Thank you Nyx Publishing for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Way at first had all the things that would make for an amazing tale.

Mythology retelling? Check!
Sapphic Romance? Check!
Dangerous Journey? Check!
Idea of a compelling Villain? Check!

Unfortunately, the novella suffered with most of the above. This was one of those stories, that definitely would have benefited from being a longer book, rather than a novella. It was too short to fully get the love between the two main characters, which we also mostly only got through multiple flashback sequences. Had we had a chapter or two before the plot goes on, I feel we would have seen a much better relationship between the two women.

The journey and the Shadow Princess are what I was looking forward to the most, yet both went by so quickly that I am still unsure of how the plot progressed. I wish we could have gotten a bit more of the journey's danger, less flashbacks telling us why things are terrible. Then, I -definitely- wish we coulda gotten way more with the villain.

Overall, it was a quick story, but I think that's exactly the reason I rated it so low.

This book takes you on a journey through the shadow realm. It also takes you through a journey of love, heartbreak, and thrills. The book follows Teagan as she goes into the shadow realm to retrieve her wife and hopefully, save both of their lives. Teagan has been bitten by a monster from the shadow realm which poisons her more and more every day. The only cure is with the Shadow Princess. The Princess is known for being cruel and ruthless, as is described in the myths about her. The book was pretty good, 3.5 stars. I was expecting the book to be much longer, but for being a novella it’s really good. I read the book in one sitting and was really interested the whole time. The only complaint I have is that the book isn’t longer. I found that the book was really rushed and I couldn’t quite bond with the characters and the world very well. I was interested in the romance, but everything happened so quickly I couldn’t really find myself fawning over the love story. I also think that they should’ve had a harder time getting back to their world, the Princess just kind of let them go, which was super out of character. I found the Princess’s story a lot more interesting than either of the main characters. I would love to get a whole book about her one day ;), but for now, I did enjoy this novella and I hope you will too!

The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill undertakes an Orpheus/Eurydice inspired tale where two wives, Cressidae and Teagan, attempt a dangerous journey to the Shadow Realm to seek an impossible boon.

I wanted to love this novella (and lately SFF novellas have been some of my favourites), but unfortunately I was rather tepid on it. Structurally, most of the romance is developed through flashbacks, which takes away from the urgency of Cressidae and Teagan’s quest in the present timeline. It also leaves less room for worldbuilding, which was spotty and left me feeling at times like this was Generic Fantasy Universe #293.

In addition, though I don’t mind established relationship stories, I found it hard to connect with the emotional stakes between Cressidae and Teagan since we were told more than shown they loved one another. The sudden shift of focus to the backstory of a different character near the end made the pacing suffer as well.

While there’s certainly potential and the prose and thematic subjects, this story sadly did not stand out in my memory long after reading. Ultimately, The Bone Way may work for those seeking a short, straightforward novella with a neatly packaged ending, I wanted more depth from almost every craft element.

Thank you to Nyx Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reading copy. All opinions are my own.

“Teagan was so angry she burned.”

A sapphic twist on the classic story of Eurydice and Orpheus, where Orpheus travelled to the land of the dead to attempt to bring his love Eurydice back to life. Teagan is dying and her only hope is to make a deal with the dark princess who rules a kingdom of the dead but when Teagan refuses to risk her wife, Cressidae’s life, Cress leaves in the middle of the night to complete the journey alone. Now Teagan must find her wife, save herself and escape the Shadow Realm.

The book was a surprisingly easy read, it wasn’t over complicated and reminded me of a fantastical bedtime story or short folk tale with a singular message or focus so to speak. In saying that, it lacked depth, despite being a novella, there could have been a lot more emotion conveyed. Especially with the romance and love between the couple. I could see the author, through the use of flashbacks, trying the establish that history and relationship but it fell flat. It was meant to be an epic love, but it just wasn’t there. They met and were married within a year or so and they’ve been together two, but I feel none of that heat, that history or why it all happened so fast. I’m not caught up in their love story I’m on the outside looking in and wondering why everything is happening the way it is. It's always amazing to see queer retellings but for that reason, I also want to see and know more, I’m always gasping for relatable sapphic reads and this was lovely but not enough.

The adventure and plot was a lot of fun, one review I read described it as Studio Ghibli worthy and I could definitely see those vibes with a touch of the Lord of the Rings, I would love to see this story developed further, especially in graphic novel format with all that amazing imagery. The Shadow Realm was interesting and unique which kept me reading but I would just love to see it developed further. There were so many questions I had about the context and creation which were unanswered and there were so many opportunities, when I look back, for twists and turns that were left out. It follows a very simple story arc. Similar to the romance aspect, I know there could have been so much more.

This feels like a taster to what not only this story could be but a taster to what Holly J. Underhill can accomplish. I’m excited to see where she goes next and how she develops but for now, this is an enjoyable easy to read short story that could have been so much more.

"The Bone Way": 3⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @hollyjunderhill and the publishers for sending me an eArc copy in exchange for a review).

I was absolutely stunned by the cover and concept of this book. Everything with witches on it calls my attention instantly. I was really excited to get to read this story.

However, it felt a little blant and vast. The author failed to execute timings correctly and the romance felt so weak. In every book, there has to be a little romance.

Still, it is a pretty good book to start fantasy with!

i'm usually not at all a fan of novellas, but this one was simply wonderful. i adored the messiness of both cress and teagan as they argued throughout their journey, and before. the worldbuilding was also shockingly well done for a novella, to the point where i almost forgot that i was reading one. moreover, teagan's bond with her deceased mother and the depiction of her grief were heartwrenching and well done. all in all, a great little read with more than enough sapphic love!

Orpheus and Eurydice sapphic retelling? Sign me in.
Intriguing premise and very well built world, I really loved how innovative the idea behind the book was.
Good writing and characters.
Would recommend.

This book was soooo good! I was so excited to read this sapphic Orpheus and Eurydice retelling.

I will update with a full review soon!

First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and the premise of the story is amazing. Apparently it’s loosely a retelling of mythology but I’m not familiar with the story. While it definitely held my attention and was enjoyable, I don’t feel like the world building, characters, relationship, or the “perilous” journey were developed enough in such a short amount of time for me to genuinely become invested.

The main character, Teagan, follows her wife, Cress, to a land ruled by death and a sinister princess of darkness. While the trip was perilous, Teagan manages the whole journey without any significant struggle or conflict. This fell a bit flat considering she was walking through extremely perilous and frightening environments to reach her wife. Throughout the book, the story switches between present day and the past. For a book less than 200 pages, I don’t think this was the best choice. It did not allow the romance between Teagan and Cress to develop enough for the reader to become invested, nor did it allow for any world building or plot to completely form. I didn’t even know why they were taking the Bone Way until a few chapters into the story. I felt like I should have cared more, but there was not enough development in the story for me to hold on to.

I think this story has great bones, no pun intended. The potential is there and I love the premise, but I think it needed more meat to build up the romance, the characters, their backstory, the story of the dark princess, and the world as a whole. If this story was more complete and better developed, it definitely had potential to be a 4 or 5 star story. As it is, however, it is a 2 star book for me, which means it was okay, I liked it well enough, but there was more that I didn’t like than I did like and I probably won’t read it again. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I wish there was more!

The Bone Way is a fantasy novella. It follows a young witch named Teagan whose wife, Cress, goes into The Shadow Realm, a queendom of death, in order to save Teagan from the poison slowly killing her. We follow Teagan as she goes after her wife in order to make sure she comes back alive.

I really liked how this novella was told. I love a fantasy story with a quest with a clear goal and this book definitely had that. I was a little unsure how it would work to tell a big fantasy story as a novella rather than a full length novel but this turned out to be easily solved. It just jumped right in instead of opening with chapters and chapters of background we open with Cress already gone and Teagan leaving to follow her with their backstory told as Teagan takes her journey through the Shadow Realm. I really liked this and I must say I actually preferred it to the slowness of the opening of a lot of other fantasy stories.

That said I had a few issues with the book. The final confrontation with the Shadow Princess felt kind of messy. The Princess arrives out of nowhere and says Teagan and Cress broke her rules by touching and they convince her it didn't count. My problem? They didn't touch. I went back and reread sections after the confrontation afraid I'd missed something but it never explicitly says that they touch let alone draws attention to it.

In addition I was expecting more nuance with the Shadow Princess' character and storyline, especially after Teagan arrives at the Deathly Palace so I was a little disappointed by that. I also wish the poison had more impact of the story. It's constantly mentioned but it doesn't really impact Teagan or slow her down until near the end. As a chronic pain sufferer I was hoping there would be a bit of representation here. Maybe she could have been slowed down or had to use a cane to balance. Instead she runs and moves with ease apart from one moment in part two and in the climax of the story.

Overall I enjoyed this novella and I would definitely recommend it for anyone after a fast-paced queer fantasy story.

Content Warnings: grief, animal death, death of a parent, terminal illness, animal death, referenced sexual content

This sounded like everything I was supposed to love. A sapphic retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice? That's a story I have been wanting to read and write for ages. Yet this novella really fell flat and I was left so confused about the world

CW- grief, death, murder, terminal illness, animal death
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The Bone Way follows our protagonist as she follows her wife down into a version of the Underworld, and as she faces trials throughout.
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I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. To start, this would have benefited from being a full length novel, with more time to develop the characters and their relationship. The world building just wasn’t what it needed to be.
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I did enjoy that the sapphic relationship was already established. It is so necessary to see queer couples still thriving and in love, past the usual ending of a book.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really 3.5 stars, but rounded down. Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the ARC <3

Like a lot of other readers, I didn't realize this was a novella and not a whole novel and I wish it was a full novel. I'm not sure it makes sense, but the whole time I was reading this, it felt a little more like a play (location A->B->C->D with interspaced flashbacks to fill in the blanks and lulls) than it did a book. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it nonetheless!! But this just wasn't enough- I feel like the author had so, SO much more story to tell and just didn't.

The standouts of this book for me were the flashbacks, world knowledge, and romance- I loved seeing Cress & Teagan be soft and in love and the way they admire each other was very beautiful. Lots of lovely sapphic writing there. I liked that this wasn't a beginning-to-end love story, it was two women who already fell in love, married, and are now facing a challenge together. Teagan's grief was quite well written and I loved the scenes where we saw her be vulnerable and feel her sorrows rather than shove them aside. I also thoroughly enjoyed the backstory of the Shadow Princess and would genuinely devour an entire novel dedicated to her.

Oddly enough for an adventure book, the adventure did not hit as hard as it should've though. The villain's motivations are unclear (at least to me) in a frustrating way, and the ending wrapped it up wayyyy too fast compared to how long it took to get there. There were unfortunately parts of the journey my brain just skipped right over and had to go back and reread which is rare for me.

Overall thoughts: I'm glad I got the chance to read this and it was a good use of an afternoon. I would be strongly inclined to read another book in the same universe, and although the author has room for growth, I'd argue that it's a pretty decent debut. I'm not 100% sure I'd recommend it to a friend though just because this book is like soup: it's nice and warm and you don't regret consuming it (and i love soup!!), but it just isn't substantive enough to be the whole meal.

I was given this arc a few days before the release of the book, during my finals week. I didn’t have the chance to read it before it came out. That’s why I can’t give it an actual rating.

I was quite disappointed with this book. I had high expectations but it fell flat for me. No sense of plot whatsoever.

So this book was unfortunately one of the victims of my reading slump from last month. I started it, and with no fault of the books own my mind couldn't stay focused. But now that I've kicked the slump, I was looking forward to picking this one back up. And while I did like a lot of this book, I feel like it missed out on a fair bit too.

This is a retelling of Eurydice and Orpheus but Sapphic and in a fantasy world. Teagan is trying to save her wife Cressidae, who entered the shadow realm alone to try to make a deal with the Shadow Princess. But even getting to the through the realm is a challenge let alone getting a deal made.

So I'll begin with what I like. I'm a big greek mythology fan- I devoured any mythology I could get as a child. And read the Illiad and Odyssey probably long before I should have. I joke sometimes that how was anyone surprised when I came out as trans when I was obsessed with Tiresias' life and story for years. And I also really enjoy retellings of these classic stories, whether they be movies like O Brother Where Art Thou or even books like Percy Jackson. And I really liked this interpretation of the story (and even the changing of the ending) I was very moved by the emotional story told here. And the fact it was queer is just *chefs kiss*. It's like this was catered to be something I would enjoy- and for the most part I did.

What I didn't like as much was the length of this, and it brought several things I feel like could have been more easily resolved in a longer work.

This is a novella, and it's fantasy and I just feel like the world Underhill built had a lot of potential but there were just a lot of elements that weren't as fleshed out and dynamic as might have been in a full length novel.

Additionally, a lot of this book is told in flashbacks, and in a full length novel I'm not opposed to flashbacks at all to learn more about characters- but in a book of this length I feel like it just took away space where different elements could have been introduced into the fantasy world to give a more full scenario. Neither were fully fleshed out as well as I felt they could have been.

There's a lot to like about this novella, I really liked the new interpretation of the story and the ideas it presented, I just wish the world had more depth to it. 3.5/5

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I was initially interested in this after seeing that it's a (loose) retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. It's not an exactly retelling, but there are some nods to that story that I found entertaining! This is very easy and quick to read. We have two timelines here with the present and flashbacks/folklore type elements. I do think this would have worked better for me if we moved through the story linearly, but I wasn't terribly bothered by this.

I really liked the Bone Way itself, as well as the general description of this Underworld with a vengeful shadow princess. There were some really great ideas here with the different areas along the way. They were all cool, and I liked the variety of locations, creatures, and threats to face. However, the conflict was solved too easily for my taste. I think I would have preferred for this to be a full length novel instead of a novella to really develop this relationship between the characters and to have higher stakes.

Teagan, the main character, was enjoyable overall. We really get to explore the idea of what happens when someone you love is diagnosed with a fatal disease and how to handle it, especially when it comes to what that person wants. I thought this was done very well, and I respected Teagan's decisions. Cress, Teagan's wife, was a bit more aloof for me. I don't think I really got the best feel for her (or at least not as much as I maybe wanted). I did like their relationship overall!

I enjoyed my time with this and would recommend it to those looking for a very readable, lighter type of fantasy!

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 10:40-12:56 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIPv6jb9mCM

"Please don't ask me to let you go."

This was a short book, BUT the romance between Taegan and Cress was beautifull!

It showed how they loved each other, and still pushed the other to persue their dreams. AND THEY HAVE ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS!! Most times in books we see the miscommunication and it gets so annoying so this was perfetct.

I would've liked even more the book if it had more pages, felt some parts missing, but I get that the story is mainly focusing on the main character Taegan, dealing with death (her mother's and hers). Great book! Excited to see, and definetly will be keeping up with, Holly J. Underhill next books.

Thank you NetGalley and Nyx Publishing for this advanced copy, note that all opinion given in this review is my own.

I've said this in a couple of reviews before, but I love Greek mythology. Like a lot. Any book about Greek mythology or a retelling of Greek mythology will immediately have me interested.
So when I read that The Bone Way is a sapphic retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, I was instantly on board.

Before I go into the review itself though, I want to point out the fact, that The Bone Way is a novella of 162 pages, so it's relatively short. Because this is also my main complaint.

I also have never read the original story of Orpheus and Eurydice. I know of them and I know some details, but I couldn't really say if this was an accurate retelling.

In general, I really liked the writing style and the fact, that the book was written both in the present and in retrospective chapters. It also was fast-paced and a quick read, but then again, it isn't even 200 pages long so...

But, and this is my main complaint, I think that this book would have really benefitted from being a longer novel and not just a novella. I liked Teagan and Cressidae, but I would have wished that they would have been more fleshed out. The characters, the romance and the overall story would have been so much better and could have been a lot more palpable if it had been a longer book with more time for world building and character exploration. As it is, it just feels a little too flat to me and I would have liked to read more and to get to know these characters better.

But besides of that it was an entertaining and well written novella.

I so, so badly wanted to enjoy this. I mean, a WLW retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice?? That is definitely in my wheelhouse.

Teagan is in grave danger. A magical poison is slowly killing her, and the only possible cure seems to lie through the Bone Way in the Shadow Princess’ realm. Cress, Teagan’s wife is determined to save her, even if it means taking the perilous journey alone. When Teagan finds out she has gone, she too sets out to the Shadow Realm in an attempt to save both herself and Cress.

Sadly, I was more in love with the concept of this book than the execution. For starters, I was really disappointed in the retelling aspect. Orpheus and Eurydice is such a heartbreaking and tragic tale, and the whole point is that Orpheus knows if he looks back at his love, she will not make it out of the underworld alive (at least in the version I am familiar with). But, because he loves her so much, he can’t help but steal a glance. In this version, the two must make it back without touching each other for 3 days. Which, like, okay, but why is that so hard?? Maybe it’s just because I’m used to long distance relationships. But I feel like a big part of the story’s meaning was lost with that change, and the way it was incorporated at the end (I know that's vague, but I'm trying not to spoil anything).

The best word I can think of to describe the writing itself is “jarring”. Everything about it just felt really disjointed, especially for the first half. It was almost like someone took a full length novel, and then cut out whole paragraphs, transitions, and background information. What background was provided was often in reverse, which made many events confusing at first.

The main point of the story, obviously, was Cress and Teagan’s love for each other. However the characters didn't extend much beyond that purpose. I would have loved to see more of their personalities, as they pretty much just seemed like carbon copies of each other. Two stubborn and talented witches, each determined to throw themselves in front of death repeatedly for the other. That’s all I really knew about them by the end.

Nor did I enjoy the story of the Shadow Princess. There was so much promise in her realm, in the Bone Way itself, and in her origin story. I wanted some haunting tale of adventure and love. But it was all very bland. I didn’t get lost in the world building. I didn’t enjoy the typical “she wanted power and it turned her evil”. And I didn’t buy the ending, either.

Overall it gets points for the initial idea, and the good sapphic rep. But I really wished the story had been executed better.

Actual rating: 2.5/5
Pacing: slow
Intended audience: YA
Content warnings: death of a loved one