Thank you so much for the eARC! Although I enjoyed some of this, I think I preferred Lore. I just wanted the might in this to be stronger and more present!

This was my first Alexandra Bracken book and it did not disappoint!

If you’re a fan of Arthurian legend and mythology, then this is the book for you! The story follows Tamsin, a normal girl who works with her brother, Cabell, to recover magical items and relics for sorceresses who are tucked away in our world. The search for a relic believed to be in Avalon leads Tamsin and a semi-dysfunctional group on a journey where they find more than what treasure they seek.

This story pulled me in and left me wondering what would happen next. It was immersive and had lots of twists and turns. As I was getting to the end of the book, I realized that not everything would be resolved before it was over. I sure hope there will be a second book, because I need to know what happens next!!

This book is released April 4, 2023, and if you love YA fantasy and stories revolving around Arthurian legend, you must add this one to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book!

Bracken has done it again! A great series opener with deep lore, found family, and a heroine with a chip on her shoulder. Some readers may need time to warm to Tamsin, but others will see themselves in her right away. The themes of love, loss, and finding yourself will resonate with fans of YA, but this story has crossover potential with adult audiences. Great for fans of Bracken's previous works, Arthurian legends, the Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider franchises, and other fantasy adventures. Very much looking forward to the sequel!

The next Arthurian Retelling to hit shelves!

Plot: 3/5
I think the myth could have been much more prevalent in this story, it was more "inspired by" the story of Arthur rather than a retelling. Each time I put this book down, I wasn't motivated to pick it back up. I think this is the fault of the pacing of the plot and I just really could not engage with it.

Characters: 4/5
Tamsin has so so much character growth. She's really abrasive at the beginning and borderline unlikable but as the book goes on you see she's all rough edges and is actually really relatable.
Emrys was a good match for Tamsin and I really enjoyed their enemies to lovers plot line.

Writing: 3/5
I don't typically prefer 1st person perspective in fantasy books and this book reminds me why. It felt a lot like Tamsin was just reporting back on her actions, it lacked a lot of feeling.

Overall: 3/5

Thank you to Random House, Knopf, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw that the author of Lore had a new book out, I knew that I needed to read it right away! Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken is a YA fantasy inspired by the legends of King Arthur. The story revolves around Tamsin, a mortal girl without any magic powers. She lives with her brother Cabell, who is under a dangerous curse. One day, she embarks on a quest for a ring from Arthurian legend that could break Cabell's curse. Will Tamsin succeed in finding the ring and saving her brother?

Here is an entrancing excerpt from Chapter 1:

"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. The hope written across their faces in a subtle language few know how to read.
Luckily for me, I did.
The trick, of course, was to make them feel like I hadn’t seen anything at all. That I couldn’t guess who was heartsick for a lost love, or desperate for a windfall of money, or who wanted to break free from an illness they’d never escape. It was simple desire, as predictable as it was achingly human: to hear their wish spoken by someone outside themselves—as if that somehow had the power to make it all come true.
Magic.'"

Overall, Silver in the Bone is a high fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of Forging Silver into Stars and Lord of the Rings. One highlight of this book is the great cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the sequel to find out what happens next. I did take off 1 star because of the lack of world-building compared to Lore. This might not be fair of me, but because I enjoyed Lore so much, I can't help comparing the two. Nevertheless, if you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

This was a very entertaining take on the King Arthur legend! It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The characters were interesting and compelling and the world building was very well done. I am looking forward to the next installment!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I love Alexandra Bracken's previous work, so I was estatic to be able to get to read her new a book based on the lore of Arthurian legends. It did not disappoint. It did take me a couple of pages to get invested, but once I was here, I was here to stay. I loved the pacing, the characters and the overall world building that Alexandra gave us. I'm very excited to purchase a physical copy to add to my bookshelf! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This book was loosely based on Arthurian legend and I was ecstatic to read about it. Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I tried to push through but I couldn't connect with the characters one bit. Tamsin was grating on my nerves because of her standoffish demeanor. Cabell was interesting but I couldn't connect with him either. Emrys was okay, he was exactly like every other male love interest in a ya/ fantasy novel. So none of the characters made an impression on me.

The plot was baffling and a bit slow. I feel it had potential since the world was interesting and new but it was boring so I couldn't feel interested.
Nothing in this book captivated me although I don't deny the potential I just think it was told in a really boring way so I had to dnf it.

Thankyou for this opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book

Actual rating 4.5 stars. I am already a fan of Alexandra Bracken. I loved both her Passenger duology as well as Lore. I am also a fan of anything regarding Arthurian Legend, so needless to say, I had really high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. It did take me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I was completely hooked.

The book follows Tamsin, who was brought into the world of Hollowers, who search for magical artifacts, by her step-father, who has abandoned her as well as her foster brother, Cabel, who is constantly grappling with a curse that he's had his entire life. They are just trying to make do when a job falls upon them to uncover the very last artifact that their step-father went after before he disappeared. They end up pairing up with Tamsin's rival to find it, as well as a sorcerous. The four unlikely allies find themselves on quite an unexpected journey that spirals into something that none of them were expecting.

I instantly fell in love with the characters in this book and the world building and magic system was really unique. I am still reeling from the ending and don't know how I am supposed to wait for the next book when this one hasn't even come out yet.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing with an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review. I'd like the arc of the next one now, thanks.

If you pick up Silver in the Bone, be prepared for a Fantasy thriller of sorts. By the back half of the book, I was fairly convinced I knew how the story would resolve. Boy, was I wrong. There were so many twists and turns in this book! I am actually sitting here in shock having just finished it.

Things I loved:
1. The female MC, Tamsin- She is smart, brave and feels authentic.
2. Female characters supporting each other
3. The magic system of the Hollowers- I am hoping for more of this in the future.

Things that confused me:
1. The plot felt overcomplicated at points. I am hoping that pays off later in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children for the E arc!
I was so excited to see that this author had written a new book, as the darkest minds was a very popular series when I was younger. The magic in the action was captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. I was also thoroughly excited for the Arthurian legend and lore that this book has. If you want a very exciting and interesting fantasy book, look no further, this should be your next read.

"Silver in the Bone" by Alexandra Bracken follows Tamsin, our main character as she sets out on an ill-advised quest to retrieve an artifact that she thinks will break the curse on her brother, Cabell. Along the way she is forced to team up with a pompous guild rival, Emrys, and a self-taught sorceress, Neve, and confront the abandonment she and Cabell experienced by their adopted guardian.

There was a lot I liked about "Silver in the Bone" and a lot that made me scratch my head. I am new to Arthurian stories, and I found the lore fascinating. The pacing kept me gripped, I devoured the book in a few sittings. The ending was maddening, absolutely unhinged. And it really sets up the next book quite nicely, I don't know how Alexandra Bracken will bring any resolution to the mess she created.

The book had a surprising amount of gore, especially for something that is under the Teen & YA category. I would check the trigger warnings before embarking especially if you are sensitive to descriptions of violence and physical trauma.

Current trends in YA fantasy: mythology retellings, enemies to lovers, surly traumatized women, portal fantasy. The venn diagram between what's popular now and what Silver in the Bone contains is a circle. Therefore, I greatly enjoyed it. The ending, although kind of cliffhangery, was particularly good.

There are four main characters, all of whom I love.
Tamsin: the POV character, angry, willing to go to extreme lengths to protect her brother (and avoid being alone)
Cabell: cursed, angry, not particularly well-developed but I want so much more of him
Emrys: hot and privileged but with a ~dark past~. excellent 10/10
Neve: witch girl. also angry but cheerful and lovely.

CWs: abuse, blood and gore, child abandonment

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book to review.
Tamsin didn't ask for the life she was given. She is brought into a magical line of work by her guardian, Nash, who vanishes leaving her and her brother completely alone. That is until she takes a job seeking out the one item Nash seemingly went to his death attempting to find. She finds herself in a new world working with a group of people that she wouldn't have predicted. The story twists and turns in ways I couldn't have predicted that were well written, thrilling, and at times heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the second one after that ending!

If deus ex machina were a book, this would be it, and convenience is the real protagonist. There’s no real reason for anything in the book to happen, and the characters achieve nothing on their own merit. They don’t struggle, and they don’t even really lose at any point. Things simply happen to achieve whatever the narrative demands in the moment. Characters just conveniently realize, reveal, discover, or figure out exactly what knowledge is needed exactly when it’s needed and sometimes the world just tosses a solution at their feet. The plot is also incredibly strung out with very little of importance happening for a very long time, and then in the space of a few pages, they discover and defeat the primary antagonist without any difficulty or loss. This book shouldn’t be boring because it has a strong premise, but it struggles to feel worthwhile. It feels like an incredibly long and drawn-out prologue to set up the real story - what is now going to be the sequel. The dragging plot also gives us more than enough time as readers to guess the answers to all the plots mysteries and sit with them for so long that we’re just annoyed by the time they’re revealed. There is no sense of tension or stakes, and even the promised infusion of Arthurian legend feels like a bare-bones backdrop as opposed to something lush and alive.

The characters are another weak spot. Ultimately, they lack dimension. Cabell is the worst in this respect because he’s just stale toast on the page. We don’t really know anything about him except that he exists just to give Tamsin a motivation, which makes him almost just a McGuffin. Emrys is alright, if a bit typical. He’s at least likable and somewhat interesting, but I wish he were explored more. Neve is the brightest spot in this book for me and the only thing that had me cracking a smile. Tamsin is our first person narrator. She’s pretty drab as well - hard to get to know or connect with and not particularly likable, though not so much so that she becomes unlikable and therefore interesting. She’s just very serious and wounded without being vulnerable or endearing. Ultimately, she’s just plain miserable to be stuck with for 400 pages of uninteresting storytelling. There are also elements of characters and their pasts that are brought up but ultimately go nowhere or are just suddenly thrown on the table with no greater payoff. They may be setting something up for the sequel, but they feel unrelated to the current plot and like literary clutter.

I just can’t recommend this book for anyone. Overall rating would have to be 2.75 stars simply for the quality of the prose and concept.

Wow. I was not expecting that from this story. Also, why do I keep reading these series that don't have the sequels written yet? How am I supposed to make it until 2024 for the next part?

Part I is heavy on exposition, introducing our protagonist, Tamsin and her brother, their job as Hollowers, and the mysterious guardian who left them, Nash. While I wouldn't say the book started off slow, it was Part II that really took off in development of the story, characters, and world-building, and by Part III I've become so invested in the characters and world Bracken has created that the ending comes at a gut-punch that I will be feverishly awaiting the sequel for to understand what happens next.

Despite this being promoted heavily as a King Arthur-inspired tale, it is truly unique in it's storytelling. I'm afraid of giving away spoilers but I did not see a certain horror genre being combined with the mythology.

My favorite part is the growth of Tamsin throughout the novel and the friendship development between the female characters coming to define the real relationships in the story.

Brilliant. Give me the next one.

This book hasn’t even been released yet, but I already need the sequel immediately. I loved following Tamsin’s journey to a hidden world in attempt to find magical artifacts and free her brother from his curse.

I do, however, think I expected Arthurian legend to play more into the story - I kept waiting for some big reveal that tied Tamsin to those original characters, and though much of the plot takes place in Avalon, I didn’t feel it was a necessary tie.

That said, I really enjoyed reading this, and as already mentioned, I’m already onboard for any and all sequels. I have so many questions I can’t wait to get the answers to.

I really liked this book. I had quite high hopes for it since I loved Alexandra’s book “Lore”. Silver in the Bone was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it and the ending definitely made me want to read the next book in the series - hope it’s not going to be a long wait.

CONTENT WARNING: gore, blood, parental abandonment, violence, abuse

Unless I have a truly heinous experience, I always like to give an author two chances before I really decide that their writing isn’t really for me. So after reading Lore and not falling in love with it, I still decided to give this book a try, especially since the blurb sounded so appealing on so many levels. However, it seems that Bracken’s books just aren’t a good fit for me.

The story started out good. I was intrigued by the premise, and the dynamics of the world that was built. I wasn’t expecting it to be an urban fantasy, but was pleasantly surprised by how it was incorporated into the story. The world-building was intriguing and done really well. Bracken avoids info-dumping, keeping the reader interested while providing little bits of information about how the world and the magic system works throughout the story.

I was less enthusiastic about Tamsin’s character. I understand that she’s coming from a place of long-held trauma and a difficult life, having built high walls to protect herself from being hurt by others. It’s hard to shake off the kind of trauma that occurs in early childhood, especially without having strong supports and a sense of security, and Tamsin certainly doesn’t have that. And after her sense of abandonment is compounded by the loss of her guardian, all she has left is her brother, Cabell. But things quickly devolve, and she obsesses over the only way she can figure out to break his curse.

She’s brilliant, and single-minded, and incredibly devoted to her brother. But those positive traits can also become hindrances, especially when she’s so fixated on what she’s searching for that she fails to notice what’s directly in front of her, such as the people who are actively trying to help her, as well as the struggles her brother is facing, and how much he needs her to just be there for him. It’s hard to empathize with a character who refuses to make any changes, even when slapped in the face with the need to, multiple times throughout the story. She only starts to change towards the very end of the book, and quickly reverts the moment there’s an obstacle in her path. Hopefully her character development will actually happen in the next book, because I was really disappointed with her lack of growth in this story.

But by far, the biggest challenge I faced with this book was the pacing, same as I struggled with in Lore. The first two-thirds of the book were extremely slow-moving, and I started to find myself having difficulty picking the book up once I had put it down. Mainly because the story involved so much planning, and nearly no action. All of the action and surprises were saved up for the last third of the novel, when things moved so quickly it was almost difficult to keep up with everything.

I was also expecting the Arthurian legends to play more of a role in the story, but it didn’t come into play until later in the book. In addition, while Tamsin and Emrys had teamed up relatively early on, they didn’t technically “decide” to work together until nearly half the book after they started working together. There was an enemies to lovers arc that was done relatively well, although it left off on a loose end, which I’m guessing will be resolved in the next book. The story ends on a major cliffhanger, and while I didn’t quite understand any part of it, I guess that too will be resolved in the next book. However, since Bracken’s writing isn’t the best fit for me, I don’t think I’ll be checking out the next book in this series. But a lot of people do seem to love her books, so maybe this will inspire someone to read it.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, magic, magic hunters, curses, Arthurian legends, portals

This review has been published to Goodreads as of 11/22, my review blog as of 12/1, and to Instagram as of 12/15.

This is one of those ARCs that I knew would be coming out this year and I was desperately hoping I would get a copy of. I have yet to come across a book by Bracken that I haven't liked, and I'm pleased to say this book continues that streak.

The book opens in the past, when Tamsin and Cabell's adoptive father is still around, and then brings readers to the present. It's set in a world that has magic, but only some people are aware of it. I really liked getting to know the world in the beginning and finding out that it was more than just curses and magical tomb raiders.

The Hollowers are a bit clique-y in the sense that you have to be a member of a Hollower house, but that doesn't mean those people will help you, as Tamsin and Cabell have discovered. I liked the whole magic-hunting aspect of things and how that was carried through the book, even when the characters aren't in this world any longer. I definitely hope we get to see more of the magic-hunting in the sequel, because I haven't read a lot of books where that sort of thing is done and I found it interesting.

Most of the book is spent in Avalon, but it isn't quite the familiar Avalon of legend. Something's afoot in the magical land, and as much as Tamsin doesn't want to get wrapped up in it, she does. As someone unfamiliar with Arthurian legends, I liked the worldbuilding in this part of the book and the way both magic and circumstance seemed to have shaped the characters there.

Tamsin is an interesting character, because she's tough and cynical on the outside but is quite soft if you can get to the inner parts of her (though actually still pretty cynical on the inside). After having quite a rough life, she's fairly certain that people in general can't be trusted and she's quick to tell people when she thinks they're being overly optimistic. However, once someone worms their way past her outer defenses, so long as they don't do anything to betray that, Tamsin is willing to defend them to the end. She also knows what the right thing is and can be motivated to do it against her pessimistic nature with a little guilt-tripping. I enjoyed reading from her perspective and felt her reactions, particularly ones where she 'regresses,' were natural considering her circumstances and how her character has developed.

Cabell is a bit more...complicated. He's harder to get a read on for one, and while he seems interested in the Hollower life, he also doesn't really want to be a part of magic/treasure hunting anymore. He's also been worn down by his curse, which naturally complicates things. There are times when it's definitely hard to like him, but at the same time he shows a lot of care and love for Tamsin. I definitely get his perspective when he shares it, but he has a wound on his soul in a different way than Tamsin, and it makes him vulnerable in different ways.

Emrys was actually a fairly easy character to like. It's clear from the beginning that something is going on with him, and though he dishes attitude out to Tamsin, he's also quick to relax and become more jokey once the two of them start working together. I'm curious if we'll get more background on him in the sequel (I would assume yes) because other than when he and Tamsin are going at it, he seems to generally be the kind of person that gets along with everyone. Like everyone in this book, he makes some bad decisions, but I understand his (and Tamsin's) motivations better than some other characters'.

Neve is a bit of sunshine that ends up along on their adventure. She's the optimist to Tamsin's pessimism and, despite everything, manages to keep a relatively sunny disposition, both about the group's overall situation and her own history. Neve was definitely the kind of friend that Tamsin needed, and I'm glad she wore Tamsin down. I look forward to seeing them kickass together in the next book.

Cait, Catriona, is a character from Avalon who has a contentious relationship with the group. She's actually bit like Tamsin all things considered, and is wary of the group's appearance in Avalon, particularly with sorceress Neve in tow. Like Tamsin, Cait has a sunnier counterpart in Olwen, another magic user from Avalon. Olwen is friendlier with the group immediately and is more than happy to help them out. I'm definitely loving the woman-power circle that cropped up between Cait, Olwen, Tamsin, and Neve and look forward to seeing their friendship develop further in the next book.

Bedivere is a knight, from the age of the Round Table, and is definitely with Olwen in terms of friendliness. He's also able to bond with, and help, Cabell in a way Tamsin isn't, which results in some complicated feelings.

In terms of everything that's going on in Avalon, I definitely guessed who was behind it fairly early on, but then some stuff happened in the middle that made me second guess myself. I don't mind it when a book is predictable, but I do really like it when I guess what's going on and then the author does something that makes me doubt my guess and change my mind, only to later be proven right. It's a fun bit of misdirection and Bracken does it well in this book. I also guessed what was going on with the ghost/revenant and was 100% correct about that, and honestly the shock value of everything that happens surrounding that and the last 1/4 of the book really makes being able to guess secondary because holy shit. I may have been able to guess the 'who' and about the revenant, but I did not see the rest of that coming. I was tied up in knots after I finished reading and I'm definitely going to be tortured waiting for the sequel.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and all the characters. Tamsin is written realistically, and I enjoyed getting to see her make friends throughout the book, she definitely needed it. Bracken also did a good job weaving the different parts of the story together and making a whopper of an ending. Even if you don't like portal fantasies, I'd definitely recommend giving this a try.