This was such a sweet sapphic reimagining of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice and now I‘m soft.

"The Bone Way" centers on Teagan, who is slowly dying from a lethal poison, and ends up having to follow her missing wife Cressidae, who is desperate to safe Teagan‘s life, into the Shadow Realm - a kingdom of the dead filled with untold nightmares and other horrors.

Being a novella with only a little over a hundred pages, "The Bone Way" is a quick and easy read, perfect for when you‘re in need of a whimsical and heartwarming binge-read.

The world building in this adult retelling immediately sucked me into its story - it was absolutely stunning.
I was really fascinated by the contrast between Wystira, the magical and delightful homeland of our characters, and the Shadow Realm full of frightening creatures (which were definitely among my favorite parts of this novella!) and gruesome atmosphere of hopelessness!

The plot itself is rather simplistic and linear, and the obstacles our characters have to face are overcome quite fast and easily, but then again, there‘s only so much plot you can build up in a hundred pages, and I really enjoyed what I got out of it!
I found the trials our characters had to face on their way through the Shadow Realm intriguing and fascinating, and I could have easily read another three hundred pages of them.
The added flashbacks definitely gave the story a nice extra layer as well!

I didn’t end up getting overly attached to the main characters, but I did really enjoy the relationship between them - it was so wholesome and Teagan and Cressidae were both such stubborn idiots! It was palpable how much they cared for each other and their interactions made me smile quite a bit.
I would have liked to see a bit more of their individual character arcs, especially of Cressidae‘s, but in the end, I enjoyed what we did get to see.

If you are in need of a quick and wholesome sapphic fantasy read, look no further!


*I kindly received an arc of this (many thanks to Nyx Publishing and NetGalley). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holly J. Underhill had a massive undertaking when she decided to write The Bone Way. The Orpheus and Eurydice tale has been told six different ways to Sunday and finding a new take on the classic love tragedy is not easy. However, Underhill took that challenge and ran with it.

When Teagan wakes up to her wife and her dagger missing, she knows exactly where Cressidae (Cress) has gone, The Shadow Realm. Cress is on a mission to bargain with the Shadow Princess, the ruler of the Realm, for Teagan's life, to save Teagan from the poison that is slowly killing her. Teagan follows Cress to make sure that they both can return to the mortal realm.

A few reasons that I loved this book;
The overall aesthetic: The book has an overall vibe that reminds me of the game Virtual Cottage but with more adventure.
The fact that it's an O&E retelling, but with witches: This adds an extra level of intrigue to the fairly well-known story.
(Obviously) The witchcraft: The two main characters are practicing witches and it is really lovely to watch how they use their craft to survive.
Teagan and Cress's relationship: It is clear that the two would do anything for each other, and their journey through the Shadow Realm proves it.
The fact that Teagan and Cress have cats: No explanation. This is just so cute and wholesome. As I mentioned earlier, lots of elements of this book have the same feeling as Virtual Cottage.
The Shadow Princess: This character is just so incredible. I would love to see another story with an in-depth background for her.

I definitely think that this is worth a read. Despite its length, it is full of magic, adventure, and love.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4)

The Bone Way will be available for purchase starting June 26th. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's available for purchase. Also, be sure to check out Holly J. Underhill's website!

I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Bone Way tells the story of Teagan who ventures to The Shadow Realm to retrieve her wife, Cressidae. First of all, this cover is gorgeous. It's what drew me to the book in the first place. I also appreciate a story with good solid love and no messy triangles or complications. However, I quickly lost interest in this book. The characters were very flat and it was hard for me to connect with them at all. I feel like there were several parts of the story that could have been fleshed out or developed more but mostly I think the characters need a lot of work. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

While I'm 100% here for a central, pre-established sapphic relationship built on communication, understanding, and equality... The writing itself was very spare. There was little to no description of the settings (of which there are several) or the creatures (of which there are a few). Instead we get sentences of all approximately the same length/structure dealing either with movement or emotion. It felt more like an outline than a finished work in this way.

And I don't know if it's just because it's a novella, but every setback had an immediate and obvious resolution with seemingly no lasting consequences. "You can't do x or else!" Does X and freaks out about having done X but doesn't have any actual quantifiable consequences for having done X.

I will say I loved the focus on partnership and how to balance one's dreams with one's significant other's dreams.

Thanks to NetGalley and Nyx Publishing for this ARC!

The Bone Way is a fantasy novella that follows a witch, Teagan, on her journey through the dangerous and fantastical Shadow Realm in search of her wife, Cress, who has left her to make a bargain with the mysterious Shadow Princess.

I requested this book based solely on the gorgeous cover, so I went in without knowing anything about the plot or the fact that it is a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, and I really enjoyed it! To be honest I didn't realize it was a novella either, so this was a short read, but a sweet one.

I enjoyed the journey through the Shadow Realm (the underworld of this story). The descriptions of this world are beautiful and immersive. Being a novella, there was limited time for character development and I found myself wishing for more! I did like the flashbacks, and felt they added a foundation to Teagan and Cress's story. I really loved the parts of the Shadow Princess's story, and the fairytale-esque style in which they were told. I wish we had had more time with the Shadow Princess herself, I feel like she was such an interesting character. I'd be down for a whole other book about her!

Overall, The Bone Way is an inventive and atmospheric novella that explores life and death and the things that keep us going even when we are trapped on a hopeless journey. A great quick read that fantasy lovers should enjoy!

Are you telling me that the myth of Orpheus and Erudice has an LGBT retelling?

I'll take it.

I want to thank Netgalley, the author and those behind this book for the ARC.

Well, here we go...

I loved this book completely, and it wasn't just because of the beautiful cover it has (and yes, it is beautiful) , I think it might be my favourite book for the rest of the year 2021, and it really is beautiful ♥️🥺, my heart beats for this story.

The fantasy described in every word was so dark and fantastic, the shadow realm felt so grim to me but well executed, it really sent chills.

I could imagine a Castlevania style movie with this book, and fingers crossed that it becomes a reality (Come on Netflix, give this book a look).

Cress and Teagan are so cute and I would love more about them, their story is so sweet and so full of adventure.

The antagonist character didn't end up winning me over, but hey, the story makes up for it.
Each trial got harder and I loved the way she overcame it.

I hope to continue reading books written by the author in the future.

Of course I jumped on a sapphic retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. I mean, have you seen that cover? And while this novella got some things right, unfortunately, there were several things that didn’t quite work for me.

When Tegan wakes up to an empty cottage, she knows the worst has happened. Her wife, Cress, has decided to brave the Shadow Princess’s realm by herself to bargain with her. All Tegan can do is follow and hope to catch up with her before the worst happens. But the journey also gives her time to reflect on their relationship and what got them to this point, and all she can do is hope that she, Cress and their relationship can survive the cruel and impetuous Shadow Princess.

“And then I met Cressidae. She was exciting and intense, a brave person with an artist’s heart. She made me realize that I shouldn’t be living for my mother. I should be living for me.”


After Tegan’s mother died, Tegan gave up her dreams of being an inventor and decided to follow her mother’s footsteps as a healer. She left her home village for the big city, met Cress, and quickly fell in love. Their life back in her home village was idyllic – until an attack in the forest threatened everything they hold dear. Cress believes their only hope is to bargain with the mythical Shadow Princess, but as the quest to find more knowledge consumes her, Tegan is left wondering how their relationship will survive this – if Tegan survives, that is. At heart, their problem is communication: Cress’s hesitance to share her own fears with Tegan while Tegan is already dealing with so much. Neither want to burden the other, but it takes the Shadow Princess’s challenge to finally make them realize that they’re stronger when they work together.

“They’d been partners for almost two years at this point, been married for half that. The silence didn’t feel right. They’d always been able to talk to one another. What had changed to make it so that now she couldn’t even read her wife’s emotions?”


My main problem with the book is that it’s very tell and not show. It reads almost like a screenplay. The descriptions of Tegan and Cress’s cottage, the village they live in, and the various parts of the Shadow Princess’s realm are descriptive and engaging, but Tegan, Cress and their relationship wasn’t as solid for me. It’s not helped by the fact that Tegan spends the first half of the novella catching up to Cress, so it takes a while before we finally see them interacting. There’s small flashbacks – to the day they first met, their wedding, a party the week before that showed the breakdown in their relationship – but it wasn’t quite enough to establish them for me. There’s bits that worked for me, like Cress’s insistence about Tegan pursuing her dreams, but it wasn’t quite enough. I honestly had more feelings about Tegan’s grief over her mother’s death than I did about her relationship with Cress. I was very intrigued by the history of the Shadow Princess and enjoyed the fairy tale-style stories that Cress told Tegan, but it didn’t quite stick the landing. I thought she was building up to be an interesting villain, but then the story fizzled out on her motivations, which didn’t make sense to me.

Overall, it’s an interesting premise and promising retelling, but the romance just didn’t work for me.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a sapphic retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice and it was beautiful. I am always here for queer retellings and this one did not disappoint.

The story follows Teagan, a witch whose wife has descended into the underworld on a desperate quest to save Teagan's life. Teagan determined that Cressidae should not remain trapped there- follows her. It is clearly a variation on the ancient myth but it takes place in an entirely different world with different mythos and different stakes. Whilst the Shadow Realm has clear echoes of Hades it also has unique challenges and creatures that Teagan must contend with. It is a straightforward 'quest' story that is fast-paced and enjoyable.

Teagan was an interesting main character, when she's introduced she's already well-established in her life and the event that led to her and Cressidae's quest has already happened so we are thrown right into the narrative. Grief plays a key role in Teagan's journey and it is done achingly well. We don't see a whole lot of Cress in the present time until about halfway through the novella but she too is a likable character and easy to root for. Because the relationship between the two women was already well established when the book begins we, unfortunately, don't get to see a lot of on-page chemistry and new romance (although we do see some of their romantic backstory through little interludes) and that is one of my complaints. The romance felt a little flat in places and at times there was too much telling and not enough showing.

I also felt the world-building could have been stronger and more expansive but I liked what I did see. The Shadow Princess could have been expanded more as well, we got plenty of her backstory and how she got where she did but not a lot of her present-day motivations and she rang a little hollow as a 'villain'. The writing style was captivating and it kept me hooked throughout.

Overall I really enjoyed this novella and wish it could have been a longer piece.

I am a fairly avid reader of fantasy books and so it was great to have a sapphic fantasy book to read. This book was super easy to get through. It was a fun and quick read. I really loved and I think it's especially great for a bit younger YA readers. The language isn't necessarily complicated and it's quickly paced.

The Bone Way is a short and sweet novella, a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, but with a bit of a twist. It’s an easy read, one you can get through in a single sitting, but ultimately, it didn’t really stand out for me.

Let me start with the positives. The story that the novella sets out to tell is basically the perfect story in terms of length, pacing, and so on. It cuts between the present and the past, giving you background for the characters along the way, so you don’t feel like you’re being asked to care about them for no reason. It doesn’t try to tell too expansive a story, and leaves you satisfied with what it has told.

In general, when I’m reading, I find myself struggling when a relationship is already established, but here I didn’t have that. I think it’s because what the book does well is give you enough of their backstory for you to root for them. And it probably also helps that you’re introduced to them in a moment where things aren’t all that peachey in their relationship.

I think, then, what made me rate this book 3 stars and not higher was mainly that nothing about it really stood out to me. Yes, I enjoyed reading it, but I didn’t love it. I didn’t feel like I wanted more having finished it. So, for all that it was good, it was just missing a little something.

But, on the whole, I think it was a very solid novella, and definitely one I would still recommend.

A sapphic Orpheus and Eurydice retelling in a beautiful fantasy world, I AM IN!

The imagery and descriptions in this world are gorgeous. Even though this is a shorter story, I didn't feel like anything was rushed; the pacing was just balanced as we switched between past and present that answered questions or gave us memories at the best time during this journey.
Also, this couple was so imperfectly perfect. We saw a real couple portrayed with doubts and their own stubbornness and how they both make mistakes and annoy each other but still love each other. It was so refreshing!

The only thing I could ask is for Cress's POV and to expand this world, PLEASE! I honestly want so much more from this world and story now! Please give me a Shadow Princess book because that character seems like they have a real struggle story, and I want it!

Content Warnings: grief, loss of a parent, terminal illness.

The Bone Way aspires to a mythic/fairy tale feel as it weaves together main character Teagan's grief, fears, relationship with her wife, and struggles to find herself; Teagan and Cressidae's Orpheus and Eurydice-inspired journey through the underworld; and the origin myth of the dark Shadow Princess who rules the underworld.

The atmospheric un-spooling of the various fragments from Teagan's life functions to develop the world naturally, circling what she cannot bring herself to say and fading in and out like her own anxieties and grief. The world itself is simple but effective, creating a lively, witchy cottagecore vibe that contrasts the horrors of the underworld. Despite the short length, readers are left with the impression of a richer world with mythology and culture all its own. I particular enjoy the community of healing witches found in Teagan, her mother, and local apothecary owner and friend Maradin.

Where The Bone Way falls short is awkwardly modern dialogue and a somewhat perfunctory pace through obstacles and arguments. Teagan and Cressidae, whose inner worlds and lives are so rich, lack a unique voice—their relationship could be anyone. Though this in no way spoils the story, it erodes an already tenuous connection to the Orpheus myth as their love does not quite feel appropriately mythic.

I would recommend to: Folks looking for soft, sapphic cottagecore witches and happy endings.

Thank you to NetGalley and NyxPublishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be cross-posted to Amazon upon publication.

Book Review for The Bone Way

Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I think the best way to describe this lovely little novella is: An Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, but with sapphic, cottagecore witches. I mean, what else could you want??

The story of Teagan and Cressidae is told in a mix of cozy flashbacks (from Teagan’s youth, to their meeting in the city, to their wedding night) and the tense scenes of Teagan’s journey through the Bone Way. Before the start of the book, Teagan is attacked by a monster and is lethally poisoned. With no cure, Teagan and Cressidae consider making a bargain with the Princess of the Shadow Realm, but Teagan refuses to risk Cressidae’s life. Unwilling to let the chance slip by, Cressidae steals away in the middle of the night to make the bargain herself. But Teagan knows how treacherous both the journey and the princess are, so she follows her wife into the Shadow realm with the hopes of bringing Cressidae back safely...

Their world is a lush, queer normative, cottage core world, that I so badly want to visit. But as beautiful as the surface realm is, the Shadow Realm is just as haunting and eerie. Both sides were fascinating to read.

I found The Bone Way to be a wonderful little novella that I would happily recommend to anyone queer or with a love of queer stories. It’s sweet and lovely and tense and adventurous and all of the good stuff. I can’t wait to see what Underhill decides to write next!

PS - All the props to the cover artist, because the cover art is absolutely STUNNING!!

CW: Blood & some violence

*Thank you Nyx Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC*

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was looking forward to this book a lot but unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. I think it just wasn’t the right book for me. The amount of flashbacks weren’t something I personally enjoyed and it took away from me wanting to read it. I think someone who likes to read books with a lot of flashbacks would like this book a lot more than I did!

I had high expectations for this sapphic retelling of Eurydice and Orpheus set in a queernorm world. I'm weak for beautiful covers and stories where lovers will do anything for each other, but ultimately this story ended up being quite underwhelming. I believe it has a lot of potential, but I had a few problems with the organization.

This story follows Teagan, a dying witch, who goes after her missing wife Cressidae to the Shadow Realm (it's time to d-d-d-duel), ruled by the Shadow Princess. Cress hopes to make a deal with her to save Teagan's life, but the road to her palace is not an easy one, and only the bravest and most cunning can reach her and get back out again. I liked the detail put not only into the Road of Silence and its trials but also the world outside of it, where magic and invention coexist. I probably could have read a full-length book set in Wystira.

However, the way this information was shared was quite odd. The Bone Way has a lot, and I mean a LOT of flashbacks, asides, and little stories inside it alongside Teagan's journey, but so much so that it detracted from Teagan's current storyline. There were also some odd choices for organization; for example, Teagan fights one of the shadow creatures during a trial, and the next section was an excerpt explaining it from Cress's journal. It would have been more impactful to have that before the encounter. I also feel like things about the Shadow Princess, like her story and the poem about the different parts of the Road of Silence, could have been incorporated differently to have less breaks from Teagan's journey. Having it as a prologue or working it into backstory with her mother could be some suggestions.

There were also, finally, some odd sentences and phrasing that took me out, such as "she missed her mom something fierce" which felt at odds with the previous tone. I also really appreciated the representation of a nonbinary side character (?) at Tay and Cress's wedding, but the way they were presented was a little bit strange.

All of this combined with the writing being very simplistic and not having a lot of depth to it made for an overall meh experience. However, I did love the imaginative world and Teagan and Cress's relationship, and I am definitely looking forward to more of this author's work.

❧ 2.5★

This is a quick read about two women who will do anything for each other. I loved this glimpse into their lives, and wish for more stories about the shadow princess and the goddess. Of course, if Teagan and Cress are in those stories too I certainly wouldn't complain!

The only complaint I could possibly make about this book is it left me wanting more. More backstory, more side stories, more shadow stories to give the overall arc some depth.

The Bone Way is a lesbian retelling of the Orpheus myth, and it’s now one of my favorite novellas. Teagan and Cress have such a great relationship, and I loved the history behind the Shadow Princess and her kingdom. However, I really wish this would have been a full-length novel. There’s a lot to explore in this world, as well as Teagan and Cress’ past, and I wish that it had been twice as long.

This novella had such potential to be amazing— I mean a sapphic retelling of the story of Eurydice and Orpheus!! Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations.

This story wasn’t bad per say but I do think it had some pacing issues. I didn’t see the need for any of the flashbacks— they never really added anything to the story. Some of them, I think should have been placed elsewhere in the story. For example, at one point, they get attacked by a creature and the next chapter is a flashback about them learning about that same creature. If that flashback had been before the chapter, it would have flowed better.

I also think due to the flashbacks, it kept taking me out of the present storyline and really dimmed my enjoyment and connection with our main character.

Overall, this wasn’t terrible! I liked Teagan and Cress’ relationship and their love and drive to do whatever they could to protect and save one another. I’d definitely check out more work by this author in the future!

2/5 ⭐️

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

"Past the Bone Way,
Where the dead rest hungry
Through the Sky of Lost Dreams
Where souls wander forevermore
Down the River of Sorrow,
Where water drowns the mind
Up the desolate Mountain,
Where monsters roam the halls
To the deathly palace
Where the Shadow Princess waits within."

Taegan has a perilous journey ahead of her. It is one she was reluctant to make but now her wife, Cressidae, has set out on it ahead of her, leaving her forced to hurry on behind. The journey ends as she entered Shadow Princess' castle and, hopefully, Taegen can plead for her life there. The issue is that but no one has seen the Shadow Princess for generations. At least, none who have returned and lived to tell the tale. It may well be more than one life that Taegan now has to bargain for.

This was a very clever and unique retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. I have not read the original but am well versed with its story. The morals and harrowing outcome of the original infused this retelling with an extra melancholic air, which was further fuelled by its juxtaposition to the purity of the characters.

Teagan and Cressidea's relationship was such a sweet and innocent one. I wanted longer to get to know the two women as individuals, as well as witnessing more scenes of their life together. Their love was one that brought a silly smile to my face after even the scantest of descriptions.

The only negative comment I have to make about this book, overall, is that it was far too short for the story it contained and it was not just the characters that I desired more from.

Their journey involved a number of trials set in each of the Shadow Princess' realms. I could have spent a book's length in each one, so vivid was their construction and so intriguing was all that occurred there. Underhill left me feeling haunted after every harrowing encounter and showed a real knack for imbuing a gloomy and Gothic atmosphere within such a short number of pages.

I'm very excited to see what other worlds this author can conjure with her words. This book has already made me an eager fan and ensured I am willing to read anything and everything with the Underhill name to it.