After enjoying Shields’ POISON’S KISS duology, I knew I couldn’t resist picking up THE BONE CHARMER. The promise of bone magic alone was enough to draw me in and mostly kept me hooked for the story. Mostly. But whether it was the timing of reading it or the book itself, I struggled with finishing this one.

My major complaint with this book was really the minimal worldbuilding. It was the world that intrigued me from the start and I really wanted more from it but felt like it was just scratching the surface. I didn’t get a good sense of everything outside Saskia’s immediate story, or a good grasp on the magic system. Building on this, the character development wasn’t working for me either. I never felt a strong connection nor any interest in investing in Saskia or the side characters.

That said, the book was ultimately an easy read and I don’t think it was a bad book by any means, it just wasn’t working for me. I haven’t decided if I’ll read the sequel (there must be one considering the very open ending) but I’ll check it out and see how the reviews pan out.

A very interesting book that reminded me of a few other books I had read. I do really like the idea of a bone witch in stories or in this case a bone charmer. But the story fell a little short for me. To be honest, I started, stopped and restarted this book a few times before finally finishing.

I do not provide literary reviews but I create "fiction food" inspired by the book. I was given a Netgalley copy of the book by the publicist/author/ magazine publisher to create fiction food (photo + recipes) for use in marketing.

https://issuu.com/curiositales/docs/july_2019_issue_13_curiositales_mag
http://fictionfood.com/entries/ya-fiction/a-meal-from-the-bone-charmer

I sadly could not finish this book. Life got I the way. And it led to me DNF-ing several books around this time. What I did read had been really good. And I definitely would love to get some time to go back and start again to read rhw whole way through. It had the starts to a great one

I actually quit this book because I wasn't in the right mood for it at the time.

I don't have any issues, and intend to give it another try in the very near future!

Full review to come!

Engaging story with a strong female main character. I couldn't put it down and am eagerly awaiting the next in this series.

I loved this book. The way the writing brought the reader back and forth between the two parallel timelines was absolutely amazing. The descriptions were astounding and I was hungry for more.

Overall a good story, but I found it boring at times. Can’t wait to read the second book though to see how the story unfolds further.

“Tomorrow my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones.”

This is the first sentence you will read when you pick up this book. If this doesn’t make you want to know what the story is about, then I don’t know what to say to convince you…

We follow Saskia as she goes through the Kenning on her 17th year. This should determine her future career and her future bone-matched soulmate. But then something goes wrong, one of the bones used for her Kenning breaks, and her future is split in two. There is literally two versions of her, with two different plot-lines, and one eventually will disappear.

Now, the whole Declan/Bram debacle – this is a pain, and I cannot tell you how much you will be rooting for a certain main plot to disappear, and I want to say you will be disappointed, but then again, it was just so satisfying to see both stories play out.

This story has a dual main plot and several sub-plots that kept me turning pages. Every time I think I might have figured out something, it gets turned upside-down in the best possible way. The way that the two main plots intersects at the final chapters was seamless. As soon as I finished book one, I immediately wanted to start on book two. It was that good!

The world is wonderfully rich, immersive and diverse. I felt like I was right there with Saskia in a lot of the scenes as they played out. We get glimpses of history, of potential plots to come, of more interesting parts of this world, and I’m dying to learn more of what is out there to see…

“You’re playing with fire, Saskia.” “Maybe. But fire provides warmth and food and life. Sometimes fire is the only way to survive.”

I am so surprised by how well executed this novel is and the fact that it brought a twist on alternate reality, which I am very intrigued by. I loved the whole setting and story line and I hope you all give this a read!

The electronic copy that I received I was not able to load properly on my kindle, so unfortunately cannot give this a proper review. If I ever get a physical copy of this book, I will update my review.

The first two lines of this book set the tone for a magical adventure.

“Tomorrow my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones. It’s how my whole life has been determined — with bones and blood and snapping flames.”
~Saskia, “The Bone Charmer” by Breanna Shields

This book is delicate and hearty at the same time. There are especially heavy notes of family drama, obligation, and wild personality. Elements of romance add fire to the mix!

Every child wonders about “When I Grow Up.” In Saskia’s case, she dreads being guided to her fate. As the story progresses, we watch Saskia grow and change into a strong young woman. What she does with her life is important, but who she becomes is even more noteworthy.

Wow, I am so impressed with this book! I had previously read another book by this author and absolutely hated it so I was a bit hesitant going in but I heard some great reviews and I liked the premise of this book. Thankfully, this book was so good.

I really liked reading about Ryn and her family struggles with money as well as the fact that the bone houses (aka zombies) were starting to show up outside of the forest. I thought it was a very interesting concept. Especially with the fact that the writing and the world was actually quite beautiful that coupled with zombies, it made an unlikely pair but it worked somehow.

The romance was also an element that I enjoyed because it wasn't the forefront of the story. The story was about Ryn trying to save her family and her town from these bone houses and trying to end the decades old curse. But there was a romance and I thought that the trajectory of the romance from tentative strangers to potential friends to something more was really well done.

And the ending when everything was revealed was definitely a surprise because I didn't realize that there was a mystery to be solved (other than the curse) but there was. And I just thought that everything came together really well.

My only issue was that I kept hearing about how they are faeries in this book. Um, that is not exactly true. There is a legend and that was pretty much it. I was definitely hoping that the faeries would play a more prominent role but not the case at all.

Overall, I was very impressed with the story and the characters. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for an enchanting fantasy read.

My feelings on ‘The Bone Charmer’ are quite conflicted, despite overall liking the book. On one hand, I didn’t expect to enjoy the split timeline POVs as much as I did, as I usually find split POV books to be boring and hard to follow. This, on the other hand, was highly enjoyable and really showcased different aspects of Saskia’s personality in each timeline. Personally, I preferred Saskia’s bome charmer timeline and was interested to see how it would be resolved in the end. My issues with the book begin with the complete lack of world building, as I just felt that magic systems were barely explained, nor was the actual setting. I also feel that characters were not properly fleshed out or individual enough as many are unrecognisable if names are not used during scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed reading ‘The Bone Charmer’ and would recommend to some friends, and will be keeping an eye out for a sequel (I can only hope after that ending) in the future!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Wow this was a thrilling read! I usually have a love hate thing with alternate timeline plots but I easily kept up with what was going on and stayed engaged in the story. Saskia was a bit hard to like in the beginning but I warmed up to her a few chapters in. Bram was likeable to me from the beginning just because I knew he'd turn out to be misunderstood, plus he's quiet and introspective. I think the "misunderstood brooding guy" trope was the only plot twist I saw coming, the others caught me by surprise and some just hit me right in my feels. I have to admit I favored Saskia's bone charmer timeline but I liked the relationship between Saskia and her Mother in the tutor timeline. Even though the tutor timeline won out I still enjoyed the ending and the setup for a sequel.
I'm looking forward to book two!
Rating: 4.5 stars
Recommendation: ages 15 and up
FTC Disclaimer: I received thus book in exchange for an honest review

“Tomorrow, my future will be decided by my dead gran’s finger bones. It’s how my whole life has been determined-with bones and blood and snapping flames.”

Magic is my jam. Magic, bones, blood, AND flames?! Oh dark delights, I’m in. And The Bone Charmer did not disappoint on any level.

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this review. Everything about this book has me swooning. I can’t think of a book where the main character is both POV’s but in different timelines. At first, I was a bit skeptical that it would make the story repetitive, or confusing, but by the bones, I should not have worried at all! The different timelines took the suspense and escalated it, like, one million percent. And somehow, as we learn answers in one timeline, we are still left with just as many questions in both timelines, so that by the end, I was reeling with tension. It’s brilliant story telling and I am here for more!

Another thing the alternate timeline POV did, was allow Shields to explore the different aspects of Saskia’s personality and inner thoughts in an incredibly intimate and clever way. We all have the lurking question ‘what if’ come up throughout our lives. What would our life be like? What would we be like? And here, we get to actually explore that question with Saskia. For a coming of age tale, this is such an inventive way to explore two life paths, along with the positives and negatives of each. The idea that there is no perfect path is such a powerful message, and I am thrilled at how it was presented and discussed throughout the story.

I also really loved the examination of fate and choice, and how one isn’t necessarily the same as the other. This is such a beautiful message in a fantasy novel, because it really ensures the reader knows that choice can impact your future, no matter what fate says. That fate is a likelihood, not a path set in stone, and it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking reading how Saskia learns this truth on both of her life paths.

The ending is both perfect and brutal and a punch to the face all at the same time. Be warned, it is a cliffhanger, and will for sure leave you gasping for more. I NEED MORE!!! But it’s also such a satisfying ending. There’s so much to think about and digest. This book is one of those rare gems that you need to read more than once to fully capture and appreciate all the hidden nuance woven into the story. Having to wait and savor the journey feels right, necessary even.

If you love fantasy, magic, and journeys that make you examine your own life and choices, you will fall in love with The Bone Charmer.

Thank you Rockstar Book Tours and Page Street Publishing for sending my a copy and including me on this blog tour!

I have such complicated feelings toward The Bone Charmer. On one hand, I loved how unique the concept was and how the story developed. On the other, there was very little world-building and I struggled to connect with the characters. I wanted so badly to love this book but it just didn't have the depth necessary for me to be able to fully immerse myself in this world.

There was a lot working for this book - I adored the idea of the split timelines and Shields did an amazing job with making both of the storylines equally compelling. It's always fascinating to see how things can play out so differently based on one decision. The concept of the book was fantastic as well and there were so many intriguing things introduced.

My main issue with this book is that it was lacking in world-building. I just wanted more. More information about the world and Saskia's society. More information about magic. More information about the other characters. And definitely more background for the big bad. Because of this, The Bone Charmer never reached fantastic for me, although I still found the story to be enjoyable.

If I had read this one when I was a teenager, I would have absolutely loved it! While The Bone Charmer didn't quite work for me now, I do think that it will appeal to many readers. If you're looking for a unique YA fantasy, considering checking this one out.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure other people will enjoy it! I didn't like the parallel worlds, and I didn't like how the MC treated one of the potential love interests (Yes, this is a book with a love triangle and I'm sure if I had continued on I would've grown to feel conflicted between who I wanted her to end up with.

I love the idea for this book, but so far that's it. I might give it another shot later on.

I received a copy of this book from Rock Star Book Tours in conjunction with Netgalley, and them sending me a digital galley in no way influenced my thoughts on the book.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Writing
This book was actually REALLY good! The writing was very gripping & interesting. I read 75% of this book in 1 day because I was just so into the story, I just couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed the writing. The author did an awesome job of describing the world & magic system thoroughly but it never felt like info dumping which was awesome. The characters developed well throughout the book, some good & some bad but the development was there and it felt natural.

Plot
The plot of this book is so freaking interesting. This book basically follows two possible futures after a certain point in time and it was done SOO well! There was action & drama in both sides that kept you on your toes! It was very unpredictable as well which is awesome. The whole plot just flowed really well on both sides. I thought things might of been confusing but that definitely wasn’t the case. The author did an awesome job of writing this unique plot and I loved it.

I also love that there was never any confusion when it came to the 2 different plots we were following. Obviously both sides followed the same MC & I feel like she felt different in each side and she developed differently because of what she went through on that side. It was just written really well!

Characters
The characters are kinda hard to talk about because there were 2 versions of most characters, one in each possible future. The characters in each future developed really well though & I was really invested in these characters. Especially so on one of the futures and I really liked one of the romances , which is really weird as I’m just not usually that person. All the characters were really well done, the good guys & the bad guys. They were all written very well! I think that is all I’ll say about the characters as otherwise it is going to get too confusing by trying to avoid spoilers if I actually talk about the characters individually.

Overall
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were awesome, the world was super interesting, the magic system was unique and interesting as well. Everything about this book was just interesting & fun. It dragged me in and did not want to let go! I really hope there is a sequel to this book. It ended as if it was leading into another book but there is no series for this book on Goodreads and I can’t find any info for it! I really hope there is though! It was just so good and also, like I said, the ending felt like it was leading somewhere else & I need to know!!

In a world where your future can be told by a bone charmer, society is balanced by those who can set a person on the best fit path. But when Saskia has her own reading and is given a future she didn’t think she wanted she accidentally breaks a bone in her reading. The breaking of the bone splits her future into two and she must find a way to consolidate them as well as piece the bone back together before she may cease to exist. All the while something seedier is playing in the background that brings danger lurking at her door.

The Story
This book was so much more than I expected! At first I only really cared about one of the POV, but I learned to cherish both sides of the story. Obviously in the end one of the stories is thought to stop existing, but I was definitely set up for a surprise with the direction the story went.

Fighting the future is reminiscent of time travel and going back in in time to fix things. Except instead of changing something in the past and then seeing the reaction you don’t quite know if the future is what your reaction is going to be? Anyway, all if it is so mind boggling and I guess I can understand how some people don’t really care for futures/time travel books, but when they’re done this well I relish it.


The World Building
So the world building isn’t super in depth. We have this society where there are people with bone magic (and people who don’t have it to) and they get some special training to hone their skills. The skill vary depending on the bone magic, and none are really put in depth, but I don’t think I would have appreciated the book as much if a thorough report of how each one worked was included. The amount that was there was sufficient to keep the plot going. I loved the multiple dimensions to bone magic. It wasn’t just that Saskia was read to be a bone charmer, but the type of bone charmer she was – and the fact that there were types as opposed to one all seeing person was clever. I love that there was unraveling of the past, seeing the future, and in her case seeing the current happenings.

I think it’s important to remember that the book is called Bone Charmer, which means we don’t really need to know all about the society and where they live and what it looks like etc. The story was about the bone charmer. Therefore, the fact that I am normally enthralled with world building, I was still satisfied with what amount I got. The focus was on that particular magic and that was enough. If you’re expecting a lot of differential in the bone/blood magic included in this, there really isn’t much going on, so please don’t be disappointed. Aside from different types of bones doing different readings, and the infusion of blood with the readings, there isn’t too much to it.

There was a little bit on how the society revolved around these bone readings and I found it super intriguing, because not everyone could get one and there are obviously more than just the regular professions. So it ended up being this idea of this magic that is built upon an already functioning, non-magical type of world. There was one instance in fact of how the dangers on how one could overly spend and invest in bone readings and how that money could be better spent equalizing the bone readings to those of lower classes.

I loved the allegory seen there that portrayed the idea of something that should be accessible to everyone as it being a common right, not just something extra for those who can afford it.

The Characters
Saskia is such an entitled brat in the beginning that I almost immediately hated her. I loved her character ARC and how she learned through her own unsheltered experiences how to view the world. Her whole life was somewhat controlled by her mother as she constantly was able to do bone readings on her as she was growing up (her mother is a bone charmer as well) and the way she breaks the barriers that her mother’s path sent her on was smoothly written. She obviously stumbled a little on the way, but I love how she comes through at the end. Despite her desires she still holds true to her nature, and is completely honest with herself if not with others.