I've never been so exhausted by a book before.

Look, this book was good. Great, even! There were some awesome action scenes, a really neat Victorian London with SFF vibes, a cool main character, and a mystery that kept me reading. Iris is such an open enigma and I wanted to know all about her past and why she can't die. Even the other characters close to her, I loved their powers and how they interacted with her story . But I swear to god my book was growing as I read.

It's almost 500 pages but with the font size it's more like 800 ... and it felt like it. I have never had such difficulty finishing a book. I gave up at the three quarter mark to skim and that still took three days to finish. The pacing brought this book tumbling down because it needed to be so much snappier. The author devotes a lot of time to description and detail and it was not necessary. A full page and a half to talk about a couple outfits. A lot of it could have been sacrificed to keep things going and still tell the same great story.

I have a few issues with the number of characters, the games themselves, the secrets, and the romance (why are all three boys going after her?) but I don't see a point in discussing them. I enjoyed the book for what it was and will leave it at that. I may give the second book a shot as I am quite curious about where it will go from here, but I think it would be much better as an audiobook instead.

This was an interesting start to this historical fantasy series. There was a lot of world building happening in this book and I think that will lead to a great second book and beyond. Looking forward to reading the second book "The Song of Wrath" when it releases later in 2023, to see where the story takes us next.

This book has an interesting concept which I enjoyed reading. The story drew me in - and I had many questions on how it would be resolved. I loved the last chapter - and I cant wait to see where it will go in the last book.

This historical fantasy is a lot of fun. It has all the hallmarks of a good YA book: a strong female lead character, a variety of cool magical powers, a competition, and teen angst.
This was amazing!! Also so bloody and violent, lived for it all.

I’m not sure why but I couldn’t get into this book. I had to DNF after a while. I really thought I would enjoy it but it wasn’t for me. Hoping to go back to it someday and try again and I would still recommend people give it a shot!

*Thank you to the publicist at Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

What an incredible story to get invested in! A Victorian London filled with people that possess abilities not too unlike magic, and a tournament that might just be the key to discovering Iris's past. The Bones of Ruin had everything I love in book; a wonderful set of characters to fall in love with, a setting sharing both fantasy and historic vibes, unique powers, and of course, a hint of romance! At some points in the story, it was a little bit slow and hard to get through, but the whole of it and the captivating plot made up for it. I'm intrigued to see where the sequel takes us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC!
The premise of this book was so intriguing to me, set in Victorian era London with a black female main character driving the story. But somewhere along the way it didn’t deliver on what I think it should’ve delivered on.
The story starts to go in a lot of different directions, it gets very lengthy in the middle and I had to give it the ol’ slim for a while. I also found the romantic elements to be a hard sell, I didn’t really need it. What I did like was the fantasy elements, the representation and the story as a whole.
Not sure I’ll pick up the next book in the series, but all in all I enjoyed this one.

A wild magical mysterious read in the late 1800’s. Tight rope acrobat Iris doesn’t know who she is or where she came from but she can do star her things that no one else can. She can die and come back over and over.
One man might know the key to her past but it won’t be easy to get answers

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Overall I enjoyed the book but found that the pacing was slightly off - my advanced copy ended up expiring but I was still invested enough in the story that I borrowed the Bones of Ruin from my local library to finish it off.

This book is wonderfully weird. I am still feeling conflicted after sitting with it for some time.

Bones of Ruin is dark, graphic and is an interesting mix of the fantastical reimagining of London mixed with historical atrocities often omitted from Victorian period pieces in popular culture. There were elements I loved, elements I didn’t, and those I’m still waiting on an explanation for. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 in hopes the next book answers some questions.

*mild spoilers ahead*

The concept, as I understand it, is fantastic and it has all the makings of a wonderful story. Iris, our MC is a black circus performer with a huge secret in Victorian London( or this version of it). Her secret seems to be that she cannot die, but of course it goes deeper than that. The problem is that Iris has no memories if her past and does not know why she cannot die. Adam holds the key to her secrets in his blood-soaked hands, but will only reveal them in time as she participates in the Tournament of Freaks - a deadly competition held by a secret society - as one of his champions. She is joined by a rag-tag group of “freaks,” each with extraordinary abilities, desperation borne from a tragic history and nothing to lose. Racism, slavery, classism and poverty all feature heavily in this book and play a large part in the circumstances this group finds themselves in. This books also explores eugenics, industrialism and colonialism while weaving a science fiction-esque doomsday tale. It is A LOT.

In execution, I found it the story to be a little jumbled and the characters lacking depth. The love triangle/square seemed wholly unnecessary and didn’t add to the story in my opinion. Since the character development was shallow, it felt as though the love interests were only interested in Iris as a pretty, yet mysterious object. It made the relationships tedious and unsatisfying to read. It also took time away from developing such a complex storyline.

Overall, while I enjoyed the book, it was a difficult read for me. I often felt like I was missing pieces and would flip back and reread. I do believe this was an intentional stylistic choice as the characters in the book are also missing many pieces.

Raughley has made a choice that isn’t often seen in this genre, and that is to offer no resolutions that could satisfy the reader within this first book of the series. The mystery at the heart of this book is one that isn’t quite solved and although we have more information, I don’t feel like I have a concrete understanding of anything. I intend to continue the series in hopes that many of my questions will be answered.

I have high hopes the second book and I hope the pacing is a little bit faster as I will most definitely need to do a reread to understand the next book.

This was a fantastic story! That prologue really set up the intrigue, and I just needed to know what the heck was going on! And then we met Iris, and her story was captivating, I wanted to know her past and her secrets, same as she did! I just loved this story!

I enjoyed getting to know these characters and this world, though there were some points where I was just infuriated. Like that auction scene. And overall the way people of colour were treated in this book was about as horrible as you can expect. That was just so awful, and that they had to go through that was just terrible!

Throughout, Iris wants answers, of her past, and the memories that she's lost. And Adam knows, but has decided that going through this tournament is the best way for her to gradually get them back. But that was annoying, the way he dealt with that whole situation. But those answers? Wow were they fantastic!

I loved the gang of characters that we meet, from Iris who only has a few years of memory, her partner Jinn, who has a few secrets of his own. Max, who can't seem to take anything seriously. Plus the romance, though I was a bit nervous about that, some poor decisions were made, and there were some reveals that I can't wait to see where it goes from there!

The way things ended, I'm really excited to see where the sequel goes from here! The building blocks were placed in this book, and I can't wait to see what is going to be made of them, and if things are going to go the way that Adam was thinking they're going to!

This was such a fantastic read, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was SUCH a cool fantasy pick. I really love this story and the characters. Definitely will check out this author again!

What an epic story! I admit that it took me a chapter or two to really get into The Bones of Ruin, but once it grabbed hold of me I just couldn't put it down. Iris is a kickass Black female protagonist. I loved uncovering the story of her past as she battles it out in a game of wits and physical prowess in the grisly Tournament of Freaks. Such a fantastic novel full of BIPOC lead and supporting characters. We need more books like this, and I just cant wait for the next one in the series! Sarah Raughley nails it every time!

☆☆☆☆,25 /5
(english review below)

Une lecture spectaculaire, une quête d'identité pleine de rebondissements.
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En tant que danseuse de funambule africaine dans le Londres victorien, Iris a l'habitude d'être étrange. Elle est certainement un spectacle étrange pour le public britannique lorgnant toujours, avide de la curiosité coloniale. Mais Iris a aussi un secret que même le mot « étrange » ne suffit pas pour la décrire...
Elle ne peut pas mourir.
Hantée par son pouvoir surnaturel et sans aucun souvenir de son passé, Iris est obsédée par la découverte de qui elle est. Mais cette mission se complique lorsqu'elle rencontre le sombre et séduisant Adam Temple, membre d'un ordre mystérieux appelé le Comité des Lumières. Adam semble en savoir beaucoup plus sur elle qu'il ne le laisse entendre, et il partage avec elle une révélation terrifiante : le monde se termine, et le Comité décidera qui vit… et qui ne vit pas.
Pour les aider à choisir un leader pour l'apocalypse à venir, le Comité organise le Tournoi des Freaks, une compétition macabre composée de combattants vicieux aux capacités fantastiques. Adam veut qu'Iris soit sa championne, et en retour, il lui promet la seule chose qu'elle veut le plus : la vérité sur qui elle est vraiment.
Si Iris veut en savoir plus sur son passé sombre, elle n'a d'autre choix que de se battre. Mais plus elle avance dans le tournoi macabre, plus elle commence à se souvenir et plus elle se demande s'il vaut mieux oublier la vérité.
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Moi qui adore les romans de steampunk, dont l'histoire se déroule dans le Londres Victorien, je suis complètement servie avec ce roman-ci.
L'autrice m'a complètement emportée dans son univers. Si on ne parle pas tant de la société, ni des technologies de l'époque, l'intrigue se déroule principalement dans le monde du cirque et de la compétition. Iris, notre protagoniste, va participer à un tournoi macabre afin de lever le voile sur sa véritable identité.
J'ai bien aimé le personnage d'iris, notamment le fait qu'elle passe pour une bête de curiosité, un être exotique au sein de la population britannique, tout cela car elle vient d'Afrique. Les descriptions sur la curiosité, le jugement, l'attention et les petits regards qu'elle suscite chez ses pairs font bien écho à la réalité des personnes appartenant aux minorités ethniques de notre monde réel. Trop de personnes minoritaires passent pour des bêtes de foire ou sont décrits comme exotiques tout simplement car ils ne ressemblent pas à la population majoritaire dans un environnement. Ce sont des idées qui ne devraient plus être véhiculés dans notre société actuelle mais qui le sont malheureusement encore.
Également, Iris est une jeune femme possédant un don étrange et ne pouvant mourir, elle se sent encore plus à part. J'ai ressenti pas mal d'empathie pour elle, pour son sentiment de solitude.
Dans ce roman, à travers le déroulé du trépidant Tournoi des Freaks, on suit surtout une quête d'identité car Iris ignore d'où elle vient ni qui elle est et est déterminée à le savoir, quitte à risquer sa vie... Et pourtant, les choses ne sont pas si simples.
J'ai bien apprécié les différentes révélations qui ont été faites tout au long du roman et de manière progressive. Néanmoins, je n'ai pas forcément été convaincue par certains événements de l'intrigue car cela manquait parfois de réalisme ou arrivait comme un cheveu sur la soupe, bien que globalement, ce roman a été une bonne lecture.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

A spectacular reading and a quest for identity full of twists.
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As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…​
She cannot die.
Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives…and who doesn’t.
To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is.
If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.
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I adore steampunk books and stories which take place in Victorian London. So, I'm completely served with this book!
The author took me completely into her world. If we don't talk so much about society or the technologies of the time, the plot takes place mainly in the world of the circus and competition. Iris, our protagonist, will participate in a macabre tournament in order to unveil her true identity.
I really liked the character of iris, especially the fact that she's considered like a beast of curiosity, an exotic thing among the British population, all because she comes from Africa. The descriptions of curiosity, judgment, caring and glances that she elicits in her peers echo the reality of people belonging to ethnic minorities in our real world. Too many minority people are passed off as freaks or are described as exotic simply because they don't look like the majority population in an environment. These are ideas that should no longer be conveyed in our current society but which unfortunately still are.
Also, Iris is a young woman with a strange gift and she cannot die. So, she feels even more apart. I felt a lot of empathy for her, for her feeling of loneliness.
In this story, through the unfolding of the hectic Tournament of Freaks, we mainly follow a quest for identity because Iris doesn't know where she comes from or who she is and is determined to find out, even if it means risking her life... However, things are not that simple.
I really appreciated the different revelations that were made throughout the story and gradually. Still, there were some events that I wasn't necessarily convinced by as it sometimes lacked realism, although overall this book was a good read.

From the first page, I was hooked. The writing style was right up my alley, and it just had so much mystery and intrigue to it! I loved Iris and was just as invested in figuring out her true identity as she was. The plot moved along decently, but there were some slow moments and multiple subplots that took my focus away from the main theme. I liked the representation in this novel, because we had a great diverse cast of characters. However, the romance in this novel did not work for me. I have no problem with the concept of a harem but I still expect there to be a steady connection between the different characters; here, it was borderline insta-love. Regardless, I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

DNF
The initial premise of The Bones of Ruin is amazing! However, the execution didn’t work for me. The book was much too long, and the plot was very confusing. I hope to one day return to this novel, but I doubt it’ll be soon.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF. I could not get invested in the story. I'm hoping to attempt it again in the near future, and I will try to update my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
I wanted to like this book from the description but it wasn’t for me. There were many things here that peaked my interest, but this book was just too long. I keep picking it up here and there, because nothing really exciting happened in the first half of the book. It’s like Hunger Games but with too much information all at once at the beginning and even the epilogue left me wondering.

There were great reviews here though. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was a bit of a slog. I wound up dropping it around the 60% mark. It's characters aren't particularly interesting or likeable. It's like an old-timey Hunger Games. So if that's something you're into, maybe you'll enjoy it.

I think the comparisons to The Night Circus do this book no favours. It has none of the charm or whimsy of that book. It's dark and violent and nothing fun happens in the first half at all.

I'm not sure what I think of this. Parts I liked, parts I really didn't. The premise was interesting enough but it felt too long, it went too sci- fi, and at parts it just became a Hunger Games retelling.
I liked most of the characters, there were a lot of unanswered questions though.
CAWPILE 6.57
Characters- 7- I'm not sure how much I trust some of the characters, but I like a lot of the characters
Atmosphere - 7- The premise was great, and the atmosphere was decent
Writing- 6- Wasn't a fan of the weird mix of genres. They didn't seem to fit.
Plot- 6- Again, I loved the premise, and the first part was good, but it just got weird.
Intrigue- 7- it went on too long. and I got bored
Logic- 6- When it went sci fi I just didn't really understand what was going on
Enjoyment-7- I enjoyed the first half, wasn't too keen on the second half. It felt too long.