I know this is the first book in a series, so obviously they had to leave some stuff for the second book, but I think a little too much was left unfinished and unanswered. It started off slow and then gradually built up to... nothing. Literally nothing happened at the end. There was absolutely no closure and it felt really unsatisfying to get to the end and have it just end abruptly in the middle of the story.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting but honestly, the lack of world-building and explanation of what was actually going on with regards to why magic was so deadly to humans and how it even works was a little frustrating. It just felt like the author was making up the magic system as they went along because it made absolutely no sense and just worked however was convenient for the plot at the time. The author could have spent a little less time describing literally everyone's eyes in detail and a little more time explaining the pretty-crucial-to-the-story magic system. The book's synopsis mentions The Third Reich being the reason the Gate was originally opened and Armin being used to open it again... but unless I missed something, none of that was mentioned in this book.

Also, completely random but something silly that bugged me, how does the wolf hunt for food when his saliva has healing properties?

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book. It did have some good parts that obviously kept me reading and makes me want to pick up the next book, but I couldn't bring myself to love it either because of the reasons I mentioned above. So, a middle of the road 3 stars is all I can give this one and hopefully the second book will be better at answering questions and providing closure.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

This was great. It has a dark fairy tale vibe that made it very atmospheric. This is the first book in a trilogy, I believe, so it's more about setting up our players and the world and sets up the the next two books well. It really grabbed my attention and I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series.

Marrow Charm really started off strong, but when Armin appeared I was ready to give up. I like the characters, and the worldbuilding was absolutely stunning. However, I don’t think this book is for me. It has a great premise, aside from a confusing mention of the Third Reich, and great characters. We have a lot of unanswered questions and great build up to the second book. A solid book, but just not for me.

After Azzys brother is cast out of their city, Azzy goes with him. to help him through the magic borne illness that has caused him to been cast to the above. Soon they are faced with human traffickers, monsters and unlikely allies. After they become separated Azzy is determined to find her brother even as it draws her to a terrifying city where inhuman lords run everything and humans are bid upon. Can she get to her brother before his illness turns him into something, she can no longer be able to reach?

I really liked how fast paced and deep the story got right away. I found it had a great build up and it was flowing great until about half way through. It seems to just stall and drag a bit. If you can get through that I will say it does get better. The author builds a good cast of characters to help show how the world has changed. She makes a strange lead character which also helps pull some of the story through.

Overall, its a good story, it just lost me at times. I think I would have been able to give it a higher rating if it hadn’t become slow in the middle.

This is cool fantasy type book. I liked following Azure as she journey from her safe, familiar underground world to the danger lurking behind every corner overworld. I look forward to hearing more about Azzy.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars.

Dark, gritty and moving - this story of sibling loyalty and the realms we will traverse for those we love is hard hitting and fast paced.

There are a few nuances that I felt were missed with regards to some of the other connections and relationships throughout the story, I wanted a little more polish from them. But overall I enjoyed the world and it's grim undercurrent. I am drawn to the peculiar and the macabre so this certainly resonated with me.

If you're not into dark fantasy, then this will not be for you. However if you are, there will be plenty to make your skin crawl, and it will ensnare you with it's hooks and drag you deep into a world very much twisted from our own.

This book started with an interesting premise, and I loved the opening scene of Azure fighting a giant spider and saving a wolf, but I lost interest fairly quickly. I feel like it was the writing style. The story itself seemed interesting, but there was something that didn't draw me into the world and the character's problems,.

The first few chapters of this book had me totally reeled in! I was raving to friends about how I couldn't wait to finish work and read more. Unfortunately, the rest of the story didn't hold up for me. The further I got into the book, the more it moved away from that initial level of excitement. I wasn't a fan of the characters, and often found myself forgetting little details. Something about it just wasn't very memorable. That being said, I'll definitely still watch out for more books by Kristin Jacques because those first few chapters were phenomenal!

I started reading this on October 11, 2019. The beginning totally blew my mind; it was that great.

And then Armin appeared I just could not stand him. So, I took a break. Then it was almost the end of July 2020; it felt like this book would remain on my Currently reading shelf forever. So, I sort of challenged myself.

August 3, 2020, and I did manage to finish this! Really proud moment for me.

While I did manage to finish this, I still cannot rate this very high if only because of how long it took me to read this.

Anyway, the beginning was amazing. Then it started to drag. Then my problem was removed, and it started to pick up. I loved the Above. It certainly had the potential to be great. I enjoyed all the different creatures and everything.

But then the story shifted once again, and it was again hard to care. I can absolutely acknowledge that the story ended on a high. There is a pretty decent built up for the next book.
However, here is a bit of the usual "it's me, not the book" and it's just the reason that I do not care. So many things are unanswered. What will happen to everyone? What is even going on? This is absolutely an open ending. And yet, I'm fine with not knowing. If you ask me now, the answer will be no. No, I won't be reading the next book.

But despite all of this, I certainly think that many may and will enjoy this book. It just did not sit right with me.

Also, what is "the Third Reich" in the blurb? My mind totally went to the Third Reich of 1933 - 1945, which is the reason why I was interested in the story. The Third Reich and magic sounded intriguing. But either I missed something, or the Third Reich was only in the blurb.

**3.5 Stars**

I had heard that this was a fantastic read by a friend and I was intrigued to read it, but I will admit that I knew nothing about the book when I started reading it (I completely forgot what the synopsis said since I read it so long ago) so I basically went into this story blind which made for a very interesting reading experience.

This was a very dark story, with graphic imagery of death/destruction and cannibalism, survival and all other kinds of torture and messed up situations. That being said, it was a very interesting story, it was just super dark and surprising- also 100% unique. The story would best be described as a dystopian, where humans have moved from the surface of the earth for survival, and magic is now a normal commodity. In this new world, people struggle to survive, food not a given so instead of burying the dead, they are consumed. People fear those who do not conform, and magic is a terrible force for destruction.Keep in mind that this is the first book in a series and it has a huge shocking ending, so anticipate needing more answers soon!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had a unique premise and great characters. I kinda loved the what if and we see the results in a believable way.

'In his pursuit of the occult, the Third Reich opened the Gate to a realm of magic and brought the world to ruin. The Gate was eventually closed, but They were already in our world and They were hungry.'

Wow where do I start! This book was dark! Full of magic, mystery and monsters and I loved it!
Azure (azzy), her brother Armin and their guardian Brixby live underground in the Below after magic has decimated the world above. The below is plagued with The Rot a disease that turns its hosts into monsters. The infected get cast out into the above to slow the spread. Azzy would do anything to protect her brother even if that means following him to the above when he's cast out. However Azzys pursuit to help her brother doesn't go according to plan. Nothing can prepare her for the perils that lurks in the above.
Holy fireballs this book! It was jam packed. The book is split into 3 parts. The first is told solely by Azure the second and third we get an input from other characters in the book including alot of what Armin goes through after being cast out to the Above. It was great to learn what Armin went through and to get an insight into what was going on with the other characters. I really liked all the main players in this book. The character development and world building was really well executed and the whole world just sucks you in. I wish we'd learnt a bit more about the whole idea around the book regrading the Third Reich and the gate. Also at the start we get introduced to alot of monsters and I did struggle to keep up with what was what. This book ends on a cliff hanger and I need (NEED not want) to read the sequel I have to know what is going to happen next. An absolute cracker of a book!

This was a really good book! It took me a while to finish though.

It's been a while since I read a dystopian, and I love what the author tried to do here. She introduced us a rich world with wild magic and a whole new system, but it was a bit much at times, because I feel like you really get thrown into the middle of it all right from the start!

This was basically non-stop action, with Azzy and Armin hurtling from one bad event to the next, and I just couldn't fathom how one (or two) people could be so unlucky!

I love the characters they encountered along the way though (especially Azzy) and I can't wait to see how this continues!

I loved the writing in Marrow Charm! It is wonderful and lush with gorgeous world building and an unique plot. We get multiple POVs here, each told in third person, and I love all the characters! Solid fantasy!

Wonderful book!
Really liked reading this fresh and outstanding book. It was a real pleasure to read it.
Thanks for the publisher for the opportunity to read this in advance

A page turning dystopian! Devoured from start to finish. The magic system was incredible and well thought out. There were plot points that I didn’t see coming and I am waiting for the next book! That cliffhanger.

So where do I start with this one. It was a good novel albeit confusing.

For the first half, i mostly understood what was happening but once I hit part 2 and the tale started to follow Azzy's brother I got so ridiculously confused that I went back 6 chapters and reread them. But I was still confused.

The worldbuilding, while fairly basic was very well done. I would have liked to know more about why the world was fractured into cannibalistic underground dwellers and rich above ground city dwellers. Also in the blurb it mentioned something about opening a gate - WHAT FRICKING GATE IS BEING OPENED?

And that ending was just... I can't even describe it. At what time throughout the entirity of this novel was it explained that people could sprout wings and fly???

Overall it wasn't too bad. It's guaranteeed to hit all those usual fantasy demographics, containing well loved tropes. Did I enjoy it? Kind of. Would I read the sequel? Probably (mostly to work out what the hell is happening). Would I read it again? Um, I honestly don't know...

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Parliament House for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I had no idea I needed another "humans destroyed the world and had to seek refuge under the Earth" book until I picked up this book. I went in expecting something a bit tropey and similar to all the other books like that (which is a trope I do so enjoy as it is), but ... wow was I surprised. I clearly DID need another one of these books, and Marrow Charm was just that.

- I was hesitant going in, because I had very strong City of Ember vibes and the like, where it sort of feels like if you’ve read one “everyone moved underground because of a disaster that made the surface world uninhabitable,” you’ve sort of read them all. But boy was I wrong. This world is simultaneously charming and terrifying, and I just loved it so much. The above world isn’t so much uninhabitable as it is dangerous and unpredictable, with no guarantee of safety, let alone survival. It’s mostly just assumed that if you go above ground, you die. Heck, if you live below ground, you also often die. The odds aren’t great. This is a world founded on magic, but rather, the idea that magic corrupts, and the world has become twisted and lost because of it. The idea felt so unique and original that I quickly fell in love with it.

- This world is so full of beasts and monsters and magic, and I absolutely loved exploring it. As I said, even below, there are strange and nasty creatures and workings afoot. But above? Phew. Just like Azzy, I had no idea what to expect, and I was instantly swept away with the beauty and the danger (because of course the two go hand-in-hand, right?). It’s a cutthroat world of danger and excitement, of love and loss, of magic and destruction. My favorite part of this world, by far, were to see the corruptions, the way magic has changed the living creatures. Because magic corrupts, and nothing is immune from that. Azzy encounters from freaking harrowing creatures, and they just sort of took my breath away with their ferocity and darkness but also uniqueness.

- The bond between Azzy and her brother, Armin, is just beautiful, and I was all about these siblings who would do anything for each other. When I say anything, I mean pretty much anything. The things these siblings give up in order to try to stay together is astounding. Their bond is unbelievable, but in a good way, and just warms my heart.

- There is obviously so much more to this world, and this book only just scratches the surface. I just can’t wait to dig into the next one. There were so many questions I had when this book ended … but in a good way? The series obviously isn’t finished, but I felt like it wrapped up in a good enough place. But I had so many things I wanted answered that were raised in the first one, and it makes me all the more eager to read the next book. There’s obviously a lot of secrets still left to be discovered, especially about the magic, both the cause of it and how it affects people. There are some explanations and some things discovered or revealed little by little, and it really had me on the edge of my seat. I need to know more.

- There’s a hint at a romance that feels a little … weird? But also … I ship it. Logistically, I’m not entirely sure how it would work, and that’s about all I can say. It’s a hard-won sort of affection, for sure. Neither party fully trusted the other, but had to work together for assured survival, basically. One of my favorite tropes. I was all about the little tit-for-tat between them where they couldn’t leave because, you know, they “owed a debt” to the other … because emotions are hard, and owing someone a debt is so much easier than caring for them. I really hope this develops more in the next book.

Here is my spoiler-free review! This book you guys. I was crazy about the concept as soon as I read the synopsis. I told my family all about it and (im)patiently awaited the release date. I got crazy excited when @theparliamentpress included me in the book tour here. This book is getting 5 stars from me and I’ll be counting down the days until the next installment. I really loved the strong family theme throughout the book and the unique plot made it difficult to put down! Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! And then come talk to me about it.