I am going to be honest, this book is a hard read. It deals with sexual abuse of a child. Misty is an amazing child, she can speak to nature, which gives us a magical type of element in this read. I believe it is her way of coping, they help each other with trauma. The book is hard to read, but kept me turning the pages. It was a unique voice, I recommend, but remember the trigger warnings.

3.3 - great writing, but I just didn't like the story; I felt like it was overhyped before publication, and it was just a creepy story

A fantastical yet genuine, loving yet hurtful, brilliant yet dangerous story. So emotional and well done that I found myself, and most I knew, in at least one character. I am Penny in this story; except I didn’t realize what was happening until decades later in my version of this story. This is a regret I live with everyday as I was too blind to understand circumstances make us all the people we are. Because of a personal connection to this story I cannot objectively remove myself from my emotions to write about it. So please forgive this review for being haphazard and a bit abstract than my usual musings.

Lead gal Misty discusses names as being the complete essence of everything we are and have done; meaning we cannot avoid the awful things, but also must embrace the wonderful things too. An emotional, throat choking story that some will cry over, will make others lament their own choices, will invoke guilt in a few, and ultimately make every one of us consider what our name is and if we have embraced ourselves and our pasts.

Ashley Bloom has a magical way with words and imagery that gives essence to things that are impossible to describe or know. Her ability to transfer feeling from the words on the page to the reader is incredible.
The opening of this book has a trigger warning from the author in it. Instead of warning about some of the events that transpire in the book I think Bloom should warn that the reader may never be the same after reading it.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to write a conventional review for this novel as it has invoked so many emotions and thoughts that I cannot share with anyone other than my own crawdads (Misty’s creature of choice); my pet snakes. Ironic (or perfect?) that my pets also shed their skin like the crawdads Misty is obsessed with in Every Bone a Prayer. Maybe we all look to shed some part of ourselves and our past; when in actuality humans cannot shed, but we can embrace, accept, and move forward with making our name our own.

If this feels a bit too random or abstract for a review then all I can say is read this moving story and you’ll see for yourself how it changes you. Maybe you’ll have a review of your own that is abstract, emotional, and all over the place just like this one.
This was written moments after reading the last line and knowing if I didn’t write something in the minute it was being felt that nothing I could compose in the future would truly have the right emotion that I feel now.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

A heart wrenching, emotional read. Young Misty, at 10yrs old, has so many conflicting emotions about the things happening in her world, she forces her emotions into physical figures of pain that are coming through the ground. She is a creature of nature that has been abused by those she loves and trusts. Misty understands pain and suffering far too well for a 10yr old. Her emotional growth is a beautiful story, cause and affect aside, her story is written so well you will not be able to escape an emotional reaction. Ashley Blooms is definitely a star on the rise.

This was an emotional story to read, heartbreaking in places but beautiful in others. I loved the character of Misty and rooted for her throughout. It was a haunting story and will stay with me.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I didn't like this one.
It was slow to start, the writing was dull, and I felt like the story was just too familiar. I liked the communing with nature, slight magical realism vibe that the book was giving up and I thought there were elements of something good, but I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm from Appalachia, but the voice, the name Misty, the trailer . . . all of it felt too much like one big anti-us stereotype, more representation making it seem like this is all that happens in Appalachia. I just wasn't a fan.

Interesting and dark read but ultimately not a fan for someone not into thrillers. The story was intriguing but by the end I still didn’t understand anything that was happening. Nothing wrong with the book, just not my style of genre

This is the exact book I wanted when I set out to read "Where the Crawdads Sing"! It features a young girl as the main character who can actually speak with things in nature. This magical realism element made this book so captivating to me. Blooms has an amazing style of writing that creates these gorgeous images for the reader, so they can really be sucked into the story.

There was one element of this book that I found particularly interesting - it starts out with an author's note where Blooms notes that some aspects of the story can be triggering because of descriptions of abuse and other trauma. She offers a link to her website where she describes the triggers and exactly which chapters they happen in. I thought this was a great way to alert readers to difficult subject matter, so that they have the freedom to skip parts that might be too hard for them to read. I kinda wish all books did this!

Anyway, this book just captured this beautiful connection to nature and animals, and I thought the structure was perfect with a satisfying resolution at the end. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys the magical realism genre - Blooms is certainly a talented writer who I'll be checking out in the future!

Interesting description but the characters and plot didn't capture my attention. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

This book was not at all what I was expecting.
I heard many comparisons of this novel to Where The Crawdads Sing, but I didn't really see the resemblance. This is a tale about Misty, a young 10 year old girl who lives in a holler in Kentucky with a special gift. She can speak to animals and inanimate objects inside her head.
The way the author came up with this concept was extremely creative. I have always been fascinated by the idea of a things name, and entirely knowing a thing gives you power over it. So I was immediately intrigued.
Unfortunately, Misty has to face some very adult problems at a very young age.
Her parents are unhappy, and her father leaves them. The neighborhood boy William starts to lure Misty to the barn and sexually assaults her. The author does give a warning to readers about this content in the forward, but it is not overly graphic.
Misty copes with these issues by literally escaping her own skin. I can see how a girl who had this happen to her could feel that way, but Ashley Blooms creates scenes of misty abandoning her skin and walking around in her bone body. For some reason, that piece of the story made me uncomfortable. I think that was the intent because Misty felt so miserable in her own body after the abuse, but these scenes were not my favorite.
Lastly, Misty befriends an unusual presence in the garden, and learns about a woman who had the same gift she did who disappeared years earlier.
Overall, the story was good. It was very unique, and a creative way to look at life through a young girl's eyes. I was a bit relieved with how the story ended, and there was so much more that happened in the book I didn't even highlight here. I was fascinated with the concept of these names and the missing woman Caroline. The story did get a little too magical with the bone walking scenes (for me at least), but luckily there were not too many of those.
I will be chatting with Ashley Blooms on Aug 12th via Zoom in my FB group if you would like to join!

This is a painful book to read. Taking place in an Appalachian holler, it is the story of a place where women have disappeared, child sexual abuse is common. Its also the story of survival and healing. Written by an author who survived child sexual abuse, she writes a story that is filled with characters who stay with the reader long after the book is finished. There is also the sense of fantasy as Misty, the young girl can speak and understand both animals and inanimate objects, but she can’t put into words what a friend did to her. A garden has sprung up a garden with sharp glass edges in a space where nothing would grow before. They can see the garden and Misty can hear it. Names are especially important in this story, private names, and public names. Its an amazing book dealing with trauma, family, and hope.

This is such a great story of a little girl, Misty's, life in the Appalachian and how she uses her imagination as a coping mechanism to deal with the issues in her life. The author's writing was so good that I read this in one sitting.

Every Bone a Prayer by Ashley Blooms is a recommended novel full of magic realism about a young girl who is sexually abused. Misty, ten, her sister Penny, and her mom live in a trailer in an Appalachian Mountain holler. Her parents have separated. Misty is connected to everything that lives around her and loves to go to the creek to speak to every living thing there, but especially to the crawdads. When her neighbor William starts doing some hurtful things to her in the barn, she doesn't know how to handle it or what to do about it. And then there are the strange glass-like statues growing up out of the ground at the neighbors across the road.

This is a beautifully written descriptive novel, but it is also a heartbreaking coming-of-age novel. The novel came from a very emotional, personal place from the author and that shows in the raw emotions present in the raw undercurrents of fear and horror. In the end Misty is a survivor. While I admire many qualities in the writing and emotions of the narrative, I'm the odd reviewer who didn't love Every Bone a Prayer. The set up for the actual novel is very slow and lengthy. Additionally the magic, magic realism, animism, etc. distracted from the important message within the novel. She almost seems to be undergoing a dissociative state, but in her case it is a real separation from her body.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks.
The review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Misty, a 10 year old empath, lives in a holler in Appalachia and her world is coming apart. Set over course of a summer, it follows her as she deals with sexual abuse by William, her teenage neighbor, and the dissolution of her family. She also loses, at least for a while, her ability to speak with nature, especially crawdads. There's a strong thread of magical realism here- which can be read as a coping mechanism but actually lightens this. Blooms has used stream of consciousness to good effect here. She's got a strong voice,. This has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, which is unfair; it has a different theme and stands quite well on its own. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A beautiful book highlighting a young survivor.

Wow! This book was definitely heart felt and difficult to read at times. Misty is such a unique and special girl. She's able to communicate with things. The Author did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. I believe there is a message to this book. Find it. Run with it.

I started this book even though the author put right at the beginning that it could cause triggers. I tried hard to read it and fully intended too. I read until I could not read another word though. As a survivor of rape and molestation it was just impossible. This is an excellent, vivid, book but it just was not one I could continue. I cried so hard and felt so much pain for the child in this story and the hate for the boy next door who was so cruel.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #AshleyBlooms, #SourcebooksLandmark for this ARC. I wish it would have had the author’s words in the synopsis so others can decide before they request this one.

I’ll give it 4/5 stars because of the warning and it started out very good. Loved the little girls.

The author paints a vivid and descriptive picture of life in the hollers of rural Appalachia. I found the dialogue and relationships between Misty's family members to be especially believable. The writing was a bit too lyrical for my taste but
something to try for readers who enjoy that style and like magical realism.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anytime I can read a novel with a plot line uniquely developed (at least to me), I have to give kudos to the author. In this case, both the author herself and her heroine have experienced rape so the book carries an extra punch of reality. The story is part magical realism, part fantasy, a lot of heartbreak and pain, but all beautifully written with great, endearing characters. Learning to cope and survive as well as recognizing family strength and love are strong elements of this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC to read and review.

What a moving novel! Every Bone a Prayer is a multilayered read that had my heart in it’s clutches the entire way through.

Centered around a young girl, Misty, who lives in a holler in the Appalachian Mountains. Misty know life in the holler isn’t easy, but her unusual connection to nature has always been a gift she doesn’t take for granted. As her world changes she tries to adjust accordingly, but then when trauma comes in an unlikely place, Misty isn’t sure she’ll recover. Misty is determine to heal with the resources she has.

Ashley Blooms does a fantastic job with creating a realistic storyline that keeps the reader emotionally invested. I found through Ashley’s writing I was able to vividly picture not only the scenery, but also the emotions. The subject matter was extremely heavy, but I felt there was a balance with the beauty that was shown (and sometimes when I least expected it). There is a trigger warning that I found very honest, understanding, and compassionate. Ashley Blooms is most definitely an author I will jump at the chance to read in the future!

Misty is an unusual child, living in her Appalachian hollow with an ability to communicate with the natural world: trees, rocks, animals--and particularly crawdads, which seem to be her special companions. It turns out that this link to the natural world helps her feel safe when her young life is in tortured turmoil. Misty is the victim of rape, relentlessly assaulted by the teenage boy next door. The silence and shame she endures eventually manifests in the ultimate attempt at escape, and healing only comes as she communes with another victim of domestic violence.

Ashley Blooms lets us know in a preface that she herself is a survivor, and warns her readers about the novel's triggers. This creative effort to express the feelings and experiences of her young character is handled with perceptive intelligence through a lens of magical realism. When Misty feels an urgent pull to escape, this demand on her psyche becomes physically realized in a disquieting manner, a process of shedding her body to leave the pain behind. This approach will not work for everyone, but readers who don't mind fantasy elements expressing devastating emotional landscapes will be rewarded with a compelling protagonist and a story arc that, despite some uneven plotting, reaches a satisfying resolution.