"No matter what they say, or how much they lie to themselves, people don’t want the truth. They want the story already living inside them, buried deep as marrow in the bone."

[No rating due to DNFing before 50%]

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was not on my radar as I own Darkest Minds by the same author and had no plans to read anything else by her until then. I then saw it was picked for at least two book boxes (whose taste in books I generally align with), and almost immediately after the publisher emailed me offering a review copy.

It was marketed to me as "a magical, treasure-hunting exploration of Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology" and "fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline" and a "mythology-based, enemies-to-lovers “romantacy”" and comped to Violet Made of Thorns, The Cruel Prince, Circe, and ACOTAR.

I would like to start by saying the actual writing quality seemed great, and that I will qualify that the plot and atmosphere of this book could be amazing! I will instead talk about what made me stop reading, in case these are things you'd like to read/wouldn't bother you.

What I didn't notice about the marketing email was "expansive worldbuilding set against a contemporary backdrop", and I didn't realize until I started reading that The Cruel Prince was probably a comp because this book is set in modern times. The MC starts out chapter 1 talking about her cellphone, frequently uses modern words like "bestie", etc. That threw me hard as I generally avoid books that aren't high/epic/historical fantasy.

The plot centers around the main character trying to find a cure for her cursed brother. It gave me the vibes of the start of Lakesedge, which was a book I didn't like at all, where we don't know almost anything about the MC and the sibling except that she wants to help her brother and the brother is cursed. What are their personalities, their interests, their aspirations? I didn't notice much of that other than that the MC seemed kind of sassy/talked back immediately without a filter.

The pacing was very slow, and when I gave up at 16%, I skipped to the middle and the first romance scene, and nothing seemed "pure adrenaline" to me about the plot.

I will most likely still give Darkest Minds a try as I already own it, but this book was unfortunately not it for me.

Silver in the Bone is a YA contemporary fantasy novel. The central theme includes Arthurian Legends. Before picking this book, I knew nothing about Arthurian legends, yet it wasn't hard for me to understand it. This book has become my best read of 2023.

This book has the tropes I love the most, like action, adventure, found family, and enemies to lovers. Including mythology in this book made it even more interesting to read. So much was happening in every chapter, keeping me glued to the pages.

Tamsin and her brother Cabell are my favorite characters in the book. Their sibling bond is expressed so well throughout the book. It made my heart warm. Their guardian Nash left them in the process of finding a cure to the curse that Cabell bears and never returned. At such a young age, Tamsin made it her responsibility to care for her brother and did everything she could to protect him.

Tamsin and Emrys banters were so fun to read. The growth in their relationship was so gradual and smooth. The book was from Tamsin’s pov, and I wished there were chapters from Emrys' pov. I can't wait to see more of them in the next book.

Neve, the sorceress, joins Tamsin, Emrys, and Cabell later in the book in their journey to search for the cure to Cabell's curse. She was so kind and caring, just like Tamsin. But she expressed it, unlike Tamsin, who found a way to shut people away. I don't blame Tamsin for that behavior, considering her past.

Many magical systems are explained in the book, but it is simple and clear. The three main characters(Tamsin, Emrys, and Cabell) are Hollowers who work for mostly Sorceresses to recover magical objects or relics in exchange for money.

What I love most in the book is that importance is given to every character. It's not the usual "hero saved the day" or "heroine saved the day." Everyone played an excellent part in winning the final fight—hats off to the author for giving equal importance to every character.

The twist at the end was so unexpected, changing everything I had believed since the beginning of the book. The cliffhanger left my jaw dropped. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Overall, this is a perfect young adult fantasy with magic, action, love, betrayal, friendship, sibling bond, and a sarcastic protagonist making the novel even better.

Alexandra bracken has a place in my heart that nobody can replace. This book was made even better by getting to see Alex talk about her book in person on launch week! She is so passionate about her writing and does a thorough job of researching before she writes her books.. and it shows!

This book was a fun listen (Thank you Libro.fm for my complimentary copy). An Arthurian Legend retelling as an Urban Fantasy. Modern day kids get thrown into the Arthurian World, where they have to figure out who has cursed the land.

It was a positively adventurous story. Full of likeable characters, romance, curses and betrayals. It kept me interested and now I'm looking forward to the next book to see how the characters will be thrown for a loop again.

A must read for YA Fantasy lovers.

What a great follow up book to Lore. I loved that one, so I was stoked to get my hands on this one. While it is obviously different, the writing was the same which I really appreciate. It’s definitely the first in the series and left me wanting more of the story and characters, but since I already want to read the next book I am calling that a huge success! Loved it

Thank you to Random House for the Arc!

I did dnf this book.

I tried really hard to get into this book but I really struggled. I was so excited to read this book but it just fell flat to me. I think for most part this was a me issue and not the book.

I think this could just be a me problem but I had a hard time with the worldbuilding at times. But I’ve struggled with fantasy books lately for that exact reason so that could just be me. Also the story was just too slow paced for me.

OMG this was such a captivating YA urban fantasy! Inspired by Arthurian legend, it had me hooked from the very beginning. The characters were likable, and the magic system and world-building in the Isle of Avalon setting were well-blended. The banter between Tamsin and Emery, who go from enemies to lovers, was so much fun to read. Although there were some clunky moments with the world-building and pacing, this book started a bit lighter, then it became a bit dark, twisted, and suspenseful, with a heart-wrenching scene. The found family element and sibling relationship between Tamsin and Cabell were highlights, and the chemistry between Tamsin and Emery was electric. I'm eagerly anticipating the second installment!

I loved this! I went into it almost completely blind other than knowing it had Arthurian legend influences and it was so much fun to just be taken along for the ride.

The world that Alexandra Bracken has created is so vivid and atmospheric and I was sucked in immediately. I really liked how she used the Arthurian mythos but brought it into a modern day fantasy setting. It's not a retelling, but a story within a world where Arthur and his knights actually existed.

This is a darker fantasy than I was expecting but honestly the moodiness hit juuuust right. And the last quarter or so was absolutely nonstop adrenaline and twists and a full on cliffhanger ending. I'm so excited to see where things go in book two!

Read this if you like:
- dark modern fantasy
- found family
- slow burn rivals to lovers
- Arthurian mythology

Thank you so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was surprisingly really good. I was engaged throughout the story and the blend of mythology was spectacular. It might be a hot take, but I wasn't a very big fan of Lore and I was losing a little hope in Bracken. This brought that hope back. Please check this out!

Orphans Cabell and Tamsin are struggling to get by after their guardian Nash goes missing. Tamsin is searching for anything that will cure Cabell of his curse of turning into a mindless hound. She finds a clue to the location of the Ring of Dispel, but before she can go for it she runs into her enemy Emrys who is also searching for it. Through a series of unfortunate events, Tamsin, Cabell, Emrys, and sorceress Neve end up in the mythical land of Avalon. Avalon is not the beautiful land of legend. It is suffering from a curse. Tamsin wants nothing more but to find the Ring and leave these people, but the others want to help them. Can the curse be lifted? Will Tamsin find the Ring and save her brother?That last line is about the only thing that makes me want to read the next book.

I really enjoyed this epic YA fantasy! It gives Indiana Jones vibes mixed with Arthurian legend. It took a little bit to grasp the complex world building and array of characters, but I love books fantasy that have more depth! This was my first book from this author, and I loved her writing style. I can’t wait to continue this series and read more from this author!

“Sometimes I envy your memory… Because it’s a place where nothing dies.”

Bracken intertwines Arthurian Legend into the magic and settings of this book so beautifully while not only creating gorgeous relationships between every character but setting up truly surprising plot twists and red herrings. Every detail adds to the story, leading readers on the richest adventure through England and the Otherlands.

First, the magic and the settings. Fantasy can easily get a little too wordy trying to explain how magic or politics work in new worlds, but the way the information is woven into the story is gorgeous and doesn’t feel like learning. The magic and history are so nuanced and complex, it’s exactly what you want and need to make the events fit together and everything feel realistic.

The settings, too! Everything was easy to picture and subtle details were reinforced the longer Tamsin and the others spent in a place. These were easily some of my favorite parts of Bracken’s writing and the book overall.

What was really interesting, though, are the ways the characters interact and the subversion of some of the common Arthurian legends. As time progresses, there’s amazing development and growth for almost every character in the book, which makes some key points so much more emotional and heartbreaking. I laughed, I cried, I was a little bit destroyed and definitely shocked.

Minor spoilers here, but the secrets and the betrayals! The warnings were there and they still hurt. Fingers crossed for redemption arcs in book two.

Next, the timeline is a little difficult to follow if you’re not paying a lot of attention to it, but the foreshadowing and consistency are spot on throughout. Bracken’s writing in Silver in the Bone is absolutely at its best. The book was so easy to lose yourself in; it was engaging in all the best ways.

Now, for the bit I didn’t like. I hate to admit, I wasn’t fond of Flea. She was one character I felt didn’t change much, but really that’s because she seemed to really only be there as an excuse to share knowledge—whether it was her telling the Hollowers something or having them give her advice. She was important, but kind of meh.

Absolutely would recommend this book to those who liked Merlin or Arthurian legend. It was a great read overall, and an excellent first in the series.

Silver in the Bone is an Arthurian fantasy that features both mythical and urban settings. As a Hollower, Tamsin hunts magical relics from Arthurian legend, and along the way, she gets in more than a few scrapes.

From the beginning, Silver in the Bone is atmospheric. There’s a gritty darkness to the novel that fans of Alexandra Bracken’s previous works (Lore) will recognize.

The novel starts out strong, but wanes a little in the following chapters. It was a good 50 pages (the book is 496 pages long) before I was truly hooked. But once hooked, I could not put Silver in the Bone down, reading it late into the night.

That slow start felt like it had a lot to do with pacing, which does pick up substantially once the “adventure” starts. That’s when all of the elements come together — setting, mystery, magic, romance and peril.

Even though there are a few main players in Silver in the Bone, the story is told in first person from Tamsin’s point of view. It’s a good choice to use first person, as it heightens the emotion and really takes you inside her thought process.

Silver in the Bone is not a standalone, so be prepared for some big twists and unfinished business. It’s a high-stakes journey that’s appropriate for older young adult readers, ages 14 and up.

Silver in the Bone is a surprising and refreshing retelling that takes on the Arthurian legends.

Tamsin is an orphan without magic raised in a world with an adopted brother, Cabell and father figure, Nash who both possess the abilities she herself lacks. Together, they hunt for magical treasure until one day, Tamsin and her brother are inexplicably abandoned once again. Obsessed with Arthurian legends and artifacts, Tamsin finds herself on a quest, along with her sworn enemy to seek an object of lore that will break her brother’s curse.

Full of wonderful world-building and memorable characters that are full of human flaws, the first book in this new series holds tons of promise. I found myself unable to put it down with all the plot twists and action and immersed myself in the world of Avalon. I must admit someone wholly unfamiliar with the mythos the story is based on might find themselves confused as the author assumes you know the Arthurian legends. As a former English major, I had no problem following along. for a YA novel, there is quite a bit of gore and more graphic, non-sexual violence than is found in most YA novels.

Recommended for fans of retellings, fantasy, and anti-heroic characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Books, and Alexandra Bracken for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Random House Children's and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I haven't read Alexandra Bracken since the Darkest Minds days and absolutely loved it, so this was incredibly nostalgic to read for me, personally, and see how much Bracken's writing has changed! This was an interesting twist on the Arthurian legend, and I would consider the romance in this to be rivals to lovers almost, which is great since that is my favorite trope. I thought the plot was good and really picked up at the end, so I will be desperately counting down the days until the sequel.

What a ride! Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken is a page-turning, horrific delight!

Set primarily in Avalon, the misty island of Arthurian legend, Silver in the Bone focuses on a brother-sister pair of relic hunters. Cabell and Tamsin Lark travel from the mortal world of Boston to this Otherworld in search of a ring that will save Cabell from a dreadful curse. They agree to ally with Neve, a sorceress, and Emrys Dye, one of the Cunningfolk and long-time relic hunting rival of the Lark siblings.

When they arrive in Avalon, they find a deadly wasteland and are imprisoned in the dungeon of the nine priestesses. And then their situation becomes really dire.

Tropes include: the reluctant hero, found family, and rivals to lovers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark magical fantasies with twisty storylines and more than a dash of horror.

Thank you to Random House Children's Books, Alfred A. Knopf, and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Silver in the Bone series. I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

Thoughts: Previous to reading this book I have read many other books by Braken. I have enjoyed most of them but never really really loved them. I enjoyed "Brightly Woven", the 1st book in The Darkest Minds series, and "Lore"; I did not enjoy the later Darkest Minds novel. So, in summary Bracken is a bit hit or miss for me...this book followed in the same vein as those. This was okay, I like the darker twist to Arthurian mythology and the relic hunting but for some reason this wasn't the most engaging story for me.

The story follows Tamsin Lark and her brother Cabell. They are raised as Hollowers, those who populate the magical underground in the modern world and make a living hunting enchanted relics. The story starts with us hearing about an enchanted relic they need to hunt but then we are quickly transported to Avalon to hunt down a ring from Arthurian mythology. The world-building is a bit thin and I never quite understood how the whole multiple worlds thing worked.

There were things I enjoyed in the story and things I didn't. I really loved the beginning and enjoyed the treasure hunting aspect and the curses and adventure. Unfortunately, that quickly ended up in the background for a lot of the story. We quickly moved from relic hunting to a dark and cursed Avalon where our characters get forced into helping ancient Arthurian mythology figures. I didn't really enjoy the transition or the direction the plot took once they got to Avalon. It was like an Arthurian zombie apocalypse or something.

The characters were okay but I didn't love them, they just felt like they were missing something. Tamsin is so focused on how "bad" she's been that she gets in her own way. Her enemy-to-lovers, love interest isn't much better. All of these characters are supposed to be tortured and complex but come off as a bit stiff and shallow. The romance felt awkward and Tamsin's relationship with the others around her wasn't much better.

I read this and finished it and even enjoyed some of it. However, it was also very easy for me to put the book down and walk away from it. The writing style didn't really suck me in. When I was done I didn't want to read the next book but instead thought, "okay well onto something else". I really think this could have been an amazing book if the story had continued to focus more on relic hunting rather than Arthurian politics. The whole plunge into Arthurian mythology felt really forced.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I read this and it was okay, I even enjoyed some aspects of the story, but I didn't love it. I am coming to the conclusion that Bracken just might not be an author I want to keep reading. I am always excited to read her books and end up feeling a bit disappointed afterwards. This isn't a bad story; I really enjoyed the curse and magic and relic hunting...but it didn't flow very well either and the characters felt awkward. I won't be continuing with the series.

Alexandra Bracken's Silver in the Bone is the first installment in a two installment duology with the second releasing in 2024. This story is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, The Mortal Instruments, The Magicians, and other fantasies with expansive worldbuilding against a contemporary backdrop. Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, and abandoned by her own parents, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside.

But after her thieving foster father Nash disappeared without so much as a goodbye after searching for King Arthur's dagger, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive. Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys Dye ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring. As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves.

While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, along with Neve, a sorceress of her own uniqueness, dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. This is a story that travels from Boston, to Cornwell, to Avalon in search of a relic capable of breaking an curse or enchantment.

Tamsin ends up finding a legendary flaming sword, but also being betrayed at a variety of turns leaving her scrambling with Avalon survivors to pick up the pieces. In Avalon, there are a variety of characters like Caitriona and Olwen: two priestesses that couldn’t be more different but whom fight for the same thing. The protection of Avalon. The relationship between Tamsin and Cabell is solid yet there's something brewing under the surface. Same could be said of Emrys and Tamsin who are opposite sides of the equation, but are force to work together.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I have a lot of thoughts but overall, I liked the way it ended and I can’t wait to read the sequel so I’m rounding up to 4 stars.

I really enjoyed the characters. Tamsin was scarred and untrusting (traits that were understandable). Even though sometimes I felt that her snark was unnecessary; it made me appreciate the dynamic between her and Neve.

Some of the magic didn’t feel all the way flushed out. Which isn’t a huge deal in urban fantasy since you aren’t resetting the scenery. However, I’m not sure I’m convinced that this needed to be a King Arthur inspired tale. If you swapped out King Arthur for any made up character, I’m not sure anyone would be able to point out the similarities. That being said, I loved Avalon and the Sisters.

This novel is marketed as enemies to lovers but I wouldn’t say the two were enemies. They were definitely competitors. And they both made hasty assumptions about the other. But there wasn’t enough bad blood between the two for me to consider them enemies. To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave my review at that but overall, I enjoyed the read.

Tamsin is a young Hollower who lacks any magic, unlike her pseudo-foster father and brother. She's found ways to keep up with them, but one night while they are out on a mission, their father figure disappears, leaving them alone in the world. Tamsin harbors a lot of resentment and anger as the years go by, especially when she realizes that he had a tool before he left them that could have broken her brother's curse. She and her brother head off to find this tool, and accidentally find themselves in the middle of a much bigger quest.

I looooved this story. I didn't want it to stop. Maybe it's because the main character shares my name, or maybe because it's another fun, unique twist on Arthurian legend, set in the modern day. There were plenty of great, fleshed-out main and side characters, lots of little plot twists, a huge, aching amount of grief, and so many questions left unanswered that make me so excited for the next book.

Big recommend if you enjoy modern fantasy, Arthurian lore, curses, and YA enemies to...maybe lovers? Gotta read it to find out!

Thanks to Random House Childrens/Knopf Kids and Netgalley for the e-ARC.