No death, no memory, no home. It isn't easy to be Iris.

This book had such an incredibly rich, explosive plot. It's set in a luxuriously imagined Victorian London, with circuses and heists and secret magical societies and a wonderfully diverse cast and a mystery that stretches millennia. It's breathless, it's complex, and although there's SO MUCH to love about BONES OF RUIN ... unfortunately, it really didn't work for me.

I do think this is a taste thing. Normally I hate when female characters are criticized for being a too-perfect "Mary Sue" (like seriously, what does that mean?) but Iris pushed the line a little for me. It felt like absolutely everyone was in love with her. She's this ultra-beautiful, ultra-talented, ultra-graceful, ultra-deadly, ultra-EVERYTHING girl with a penchant for passing out into the buff arms of her (many, many) admirers, and thing is ... she just didn't feel real. None of her three potential love interests had any chemistry with her, because "Iris, I love you because you're perfect" felt a bit too literal in this situation. I craved just a little more depth, a little more humanity from all the characters involved, so I could feel SOMETHING to make the situation more swoony and less eye-roll-y. Another irritant was the writing itself; although Raughley is clearly a talented writer the dialogue made it painfully clear this was an American trying to mimic stereotypes of how Brits speak. It jerked me out of the story one too many times, and made it even harder to see the characters as real people instead of shadows on a page.

The plot itself oscillates between wildly exciting to wildly overcomplicated & drawn-out, sometimes dipping into melodrama or ridiculously convenient sidelines. But again: I do expect much of this is a "me" problem. There is definitely an audience for this book, and although I won't personally be continuing with the series, I hope Raughley finds her readers and Iris continues her adventures. 2/5

Oh how I love Sarah Raughley! I devoured her Effigies series and was thrilled to see this new book come out.

The book starts with the character Iris, who is a tightrope walker in a circus. However, Iris has a magical power; (spoiler!) she can't die. As others start to learn of this power, she is on a quest to learn more about who she is, where she comes from, and how she fits into her new world.

Raughley creates a world of magic, mystery, and suspense as Iris gets caught up with a magical organization and becomes a part of their Tournament of Freaks. Part Hunger Games, part Night Circus, this is another wonder from a remarkable author.

3.5, but I will round up to 4 as I believe the sequel may satisfy the potential I see.

TW: Racism, violence, cult, doomsday, murder, cannibalism & PTSD.

Supernatural black ballerina? A cult that has the power to bring on doomsday? Several potential love interests? LGBTQ+ & Diversity?! Checking the boxes!
All of these really held my interest through the book, there are many morally grey characters doing bad things for their own good reasons, and that is what made it so complicated as we when through a tournament that could only have one winner. But then we learnt that so much was going on behind the scenes with characters, the world and the REAL STORY!
However, this book was too long in parts, and there was so much info-dumping that I am STILL confused about. like that epilogue had me like, "WTF, but I ... what is happening?"
Also, that love triangle irritated me so much, don't get me wrong, I am rooting for both Max and Jinn, but these idiots choose the WORSE times to pick fights and talk about how they feel about Iris and how she feels about them.
While the last 1/4 really confused me and lost enjoyment, I will be continuing this series because I need to know more about these characters and their goals and WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

3,5/5 stars

An African tightrope dancer in a Victorian London setting. A girl who cannot die and a magical tournament. These elements were the only ones I needed to get interested in this book.

For me, one of the highlight of this story was the characters. I really enjoyed them and found them mysterious and interesting. Iris, the African tightrope dancer has amnesia and doesn't remember her past. The way it was written with her character made her mysterious and intriguing. I also really enjoyed the relationships between the characters (except perhaps for the little love triangle). The world-building in this book was good, but not necessarily the main element in the writing. But that didn't bother me much, I found there was enough there for the reader to be immersed in the world.

Some of the issues I did have was in the writing itself. At times, I felt like it was plot-convenient, particularly in the beginning of the book. I also felt that the writing was somehow counter-productive throughout the story-telling. For example, this tournament of Fanciful Freaks is supposed to be a major event in this book and to have high stakes. But then a chapter later, one of the characters keeps stating that the tournament is pretty much irrelevent because of this big secret that no one knows about. I found it disrupting and didn't get me to want to read more at some point in the middle of the story. All of this influenced the pacing of the book as well as my own interest in it, which was inconsistent during my reading experience.

It did pick up though and overall I really enjoyed the read. I really loved the idea of this book for what it was but I didn't quite enjoy the execution as much. The characters and their relationships were really what kept me invested in the story. I am looking forward to read the next book in this series. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy Historical Fantasy and character-driven books.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Raughley writes an intriguing story with interesting and shady characters, skilfully written hints; devilishly engaging, selfish, and greedy players add a layer of mystery that keeps the reader immersed.

She is deliberate in writing an industrialized London, with the poor working conditions as well as the colourful tapestry of peoples that made up the population. I especially like that she depicted how sometimes racialised individuals can absorb and use the racist terms that white colonialists ascribed to other racialised groups.

The supernatural elements that drive the plot are interesting and unique; the betrayals, bonds of friendship, and the familial drive that spurs our characters are relatable. The enigma surrounding our main character and the mysterious power that she holds kept me turning pages.

My biggest turnoff was the love rectangle/reverse harem relationship. I was not feeling it al all. It was unnecessary and added nothing to elevate the story. All it did was annoy me.

But that ending does have me intrigued. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. I was so enthralled with the setting of Victorian London as it was so atmospheric. It's very evident that the author did so much research into making this book come alive. I also really enjoyed the fantastical elements! The magic powers were SO cool, and I wish we would've had more scenes with them in use.

The latter half of the book fell a little flat as it felt slower paced for some reason. I think my issue is that I personally am more of a character-driven reader, but this book was more heavy on the plot. With a fantasy novel, that's a given, but I wanted more character development. I felt like the "love interests" didn't have any depth, so when there was a romantic development between Iris and one of them, I didn't see it coming. I also didn't believe the chemistry.

Jinn was definitely my favourite character besides Iris, so I'm hoping in the sequel we learn more about his past. The author did hint at this in the last bit of the novel, so I'm hoping! *fingers crossed* I just have such a thing for grumpy, brooding characters that are angry with the world, but are obsessed with the main character.

Also, I had no clue that this author is Canadian!!! Love that!

3.5 stars.

The story follows Iris, an African tight-rope dancer who lives and travels with a local circus troupe as a headliner in her act: "The Nubian Princess and The Turkish Prince". Her circus family is a key point in her life, as she cares for an elderly African woman named Granny Marlow, chases after a goose named Egg, and bickers with Jinn, who is her counterpart in their sky-high act. Life seems normal and straight-forward, as far as circus life can be. Only problem? Iris has a big secret and no memory beyond the last 10 years of her life...

During a promotional event, Iris and Jinn perform an act above the streets of London. It's going flawlessly until Iris is distracted with a memory trickles in. She misses the rope and crashes down to the streets below, breaking her neck. Expecting death, Jinn is beside himself - until she wakes and stands as if nothing happens. This reveals Iris' best kept secret: she cannot die. Speculation surrounding the event launches Iris' future into the realm of the unknown.

I was very excited to pick up this book, especially after finding out that the author, Sarah Raughley, is Canadian! This novel is an explosion of culture, history, mysticism, and the supernatural. It provides an immensely in-depth portrayal of a fantastical spin of Victorian London. She satisfies so many palates as she dives into secret societies, the spectacle of the circus, and finding ones place in the strangeness of the world.


Through reading this story, I could tell that Sarah really did her research into the era. She makes mention to literature that would be at its peak at the time (Alice in Wonderland), talks of the elaborate fashion of the day, and underlines the struggles faced by people of colour and minority groups in London at the time. Her description and use of historical research really helps immerse the reader into her fantastical world, making the actions and locations palpable to the mind's eye.

There are a lot of layers in this story - lots of characters and plots to keep track of. This was a bit overwhelming at times. Despite this, as the story unraveled it really impressed upon me that the multi-faceted characteristics of the prose were intentional in developing a well-thought out narrative that pulls the reader in and keeps them guessing. It is an ambitious plot, but I believe Sarah executed it well.

I think one of my favourite parts is the discovery of the other characters and seeing how they relate to one another and how their abilities are revealed piece by piece. I am a sucker for the "found family" trope, and Sarah infuses this well into the narrative.

There are far more facets involved in this sizeable read, but each inclusion truly provides a commendable work of historical fantasy. Well done!

The Bones of Ruin is a complex critique of societal priorities and the impact on the future of the world as a whole. I love the main character, Iris, is strong enough to fight for her own agency, as well as the agency of others, in a classist world where there are so many barriers including race, gender, finances, and familial status in society. Each character faces varying combinations of these barriers and reacts to them in their own way. Some characters don't seem to see any other way for the world to be, but Iris knows she deserves respect. Iris's journey is not over, and I'm excited to see what twists are ahead.

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley and  Simon & Schuster Canada / Margaret K. McElderry Books for the chance to read an advance copy of The bones of ruin by Sarah Raughley. I was first drawn to this book by the cover (who wouldn't be!) and the description. I am all about circuses and strong female characters and this just called to me. While this is a YA novel, I usually have no problem reading books geared towards the younger generation. I have often lamented that these books were missing when I was that age. This is a tale of Iris, a girl with amnesia, who cannot die living in a circus as a acrobat who finds herself in the middle of a life and death competition with other "freaks" while she searches for her past was a story I couldn't put down. And even though at time's the pacing was a bit slow it would speed up so I was never left with the feeling I was bored. There was plenty of action, and some violent scenes and at times I did wonder what age group this really was written for. My only issue was the ending. I found the plot veered off and went into a totally different direction. I am unsure whether this storyline has been completed or not. There appears to be more books, and it's possible the characters are going to continue, or new characters will appear. However that being said, I still enjoyed it overall, and I believe teens will love it as it has a Hunger game/Divergent feel to it.

A little more historical than I usually enjoy, but this book kept me enthralled. With a very strong female lead set in a circus, I was already sold. Definitely a Young Adult read. Loved the magic and angst.

A Victorian setting, a powerful young woman who’s lost her memories, a secret society comprised of the richest and most powerful (and incidentally and unsurprisingly white), a group of adolescents from all over the world who have strange and amazing powers and are dubbed the "Fanciful Freaks" by the London press, and a tournament to the death. This book has so much going for it, and though I liked a lot of things about it, I also had a couple of issues.
I loved that the cast of characters is predominantly BIPoC, and the action is set in London in the Victorian period. England, and London in particular, has had people for centuries from all over the world reside there, contrary to the belief that England has been totally white forever.
Here the BIPoC characters have a variety of powers and these people are brought together by the Enlightenment Club (an on-the-nose and ironic name if I’ve ever heard one), a group of super rich, super powerful people who firmly believe the world will end, and they want to be the ones in charge afterwards. They also see the BIPoC teens with supernatural powers as little more than monsters, or barely civilized pets.
Main character Iris, formerly from Africa, and now working for a barely reputable circus owner as one of a pair of tightrope walkers, works with a close-mouthed young man from Turkey, known as Jinn.
Iris’ memories begin five years ago, and she’s desperate to recover who she was prior to this time, and so when she’s teased with the possibility of finding herself, she and eventually Jinn are dragged into the clutches of the Enlightenment Club, along with several other supernaturally powered teens. The teens are organized into teams representing each member of the Club, and must fight to the death for money.
I started to lose the thread of the narrative once the tournament began. The teens had to find various objects located in different parts of the city. The objects' purposes are unknown to the teens, and there are keys and other things involved. The point of the tournament was rapidly lost to me, as much of the book was spent in the teams fighting each other, people dying violently, betrayals and double crosses, and romance angst between the boys on Iris' team as they do a lot of chest-thumping to impress the young woman.
I also had a hard time keeping track of all the different characters, and I wished Jinn and Max had not fought with each other so much, as it seemed Iris’ team was always too volatile to ever work towards a common goal. I also had some difficulty understanding what Adam’s goals really were, but I think they’ll be revealed more clearly in the next book. (He's a member of the Club who doesn't seem as odious as the others are.)
I actually wish this book had been a little shorter, as there was so much going on, and I got lost in the many machinations and fights than once.
That said, I liked Iris, and even when she kept finding out new and terrible things about herself or the Enlightenment Club, I liked that she kept striving to find a more productive way to move forward, whether with her team or with finding out truths about herself.
I am not sure right now whether I want to follow the story onwards to the next book, however much I liked parts of it.
My rating: 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for a review.

The Bones of Ruin follows Iris, an African tightrope dancer, who has spent the past ten years in a circus, with no memory of who she was before, why she can sense people so clearly and why she cannot die. Therefore, Iris has only one thing on her mind : finding answers. When Lord Adam Temple offers to finally help her remember, Iris has no other choice but to accept. While she gets her memory back, Adam wants something from Iris. He wants her to compete with a team of freaks in a tournament, and to find someone for him. The apocalypse is near, and the people hiring Adam thinks that the tournament will decide who can survive and who will lead humanity.

I was totally blown away by the chemistry between the characters. They always had some funny nonsense to say, which is what I love in a book. I admired every moment when these teenagers had the opportunity to act like children, even if they didn’t last long. It made me realize that we all have that one childish part in us that will never sleep.

The main character, Iris, is lovable and the story surrounding her was always interesting. I never got bored of reading about her past and her present. And I never got bored whenever someone would fall in love with her kind self. Which happened three times. I understand them though, it was impossible not to appreciate her, with her fuzzy memories and her desire to seek the truth.

The Bones of Ruin was truly amazing. Confusing at times, but I can say, in the end, that this masterpiece blew up my expectations.

Iris cannot die. Neither can she remember what has happened to her that has given her the gift of eternal life. Adam Temple knows her secret but is searching for his father who has disappeared and Iris is the key. The Committee is a group of wealthy people who want to manipulate the end of the world and once again Iris is the key. The Fantastic Freaks are a group each with different powers, friends and foes who will fight to the death.
The beginning had me a bit confused but as the story progressed I found myself being drawn into their times and lives. An enjoyable read to take you away from reality.
#TheBonesofRuin#NetGalley

This book is a ya fantasy/supernatural story that takes place in England during the 1800’s and the mystery that unravels throughout is out of this world! I was hooked the entire time, just dying to know what was happening to the characters and why!!

The characters are super diverse- many characters are from Africa and deal with the harsh realities and cruelties of colonialism. One of my favourite characters is actually Inuk and as an Indigenous person, I was thrilled to see that representation present in the story!

The commentary on colonialism, slavery, racism, and the overall wickedness of humanity was brilliant and incredibly well done throughout the book.

The romance is full of pining, yearning, and confusion!! Iris had chemistry with literally every other character and the tender moments of love and friendship were stunning!

I highly recommend this magical story, not only for the super fascinating magic/supernatural system, but also for the humanity and lack thereof presented in all of the characters. The fantasy aspect and the social commentary (both historical and contemporary) were both amazing!

The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley is the first book in a new series of the same name. Iris is an African tightrope dancer in Victorian era London. Iris is used to being looked at as strange, but she has a secret that would be seen as even stranger: she cannot die. Iris has no memory of her past and why she cannot die, but she is determined to learn about herself. When she meets Adam Temple of the Enlightenment Committee, he seems to know something about Iris’ past. He tells her that the world is coming to an end and the Committee will decide who survives. To decide which member will be in charge of the new world, the Tournament of Freaks will be held. The tournament will be made up of others with mysterious powers much like Iris. Adam wants Iris to fight for him and in exchange he will give her information about herself. Iris decides she has no choice but to fight for Adam. When Iris begins to get flashes of memories, she becomes unsure if she wants to know who she was before.

This book is so dark and atmospheric. It provides a great blend of dark fantasy and historical fiction. I can’t wait to read what is next for Iris.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars / 5, rounding up to 3

This book felt like it had the potential to be great but the execution just didn’t land with me. I found the characters to be a little flat and not that memorable. I don’t think I could even pick a favourite.

The story was alright but it felt a little drawn out and all over the place. I feel like had the narrative been tightened and trimmed more I might have enjoyed it more than I did. At times I was confused what type of book I was reading.

Ultimately, I don’t think I will continue on with the series because I just don’t think it’s for me.

I was excited to read this YA story of an African rope walker, set in London, who will not die and was doing the daredevil stunts as a means on livelihood but I find the narration too slow, unconvincing, unrelatable and the writing wasn't able to grab my attention for long.

Ever since I read The Night Circus, I have been looking for books that are similar. So when I saw what The Bones of Ruin was about, I immediately wanted to read it. It is rather different from The Night Circus, but I was still not disappointed.

This was such a captivating read. Every time I picked it up, I would get so engrossed that I was reading for hours at a time without realising it.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book, as it is set in Victorian England, and I also really liked the characters.

The main character, Iris, is a tightrope dancer who can't die. She also has no memories of her past, which makes for a good intriguing story since we get to find out who she is along with her. As an exchange for information about herself, Iris enters a competition of "freaks" where she meets other people who have different abilities. Each character is completely different from other characters, which makes it all the more interesting. Another thing is that this competition is meant to be a way to choose who will get to survive the quickly approaching end of the world, so there are definitely some pretty high stakes involved.

I liked the pacing of the story. It wasn't too slow but was also easy to keep up with.

It was overall a very enjoyable story and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Thanky you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC!

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.

Set in Victorian London, Iris is an African tightrope dancer in a circus. She showed up one day without a single memory of her past. She is desperate to regain her memories, so when Lord Adam Temple offers to assist her in remembering, she is willing to accept his help. In return, Adam needs two things from Iris. The first, he wants her to join the team he is building to compete in the “Tournament of Freaks”. The second, he needs Iris to find someone for him.

Adam Temple belongs to an uber-elite club known as The Enlightenment Committee. This committee believes that the world will soon come to an end, and that they are the ones that can control who will survive the apocalypse.

This book highlighted the barbarity and racist practices of the nineteenth century.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. There’s a decent amount of world-building without any info-dumping. The Tournament was fun, seeing everyone’s powers displayed. There’s a shapeshifter, a mind-controller, a teen who can warp time, and many other fantastical abilities.

Iris is a sharp-witted, lovable character. I mean that literally. Nearly all the boys compete for Iris’ attention.

The romance is probably my least favourite aspect of this book. The author said that this is a reverse harem trope, and that’s true. Iris has three love interests, which would be fine with me, the more the merry, except there is zero communication between Iris and her bevy of boys. Tensions rise and awkward encounters ensue. This is YA, so it’s all very PG.

With that said, I can’t wait to read the next instalment of this new YA series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book and another big thank you to NetGalley!

This book has such an interesting plot to it that will grab your attention very quickly. I loved how easy it was to get into this book, I didn’t find the beginning to be that slow as I do with most books. The plot of this book is so well developed and thought out and it was so exciting to read. I really loved the characters, especially the main character Iris. I found her to be super interesting and I loved the way she looked at things. I do wish there was a bit more about the side characters, because I love what we get of them but it leaves me wanting so much more! I think that it would be super interesting if we got to see a bit more of their backgrounds and personalities. Overall I think this is a very well written book and I cannot wait for it to be released! A big thanks again to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.