa about it is a woman with snakes for hair, and a body, and everything else. At it's core it wasn't very medusa-esque, but I could feel Medusa's curse have an influence on this story.

Milla has always been told to be obedient to keep the demons at bay. Once a girl steps out of line, the demon Hulda will possess them and take over their minds. Milla lives in solitude on her family farm with her mother, father and brother, Niklas. She is not allowed to go to the village where the curse runs rampant. When a village girl named Iris moves to live with her grandparents, Milla finally has a friend but she quickly realizes that the demon is closer than she once thought.

This is supposed to be a retelling of Medusa, but it must be very loosely based off of this story. I felt that the story progressed very slowly and not much of a plot occurred. At times I was bored and became disinterested in the story. I didn't much care for what happened to Milla and her family or the girls who became possessed. I did like the theme of the female friendships and how loyal Milla was to Iris.

Overall just an average read for me.