I knew 15% in this would be one of my new favorites! It did not disappoint.

Summary:
I was instantly sucked into this world and as devastated when it ended as I was during EVERY twist and turn. I thought I knew where this book was going, was so sure I knew exactly who the bad guy was and how it would all play out, AND I DIDN'T. The world building was amazing and detailed, both for the hidden magical world within our own and the world of Avalon. Each character was the main character in their own life instead of plot points to move along the main character. Definitely going in the reread pile.

Plot:
I really thought this was going to be a very straight forward fantasy novel (and I was completely okay with this because of the characters and writing)...I was wrong. The twists and turns of the last 25% of the book gave me whiplash, even until the last page. All the pieces fell into place so well, leaving a perfect amount of mystery leading to the next book while still giving enough closure to satisfy me.

Characters:
Tamsin was a great choice for a main character. I rooted for her through the entire book, and though at times she felt flat due to her standoffish demeanor, I always came back around to relating and supporting her. She was a competent Hallower and felt real due to her layers and character development.
Emrys is the opposite from Tamsin in almost every way, was infuriating at times, and the stereotypical love interest...but damn I ate him up. He was, in my opinion, the most complex character and had some of the best, witty lines. The commentary on the pressures of family loyalty/legacy broke my heart.
Cabell was the first in this book to make me cry....he was also the last character to make me cry. The in between of crying was a rollercoaster of emotions, of getting so hopeful only to have everything crushed. He served as a constant reminder of what Tamsin had to lose.
Neve felt so out of place for so long until she fell perfectly into the puzzle.
I never knew who the antagonist was until it was too late, and the motivation was more than "I'm evil". There was depth and complexity to each character as well as the societies these characters came from.

Worldbuilding
I know nothing of Arthurian legend so I don't know how much of this aligned with the stories/historical fact, however I never questioned that while reading. The world felt as real as the characters.

Drawback
-at times the action was rushed and hard to follow, so I'd have to reread sections

Overall, I will be recommending this to everyone I know in hopes they fall in love with the world and the characters as much as I did...as long as they're ready to get their hearts broken.

Having never read any of Bracken's previous books because I simply wasn't interested or completely missed the hype train, I really enjoyed this one. I think Tamsin is a wonderful main character and I love how Neve, our fave chaotic sorceress doesn't let her push her away and Tamsin finally realizes that she deserves to be loved. Oh it's so sweet.

Miss Bracken knows how to write tension between rivals, oh my goodness. Seriously need to know how she does it because it is on another level. Obviously knowing Emrys was the rival and also the potential endgame love interest helped cement my love for him (even if Tamsin hated his guts) and it was very funny to see him calling her “Bird” (her last name is Lark, a bird) and Cabell getting slightly protective, telling Emrys to not call her that and then both Emrys and Tamsin ignoring him (lol).

There were so many plot twists that I didn’t see coming and while the magic system of “Veins” does confuse me a little bit, I am super excited for this new world that Bracken has created. It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s so, so cool and Tamsin, our mortal sans magic is at the center of it all and because she has no magic, she truly has to do things the real way in order to survive, like learning Ancient Greek to speak to the Librarian (meanwhile no one else does need to learn it because again, they have the “One Vision” a.k.a they have the ability to understand the languages naturally). We also get a strong growing female friendship between Tamsin and our favourite chaotic sorceress Neve and I am so happy to have seen a good female friendship bloom instead of having your typical female rivalry. Neve is strong in a different sense - while Tamsin pushes everyone away because that’s how she’s managed to survive, Neve lets people in easily but it’s not seen as a weakness and this empathy and kindness from Neve is exactly what Tamsin needed from Nash, and Cabell to a certain extent and it was so wonderful to see it develop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. I devoured it in one sitting!

That ending has me so impatient for the next book! Highly recommend.

To be honest the first book I read by this author was Lore and I didn't like it. This one caught and kept my attention. Progressed steadily. The story often made it hard to put the book down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

I have never read anything by this author and this is not my typical genre, but the description and cover drew me in. Wow, an so happy I took a chance on this one!

Loved the opening, it made me keep reading. The cast of characters are so much fun. I fell in love with them. The plot was engaging, exciting and entertaining. Live the Avalon setting and, of course, the magic!

What I didn't like was the cliffhanger ending. Waiting to find out what happens next will be excruciating!

Recommend.

After a confusing start, this book picks up fast. With fascinating bending of the familiar Arthurian legends, it has some of the most incredible worldbuilding and plot twists that kept me turning pages . I'm very excited for the sequel!

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be the last. Truly a remarkable read that had me completely hooked. Once I started reading I didn’t want too stop. I need GR next book especially how this book ended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

I loved Lore and was super excited that I got approved for this book. This book started off a little slow for me. I wasn’t really feeling Tamsin at the beginning but at the end I really liked her. I love her loyalty and fierceness when it comes to her brother. I also really love her name.

I liked the idea of a King Arthur plot. I haven’t read much about King Arthur and it really intrigued me. With that being said, this book just didn’t captivate me in the way I wanted it to. It wasn’t boring or bad; I just wanted more out of it. I liked it don’t get me wrong. But Maybe it being set in the present instead of the past threw me off. Maybe I’m comparing it to Lore too much because I truly loved that book. I don’t know but it just fell a little flat for me in some spots. I do like how descriptive AB is though. She has great writing skills.

I’ll also be checking out the next installment because I just have to know what’s happening next. I will say the ending did leave me wanting more. Between her brother and then the bomb that Nash drops….I was shocked.

I think its a great read for people who love myths and people should definitely check it out and give it a chance.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Alex Bracken revisits Arthurian lore in a modern, alternate world and it's a great time. But I have to say, what a standout ending. Just as you think, "that's it, the dust is going to settle," Bracken hits you with another twist that leaves you reeling, stunned, and all the more upset over the wait for book two.

A fun mythological romp meets portal fantasy! I wasn't expecting the portal fantasy sections, to be honest, but I did enjoy them. The cast of characters were well-developed and the romance (and the twist) did make me gasp. Not my favorite of Bracken's but would recommend. I also cannot wait for the next book after that cliffhanger!

This book was so unexpectedly beautiful. The prose is so lyrical, the characters are so heartwarming, and the messages are so important.. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel and I recommend Silver in the Bone with my whole heart.

I've tried so hard to like Alexandra Bracken's work ever since I picked up The Darkest Minds about ten years ago. I've tried that series, Passenger, Lore, and now Silver in the Bone. Bracken writes all of the genres and tropes I typically enjoy, from dystopian, time travel, Greek mythology, and now Arthurian legend. I've felt very neutral to all of these books despite my best efforts.
I can't really put into words what I disliked about this book. I love Arthurian legends, and I liked Tamsin's standoffishness and determination as well as her relationship with Emrys. However, something about this book, much like with all of her other books, fell flat for me. I just wasn't very engaged.
However, I think this is definitely a me problem. I think this was an objectively good book, I can't define anything that's wrong with it; there's just something about Bracken's writing style that doesn't hold my attention. Definitely read if you enjoy reading about Kind Arthur, druids, and treasure hunting.

iSilver in the bone is the first in the series of YA novels inspired by Arthurian Legend! This has action, romance, curses, vampires? and plot twists that will make you want to throw the book but also need answers.

what stood out to me the most in this book was the characters and their relationships with each other. There are a lot of heavy themes here, with issues discussed like abandonment, bad parental figures and forming relationships with others. I felt for Tamsin the whole story and loved watching her character arc grow. she is not without flaws but she was very human and relatable. I felt I had found myself in very similar situations that she had been in, in my own life and understood why she made the mistakes she did along the way. I enjoyed all of the side characters as well.

The enemies to lovers romance was chef's kiss for me. I am a big fan when executed well and their relationship felt very believable to me. it drew me in and I loved the tension.

as far as the plot and world building goes, this is where i found there was a little struggle for me. The plot felt like it almost took too many twists and turns in the last 100 pages. The pacing was a little too fast in the end which made it slightly difficult to follow. The Arthurian legend portions of this story are also very limited and I would not consider this a retelling of anything, just a little nod to Avalon and King Arthur. I also wish the One Vision had been used more, it seemed very important to Tamsin in the beginning and then barely brought up after that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to pick up the next in the series, I need it like yesterday as the cliffhanger ending has got me a book slump already!

thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read this E-ARC early!

I was invited to read this one and I am so glad I was! In the email it said that this book is perfect for fans of Violet Made of Thorns and it is spot on because the MCs are both survivors willing to do what it takes.

Tamsin Lark is a Hollower, a retriever of magical artifacts, who is mostly in the business to survive. After her guardian disappeared it was up to her to continue to search for a way to free her brother Cabell from the curse that has plagued him since childhood.

First off I love Arthurian legend so when I saw this had some of that I was eager to read it. While it uses Arthurian legend it is set in the modern world. The world building was great with different types of magical beings.

Tamsin is written so well. She's independent, flawed, and a survivor. She cares deeply about her brother while she keeps everyone else at bay. She doesn't let people in easily. Her character growth was handled so well and it made me root for her every step of the way.

Emrys and Tamsin had great chemistry and their banter was so enjoyable. The romance in this one was handled so great. I love a slow burn!

A thing I've come to really enjoy about Bracken's books are the female friendships. It was great to read prickly Tamsin's interactions with the other female characters.

Then there was that ending!!!! I'm definitely going to pick up the sequel to this one and you should pick this one up when it's out April 4th 2023!

Thanks netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silver in the Bone was a fantastic and enjoyable read, with characters that reflected each other and a deeper idea of trusting those around you. Tamsin has never felt secure in her life, taking care of her (not-biological) brother and trying to find a way to break the curse he is under-- she's been abandoned time and time again. Trusting is hard. Tamsin as a character can be broken down into a child hurt and unnoticed-- something that she secretly yearns for from a parent figure. The other characters around her are reflections of everything she is not on the surface. Kind, compassionate, trusting. Silver in the Bone uses that to draw it out of her throughout the story and teach her the lesson that it's okay to open up and trust people; even if it means risking getting hurt.

Up until around the middle of the book, Tamsin as a character was annoyingly stubborn, closed off, and rude. I could see, however, why this view was being given and boiling it down to a child pushed into a corner watching special people have special treatment and being left behind.

This is tested towards the end during the 'betrayal' where she could just huddle back into her shell, having trusted and had that trust broken. However, Neve (one of the duel opposites), insists that it's okay to feel and not to shut them out.

With characters that each have something to prove that then transfers into what Tamsin has to prove herself, this book really has much to delve into.

As for the Authurian Legend, it was incredible to visit the world of Avalon in such a unique way. One that enhances the legend as it is originally told and researched.

Silver in the Bone is for anyone looking for a gut-wrenching fantasy, with enemies to lovers tropes, trust, betrayal, and a wonderfully flawed main character.

3.5 stars thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I enjoyed this book, the writing was good, I liked the development of the characters and the story. Although the world building to me felt like it was lacking. I don’t know if I’m just dumb and need to reread it already but I just felt like I couldn’t understand much of it in the beginning at all. But I did like it by the end.

After reading - and absolutely loving - the authors' previous book 'Lore', I knew I was going to devour this new book and love it just as much - and I was mostly right. It's a slow start but gradually picks up speed (and oh my god the CLIFFHANGER at the end had me ready to scream!) but it's the characters themselves that truly made me enjoy this. To be honest, the romance was only okay to me, but I still loved the characters on their own. Tamsin, Cabell, Emrys, and even Neve (who honestly took a while to grow on me but I think that's just a me thing and other readers will love her quickly) all stood out to me - especially Tamsin. I love a grumpy lead! Her relationship with her brother was far more interesting to me than her romance with Emrys.

One thing I do wish (and hope for in the sequel) is that we got more of the Arthurian lore. It was sprinkled throughout the book but it didn't feel Arthurian to me if that makes sense. So, I'm hoping it'll be expanded in the sequel which - like I said before THAT CLIFFHANGER - I desperately need! Can't wait to get a physical copy of this for my bookshelf.

This was a bit hard to get into at first, but as it progressed I was captivated by the book. The only part of it I didn't like was the romance because because it was a typical enemies/rivals to lovers without any development. Despite this, I would definitely read the sequel because that cliffhanger was just :/

Actual rating: 3,5 stars

Inspired by Arthurian legend, Silver in the Bone starts in our modern world. We follow Tamsin, a human without magic, trained from a young age with her brother by their foster father to find magical artefacts. His disappearance seven years before the event of the book left our main character and her brother alone in their quest to find a magical ring that could break her brother’s curse. A quest that will lead them to the fantastic world of Avalon.

I loved the magic system. As someone who isn’t a big fan of urban fantasy, I almost wish we had more scenes in the actual world for how intriguing it was to see how humans live with magic. The fact that our main character didn’t have magic was very interesting. At least initially, she quickly takes basilisk venom which allows her to have the One Vision and what made her somewhat unique is simply gone. It also seems really easy for a human without magic to suddenly have it. Sure, it didn’t look fun at first, but then it felt like she was just another magical human with very few side effects.

I found the romance very bland. With a strong taste of déjà vu. A boy and a girl who didn’t like each other at first (why? No other reason than to have an infamous enemies to lovers), but who slowly but surely found themselves falling in love with each other? A good old trick that always works but brings nothing new and exciting.

Starting off quite strong with the introduction of a very fantastic world, the story then slowed to a pace that made it difficult to pick the book up again. But then things pick up again until a spectacular ending that almost made up for it. I was surprised by the twists and violence of the last chapters which left me interested in the continuing the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a book meant to be savored. The deeply atmospheric writing style and the way the author uses the setting to draw the reader in is absolutely perfect. I loved Tamsin's snark and her dark personality born of being rejected time and again. Her fierce love and loyalty drive her forward while her fears keep everyone at arms length. She's complicated and messy and will do anything for her brother. The mixture of fantasy and Arthurian legend combine in such a way that I found myself wanting to delve deeper into King Arthur and his court. I could not put this book down. Just when I thought I might have things figured out, something completely unexpected happened to keep me on my toes. Right now, Silver in the Bone is my favorite book of the year, and it will take something extraordinary to knock if from the top spot.