The Bone Wars: Book Review | Author: Erin S. Evan

This book is resurrecting my childhood fascination with 🐉 &🦕🦖!
Dinosaurs! Dragons! Palaeontology! Natural History! Rogue Fossil Hunters! Fossil Pirates! Secret Societies! — this book has everything–and I’m here for it.

<<While the hunt was thrilling, for me, it was really about something else. Something deeper. For me, it was the endgame of finding that new, revolutionary fossil. An ancient truth hidden right under our feet.>>

I whipped through this book very quickly. It was an engaging and fun romp as the characters began their adventure in Montana, then flew to the UK, Germany, Italy, and ultimately Japan. It was a good choice for Evan to switch character perspectives so that the story was told from multiple points of view–it helped present a fuller picture, and better allowed for misdirection and/or misunderstandings between characters (and the reader) to play out.

<<Dracosauria.
Draco was Latin for dragon, and Sauria was derived from the Greek word sours, for lizard or reptile. Dragon Lizard. Kind of superfluous, but the name repetition did evoke a visual of primordial terror.>>

I absolutely loved all of the global dragon mythology and folklore that was expertly weaved into the established timelines of palaeography’s study of natural history. Geomythology and Comparative Mythology are fascinating subjects on their own, let alone tied into palaeontology as has been done here. Additionally, I especially enjoyed Evan’s way of highlighting the oft over-looked, but equally significant, contributions of women.

<<Paleo could be a difficult place. Undergrad, grad school. Post-grad, finding a steady job. There weren’t a lot of jobs in this field. Money could be very tight, and competition for funds cutthroat. And Jurassic Park and its sequels created a lot of interest in this field. There were a lot of new, hungry players. Many of these new palaeontologists were willing to do whatever it took to make their name in the field.>>

Evan clearly portrayed some important aspects of academia:
- How thoroughly academics and scientists require good solid evidence, rather than circumstantial fragments in order to solidly demonstrate any addition to or deviation from established theories or timelines.
- The cut-throat competitive nature of academia–intellectual theft and plagiarism are common occurrences, unfortunately.
- That inter-disciplinary and inter-global collaboration yields a far richer, a more diverse and inclusive, and a much more holistic picture, rather than a closed and single-minded pursuit of a theory, belief, or agenda which serves only a small minority of people.

I’m looking forward to continuing to read the Pirates of Montana series when the next book is released.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Inkshares, and Erin S. Evan for providing access to an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book sounded very intriguing, but when I started reading it I quickly realised that this book just wasn't for me.

It was alright, but it was very academical. There was a lot of paleontology and dinosaur terms used that I didn't know and I didn't feel like all of it got explained enough for someone new to this subject.

However if you are into paleontology and dinosaurs this would probably be a really great book for you. I think it was written very well and the characters were convincing.

Molly has always looked down at the soil and collected rocks and more. Her father was proud of her and take her into adults party bragging about her digging in the oks. The adults don’t understand. However this the beginning of a professional life looking for fossils. When Molly discovers on her internship an unknown fossil. world turns upside down. The famous fossil-hunter Derek Farnsworth
Or renowned paleontologist Dr. Sean Oliphant can place it in a recognized dinosaur family. Why? What is so unusual about it? When the fossil is stolen, Molly and the other go on a world wide search for it. It is full of adventures for them. Will they find it?

The author has written a marvelous novel to read. You learn about dinosaurs and some history. It is a fun story and a thriller. I loved reading about Molly as I found her to be a fascinating character. Just thought I would let you be aware that this is the volume of “The pirates of Montana.” I’m looking forward to the next book!

“No carnivorous dinosaur, even a T-rex, ever had teeth like this. At least no carnivore I’d ever heard of. And I think this is even bigger than a T-rex. And its bones were as black as night.”

The Bone Wars follows 16-year-old Molly, Ph.D. student Sarah, fossil hunter Derek Farnsworth, and paleontologist Dr. Sean Oliphant as they work together to unravel a scientific mystery. During her summer internship in the heart of the Montana badlands, Molly stumbles upon a gigantic fossil tucked away in a cave. No one on the dig has seen anything like it—Molly has discovered a new species. Shortly after the discovery, the fossil is stolen. When an anonymous note signed “S.V.” arrives at Derek’s warehouse with photos of historical paleontologists holding fossils that look exactly like the one that was stolen, the team realizes they might have uncovered a secret that is centuries in the making.

As a person who has loved dinosaur stories like Jurassic Park and Land Before Time my whole life, I was super excited to pick this novel up. I recommend The Bone Wars specifically to anyone who is intrigued by dinosaurs and wants to learn more about them. It is very clear that Evans is an expert in the field of geology and paleontology. At least 50% of this book was filled with vivid descriptions of fossils and the scientific classifications of different dinosaurs and other creatures that lived during this time period. While this definitely makes the novel very science-heavy, that is great for readers who are interested in learning more about this field of study. I know I was stopping every other page to look up dinosaur images and fossils on Google so I could visualize Evans’ descriptions even better. If you are just looking for a mystery or an adventure and you don’t have the patience for a lot of scientific descriptions, then this may not be the story for you. However, if you’re obsessed with dinosaurs and want to learn more about them while enjoying a fast-paced story, this would be a perfect read to pick up.

I loved the premise of this one. I found the story a bit slow-paced--there was a lot of description of the paleontology, which I found interesting but wished did more to advance the plot.

This book has lots of information on archaeology, and i liked the blend of science and sci-fi, but neither the plot or the characters felt truly captivating.

I'm so glad to here there will be MORE adventures after this book, as this one is the perfect mix of archaeology, history, myth, sci-fi and character driven fiction! It's supposed to be more YA, but I didn't realize that until I finished and was typing up this post! The story line is so well blended that you really just get so caught up in the story, that you just keep turning pages, stopping only to run to google to see if what you're reading is base don fact, and then running back to the book, until your next stop. I love books that educate and make you THINK, and this book is perfect- and it's very entertaining! The second book will pick up after this one, with Molly off with her team searching for fossils in Mongolia, and I can't ait! You won't be able too, once you read this book!

In this book, there was a LOT of information about paleontology and dinosaurs. If that's your niche, go for it. However, it isn't what I thought it would be. It's not bad but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Well, this was a fun read. The Bone Wars was enjoyable, but I wouldn't say it's excellent.
I enjoyed:
-The premise: the possibility that mythological creatures are rooted in facts, and we just haven't discovered it yet.
-I was really pleased to see that the author definitely knows their paleontology, with an abundance of accurate science which made this fun to read (they have a background in it too!).
-The Bone Wars does go a bit off-rails on a 'National Treasure'-like adventure, which I enjoyed to a certain extent.

Things to think about before picking this book up:
-This is advertised as Young Adult, but it definitely reads like Middle Grade. That isn't a bad thing, but not everyone enjoys it.
- I really disliked the multiple POV's which were difficult to follow, and made some parts of the story drag. I might be alone in this, but I just wanted to get back to the paleontology.
- The paragraph structure of my ARC was off with quite a few errors, making it difficult to read at times. I'm sure this will be fixed in the published copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for providing a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, I’m having a hard time with this one. I really wanted to love this Indiana Jones/Da Vinci Code romp with dinosaurs and dragons. But (and I say this knowing how dumb this sounds when you include the fact that there are mythological creatures in this story) it was so unbelievable.

We have a main character who (at 16 years old) has gotten a grant to work at a dig site in Montana. She immediately discovers the fossil of a dragon and starts a huge adventure with a grad student, professor of archaeology and a commercial fossil and dinosaur hunter.

Somehow our main character, Molly, outsmarts all of these more seasoned intellectuals and constantly has to explain certain myths and latin to them. She’s all, I can translate latin because of “a couple of high school credits and my top notch brain.” Not to mention the fact that she just travels on international flights with a bunch of strangers? Bizarre.

We get 4 POV in this book but it might as well all be one, because their voices are so similar even though they are MUCH different characters. I found it difficult to remember who was speaking.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t recommend this. I will say, the research was well done and I enjoyed the parts that were included about Richard Owen and Mary Anning. It just wasn’t enough to mitigate the writing. It was a slog to get through and doesn’t offer us anything new in the genre.

I was really excited for this book but after reading about half of it, I've realized I don't like it enough to continue. The information dumping at the first quarter of the book really brought me out of the book. It felt almost like I was reading a textbook. I really enjoy paleontology but this was just too much.

Normally I enjoy multiple POVs but I felt that this book could have done it better. There was little indication to show who's POV we were reading from so it made it confusing.

This might be a great YA novel for some but it isn't for me. I don't think I will pick up another book by this author for a while.

Jurassic Park Meets Eragon? Nope.

Book Information

The Bone Wars was written by Erin S. Evan. It’s due to be published on April 11, 2023 and is 300 pages. Evan spent her childhood summers in Montana digging fossils. As an adult, she has worked in the field and in environmental and non-profit sectors. The Bones Wars is her first novel. Thanks to Inkshares for providing me with an advance reader copy for review.

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Molly Wilder is on the adventure of her dreams. She is on her way to Montana to be an intern at a paleontology dig. She knows her stuff, has a bit of experience, and earned her way by winning a contest. Little does she know that the internship may be the most boring part of her summer as she is about to discover a fossil like few have seen which will trigger a chain reaction that no one could predict. The fossil has a horned skull, black bones, and a huge wingspan. It’s not anything that the experienced paleontologist recognizes, and Molly is convinced, to the amusement of others, that it’s a dragon.

Molly and the others don’t know that similar fossils were found back in the 1830s. They were kept secret…..something that others might still be motivated to do with Molly’s discovery today……

My Thoughts

This is a somewhat complex book told from multiple points of view and jumping through multiple timelines. It’s an intriguing story and the kickoff of a series. Evan clearly knows her stuff as it pertains to dinosaurs and paleontology though I did cringe at some of the handling of delicate historical artifacts. It’s a whirlwind of activity spanning from Montana to several international destinations. There are secrets revealed and secret organizations afoot. If you are into (really into) dinosaurs, you will like this book.

The book is clearly a young adult novel. One that may not cross over to large adult audiences like Harry Potter, but that could be successful with teens. Its characters are somewhat flat and stereotypical vs layered or developed though perhaps that’s left for future books in the series. The book kind of struggles to pick an audience. The writing from Molly’s point of view will likely appeal to the YA audience. I’m not sure the point of view of the middle-aged scientist will appeal to them quite as much.

It's a solid book, especially for a first novel. I will look forward to the next book in the series.

Recommendation

Do you like dinosaurs? Dragons? Secret Organizations? World Travel? Secrets and twists? Are you within the Young Adult target audience? Then you will likely enjoy The Bone wars.

Rating

3 Black Fossil Stars

The concept for this book sounds so great and I love anything about dinosaurs, but after reading about 25% and checking other reviews, I decided I didn't have the patience for this story.

First, There were way too many info dumps about dinosaurs and paleontology. I understand the author was trying to explain how things worked for a reader who might not be as familiar, but it could have been done in a better, more tasteful way. Even when using dialogue to share the information, it came across as too much.

Second, the story switches between three (four?) different first person points of view. Some books can make this work, but this book did it randomly without indicating who was the current narrator. It was too much work to figure out whose head I was currently in. Also, I was confused why this book is labeled YA when three of the four POVs are adults. It would have worked better if the author upped the age of Molly to 19 or 20, maybe fresh out of high school or part way through college interning at this dig site and made this an adult book. I'm not sure what teens would have the patience for this kind of story.

Last, the story just felt so unrealistic and unbelievable. Yes, the idea of finding an entirely new dinosaur species is so cool but the execution of the idea flopped. Everything was too convenient, too remarkable, too miraculous. I quickly lost interest and found I didn’t care to learn if they indeed discovered something new or what the results of finding a new species would entail for the characters. (Also, other reviews made it seem like the story goes in a completely different direction, away from the dig site, and that just turned me off even more.)

The concept for this story is great and the cover is so cool but the writing just didn’t work. This book is the perfect example of just because you CAN publish something doesn’t mean you SHOULD publish something. It needed a few more drafts to sharpen the idea into something worth reading.

If you love everything about fossils, excavation and history - this is the book for you. After a mysterious fossil is found, the race is on to discover what it might actually be.

Fast paced and engaging read.

This was an amazing book about a young girl named Molly that travels to Montana for a paleontologist internship. Her boss Sarah introduces her to a t-Rex skeleton and they notice some markings in the spine. Molly eventually finds the beast that cause these markings.

The first third of the book was fun but once the group traveled to Europe I lost interest but pushed through. If you’re a history fanatic this book is for you, but its middle to end was not what I hoped for. It was a scavenger hunt for a dragon skeleton. Which is an interesting idea, but executed poorly.

This book really appealed to my inner child who wanted to be a paleontologist when she grew up! I would definitely recommend this to any young adult reader who is into dinosaurs. I did find the main character a little difficult to like from time to time, she definitely gives off "not like other girls" energy, but I assume I did too at 16, haha. I also didn't enjoy the way the multiple POVs were handled. Each POV was written too similar to each other so it made it difficult to discern which character we were reading from. Overall, this book had a few issues, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be continuing on with the series!

I loved the cover and description of the book. However within the first chapter I was already feeling something was off. It didn't get much better as the book continued. I only finished it because I wanted to be sure about one character, which I was correct in my assumptions.

The Bone Wars does eventually set a fast pace. It is filled with discovery and action sequences meant to hook you in. However, at the beginning of the book we are also shown that there will be info dumps. In the first few chapters there is a lot of info thrown at you. Granted it is interesting as it is probably all true facts of Paleontology and Montana. Also this book is slated for teenagers so they will possibly be less judging about that. I just feel this could have been done in a smoother fashion.

Main characters are Molly, teenage grant recipient working with University of Wyoming students at a dig site. We see from her first and at first more so than the others. As a teenager the character does display the traits of thinking she is smarter and more entitled to things than someone her age probably would be. This is also the issue I had with the book. Molly is a teenager so her feeling smug at proving the adults attitudes about her false rings true. However how the adults of this book are portrayed does not. The two other perspectives we get are middle aged men. One a jaded privateer dino hunter and the other a world famous Paleontology professor. Both of whom start out by thinking Molly is "just a kid" and belittling her ideas.

The story line revolves around Molly making a history changing discovery at the Montana dig site. As soon as the skeleton replica is created the team knows that this is no dinosaur seen before. This is also when an evil organization comes in to steal everything. Thus begins a globe trotting race to discover what the bones were before the evidence can all be destroyed. Here is also were a break from reality really occurs. Molly is smart and thinks outside the box sure, but what responsible adults are going to take a normal 16 year old outside of the country. They didn't even inform her parent, that is technically called kidnapping regardless if she wanted to go. I know this is aimed for teenagers I do but this is just to much. Also that in a room of intelligent people Molly is the only one to put the pieces together every time, really.

The story played out as expected with the one character being the double agent. Her reasoning for it while touching also went against the characters beliefs at the same time. I suppose risking everything you love for an experimental cure sounds worth it. But knowing what she did and not wanting Molly involved then she should have worked harder to leave her stateside. The ending with the Japanese corporation was unexpected though. It does set up for the series to continue granted. However it is yet again an example of why is a teenager getting roped into this. If they wanted her mind I get but then they could have continued helping her with school and grants until she is older.

This was a crazy read. I never knew what to expect but it was a fun journey. It was nothing like I expected but I'm not disappointed in the least. The writing style was unique to this book and it didn't feel as though it was trying to be another book.

The narrative begins with Molly, our precocious protagonist, signing up for a summer dig in Montana to learn more about dinosaurs and, ideally, impress Sarah, her employer, who is a graduate student. A brief walk into a cave to escape a storm results in the discovery of what may be a new species. This finding swiftly develops into a worldwide quest that ends in Japan. Intriguing discoveries are discovered along the journey, and there’s just enough risk to keep things interesting.

I liked how this narrative blended well-known mythological animals with contemporary life, subtly pointing to us that while what we now know about the planet and its ecosystem is probably real, there is probably much more that we don’t know. Additionally, it demonstrates that there is more to individuals than meets the eye and that people are not always as they appear. The author does a great job of fusing myth and reality. I like all the historical information and facts about paleontology that were woven throughout the novel; they made the fictional portions flow well.

Even if you may love dinosaurs and want to learn more about them and the field of paleontology, this book is not strongly advised for those who do not. I have always been a fan of dinosaurs, so I was pleased to learn some archaeology and dinosaur information in the first section of this book. I’ve always been fascinated with dinosaurs, so I was glad to discover some information about them and archaeology in the first section of this book. However, I wish the intriguing details and engaging narration persisted throughout the entire book. In conclusion, I’d suggest reading The Bone Wars if you’re a fan of dinosaurs, want to learn more about them, and want a good mystery. Since dinosaurs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I doubt you’ll like this book as much. I did think the unexpected ending wasn’t all that satisfactory, and I found it difficult to relate to the characters.

To be honest, I was expecting a lot more from this novel, especially seeing that Inkshares published it. Reading it, however, dampened my expectations a little; I’ll admit to reading through Derek’s description of Molly (“bright green eyes”) and cringing. For one, the characters read as flat and uninteresting, especially Oliphant, whose quirky narcissism was his interesting point before he was dulled down through his redemption arc. The character’s perspectives all kind of blend together and sound the same; I frequently had to go back and double check whose POV I was in.

Not to say it’s a bad book by any means — the plot is intriguing, I do love a good group adventure fic, and you learn a LOT about paleontology (Evans sure is passionate!) — but it fell flat with the potential it had. It’s a good, entertaining read to pass time, but I would dig deeper than that if you’re looking for something more meaningful.