Full review attached.

I'd like to thank the publisher Knopf Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have started and stopped this book about 5 times - it's just not for me. There was a lot of pacing issues in my opinion since this was supposed to be the start of a series. Ultimately it just didn't work for me and what I wanted out of this novel.

I want to make a formal apology for taking two years to give feedback, I genuinely thought I would eventually get back to this but as time goes on, the more I realized I should have DNF reviewed this years ago.

I don’t know what it is for me, but I haven’t enjoyed an Alex Bracken book since Passenger. I loved Passenger, did not like Wayfarer. I DNF’d Lore, and….i honestly did not make it all the way through Silver in the Bone.

I did not feel an emotional connection to any of the characters. I also felt the plot was not interesting enough for me to stay paying attention. I didn’t really fully grasp the world building and the more information was revealed, the less any of it made sense.

The darkest minds will forever be a favorite, but…maybe it’s time for me to hang up my Alex Bracken hat.

This was a fun, imaginative, and modern take on King Arthur! I liked Tamsin and found her to be a very relatable protagonist. I also liked the plot twists in the end! Silver in the Bone makes me excited to read the sequel! I can’t wait to see what happens to Tamsin next!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“A library was a home to those who dreamt of better places.”


Silver in the Bone was a great introduction to the series. Sure, it took me on a wild ride. I was confused about some things and in awe of others. Things felt clunky at times, but then they didn't. All in all, I still ended up enjoying this.

In this, you will meet Tamsin. She was a character and frustrated me at times. Like any stubborn person, she was prone to making terrible decisions from time to time. Then she would push people away when she really should have let them in. It's fine; we all do that. Or we at least know someone who does that. One can only hope that she continues to grow in the next book.

Then there's Neve, Emery, and Cabell. These three made Tamsin bearable. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and I'm hoping for more backstories in the sequel. On top of the whole family vibe, we do get some romance between two of them. I am a huge lover of banter, and everyone delivered on it.

In the end, feelings came out, and then this book left me on a cliffhanger. I'm not prepared and absolutely need the next book.

"I'd spent years methodically dosing myself with suspicion the way others might suffer drops of poison to build up a tolerance. When you always expect the worst, nothing can cut deep enough to shock you."

Tamsin Lark's life revolves around one thing: making sure she and her brother, Cabell, are safe. It's been a hard road. Cabell is cursed, the pair are orphaned, and their guardian abandoned them. But before Nash disappeared on them, he trained them in the art of being Hollowers. Hollowers use painstaking research to discover the tombs and troves of Sorceresses hiding invaluable relics of legend. Then they raid them for said treasure. I appreciate that the author sets parameters for where relic hunting occurs. Our characters only seek legends in Europe because other regions control their own histories. Any other alternative for white protagonists would have carried echoes of colonialism if not perpetrating it outright. Cabell's the curse breaker on their team, using inborn magic to redirect the curses protecting their prizes in safe directions. Meanwhile, Tamsin, though magicless herself, is the best on the research side. To make ends meet since big jobs are few and far between, especially for those with as little standing as the two have in the Hollowers guild, Tamsin works as a tarot reader, spinning the stories that customers want to hear.

There's a rivals-to-lovers plot between Tamsin and Emrys Dye that's been simmering since long before the book began. Tamsin not-so-affectionately calls him "Trust Fund." Emrys is the vaunted son of the Boston Guild Master with the world at his feet, and he can't seem to keep himself from reminding Tamsin that she's a mere mortal surrounded by people who can see and do more in the magical world. When it turns out that Emrys is seeking a job solo, one with a powerful prize and a massive payday at the end, it feels only natural for Tamsin to present herself as an alternative. So begins a competition-turned-collaboration (that's still harboring some competitive energy) as it becomes apparent that neither has all the information to succeed alone. With the help of Cabell and a self-taught sorceress named Neve, they set out to find Lancelot's ring, which always changes hands in death. Other Hollowers are on the trail, and Tamsin will have to dig up her and her brother's unresolved past to get ahead. They'll see the banks of Avalon before all is said and done, but reality doesn't match the myth.

The relationships on our team are my favorite part of a fascinating story. The book tackles a loving sibling relationship that can still be fraught and disconnected. Tamsin's desperation to keep her cursed older brother safe struck an emotional chord with me. The banter and romance were also top-tier. There are a lot of forced proximity moments or almost intimate moments where you can feel the tension simmering. And then there's the night in the tower, which loses absolutely nothing by keeping it PG-13-- confessions, first aid, and burrowing into one another to keep warm as snow falls outside and one of them shivers with fever. It's a VIBE, I tell you. I'm also starting a petition to make vows of friendship more of a thing. I think that's the kind of chivalrous energy we need more of in this world, compared to the options currently on offer.

The plot of this one is interesting because you think we're setting up for a relic hunt, and that's not really it. Once our questers arrive in Avalon, their plans are so thoroughly derailed that they have to keep their eyes on more pressing problems of the life-or-death variety. There are also lessons to be learned about community and caring about humanity as a whole rather than just personal survival. Of the twists at the end, one was clear in advance, but the one right in the final moments gave me a good shock. Between that and several threads left unresolved, I will need to seek out the sequel VERY soon, re: my peace of mind. Thanks to Knopf for my copy to read and review!

I liked this one but it didn't feel very different than other YA fantasies l've read. Nothing really stood out to me to put it over the top. The writing was solid and the plot had great pacing. The fantasy elements were easy to follow along with and I think the world that Alexandra Bracken built was really clear. It was a cool mix of urban and high fantasy.
I think I'll still continue with the series because there were a lot of twists at the end and I think the sequel could go in an interesting direction.

Silver in the Bone was.... okay. While I felt like the plot was very intriguing.. I just could not get into it. I would start reading, start vibing, but then I would stop reading and just did't have the urge to pick it back up. I almost felt like I was making myself read it. I do think Alexandra Bracken is a very good writer and I wish I liked it more but alas.. I thought it was only okay.

I requested Silver in the Bone Alexandra Bracken, mainly because I really enjoyed their first series, however, this one was not for me.

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

DNF 6% in.

I really enjoyed Lore by Alexandra Bracken so I request this one and only recently got around to it and it didn’t keep my attention in the same way Lore did. I am not as into YA as I was when I requested this one and I did try to push through as I also have the sequel but I couldn’t get into this one. I may eventually give it a second try but the world was confusing for me and kept taking me out of the story.

Favorite Quote(s):

“Yes,” he repeated. “Anytime you doubt it, anytime you start to worry you did the wrong thing, I’ll tell you that. And even if we’re old and gray and I can barely remember my own name, I’ll remember this and I’ll still tell you the same.”


Review:
I enjoyed this book. The characters were great and complex. The magic was interesting, and I liked the world-building. I loved how this was an Arthurian retelling and how you knew some characters. Most were just mentioned, but got new ones, too. I did like how it was set in the real world, the Mortal world, as they called it, and in Avalon. I enjoyed Tamsin as a character but at times I just wanted her to be more open, but it made sense that she wasn't, given her past. I liked Cabell and felt bad for him throughout the book, but I was mad at him by the end of it. I like Emrys a lot, but I was so pissed when he left. I wanted to hit him for it. I did like Neve, though I wasn't sure about her at first and didn’t trust her, but I grew to like her. There were many great characters in this book. This book always had me guessing about who was behind things and what was going on. I loved it. Though I do wish we got more of Nash, just for his disappearance to hit harder. I guess I get his reasons, but to abandon two young kids is shitty. That ending shocked me and I'm so mad that it's a cliffhanger cause I need more! It was such a good read.

The book does start off a bit slow, but I did get into it around 1/3 of the way in. This book is an Arthurian retelling that had some other classic elements. There was action, romance, and adventure. Overall a fun read!

It took awhile for this to catch my interest, but I did end up liking it in the end! It starts out a bit slow, but then as the story progressed and some of the twists were revealed, it became more fast paced and I became more invested.

I enjoyed the Arthurian connections and how the story tied in to the classic legends. It was a unique adaptation of the mythology and provided interesting world building.

I liked the enemies to lovers storyline and all the relationships that were built throughout the story.

This may not have been one of my favorite reads, but it is an exciting YA adventure and I would recommend it to fans of King Arthur looking for a unique story woven from those myths.

I really enjoyed this King Arthur-esque story! King Arthur is a favorite of mine and I am quite picky about how Arthurian legend is handled and I’m not mad at this one! The world building was solid, it was long but didn’t feel long because it was full of action and intrigue which I appreciate. I’m in the mind that one should not use 5 words when 3 would handle it and this book, while long, did not have many instances where this was a case. It wasn’t wordy, it was well thought out and words were used strategically. Much of the length came from dialogue between the characters and I do love a good dialogue. I definitely enjoyed this!

I did guess the main plot twist about halfway through, but I will admit that I was surprised by all of the plot twists that just kept coming in the final third of the book and I definitely was not expecting that ending, so I'm intrigued to find out what happens in the sequel!

I hadn't read an Arthurian legend in a long time. There were so many twists and turns. At times I felt a little overwhelmed/hard to follow.. The end really hit hard and I'm not really sure how it's going to be resolved. so I'm very interested to see if Bracken can pull it off.

This was fine, but I was not overly invested in the story and didn't really care about any of the characters. It's based in Arthurian legend and tbh it just made me want to read Legendborn the whole time. I finished it and it was fine but I have no desire to read the scone and likely will not be continuing the series.

This book was filled with plot twists! I loved the action and I was surprised at every turn. The writing style was easy to follow, with a great balance of dialogue and character development. The magic system was intriguing and felt unique. Unfortunately, I was a bit confused with the world-building and would have liked more information at the beginning. However, I enjoyed watching the characters grow as the story progressed. I especially liked reading about Tamsin and her emotional journey towards learning to let people into her life. The found family aspect was perfect and the side characters were all intriguing. The romance was also exciting, with great banter. Fans of rivals to lovers with a twist will definitely like this one. The action-packed cliffhanger ending left me super excited for the sequel!

I wasn’t expecting part of the story to take place in real, modern places. The way it was used with Arthurian legend was done well, though. It got really dark towards the end, but it kept my interest. Ready for the next book.

Silver in the Bone was so fun, and I loved the opening focus on tarot and magic. I'm really excited for the sequel!