Please listen to our full review and author interview on our podcast, Genre Junkies. Available on most podcast platforms.

Alexandra Bracken is hands down one of the best fantasy authors of her generation. She once again transports her readers to a rich and rewarding setting. This time we are treated to an original take on an Arthurian retelling. We loved her female empowerment touches! She also uses the dark academia trope in a completely refreshing way that didn’t feel elitist or exclusionary. As fans of dark fantasy and horror, Bracken did not disappoint. There are parts of this book that are downright spooky! Though she insists she didn’t intend to write a horror novel, we aren’t sure we agree!

One of Bracken’s strength is that you can feel her passion for her subject matter. She also presents us with characters who are complex, interesting, dealing with trauma, fascinating and unforgettable. We are anxiously awaiting the next book in this duo logy.

This book was so forgettable. I felt like every time I read a chapter, I forgot everything in the previous chapter and I was constantly confused. This book was too long and there were too many moving parts to keep track of. I am curious to know more about the story so I would read the next one but it was not my favorite Alexandra Bracken book nor my favorite King Arthur retelling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book and purchased several for our collection. This was originally requested for a program, to be shared with high schoolers at a book talk.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
This book completely surprised me since I really did not like the other book I have read from this author, Lore. I had hope though because the actual writing craft in Lore seemed solid enough. In this book, Bracken builds on and transforms the Arthurian legend. I loved this and how she builds and destroys character relationships. As I approached the end of the book, I felt excited (and a bit relieved) that this book is the first in a series because that ending blew everything wide open.

I loved this book so much I had to buy my own physical signed copy! Bracken became an author I was interested in after her novel "Lore". Reading "Silver in the Bone" earned Bracken a place in my automatic buy list now!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy. We have lots of tropes typical to YA: the moody heroine, enemies-to-lovers, missing/dead guardian, and more.

This story is inspired by Arthurian Legend and does weave details of those legends into the book. However there is almost a zombie apocalypse type vibe to the book which is not bad just not what I was expecting haha.

There is also some surprises along the way and a cliffhanger at the end.

I do wish more had been done with the main romantic relationship as I just wanted more from it. But alas there are more books so I'm sure things will be explained and developed in the next book.

All in all a fun read and I will be picking up the sequel to see where this story goes.

There was a lot of world building in the beginning.. but it got better as it goes. And that cliffhanger!!! I need the next now, please. It didn't really stand out.. felt like another YA fantasy. but I still enjoyed it.

This was a really good YA fantasy novel, that had a fascinating plot! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Silver in the Bone was a different choice for me to pick up. I come from a different place with Alexandra Bracken and that I didn't immediately love her previous books, in fact I almost DNF'd Lore (which would have made it the first book I EVER DNF'd) because I enjoyed it so little. Either way, I wanted to give Bracken's work another try and thought Silver in the Bone was a great option to do so.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in, since the synopsis doesn't give much away, but I knew it was an Arthurian mythology story and I was excited for that - having not read something like that recently. While this was a slow start and took me quite a while to get into, mostly because the beginning world building took some time. While the start was slow I never found myself bored or tired of the story. There's so much unique to the world that Bracken has built in Silver in the Bone that I kept coming back for more.

I don;t want to give any major spoilers but the arthurian aspects are woven into the real world and the setting of Avalon, which I really loved. Bracken really made me question my own choices as characters I loved ended up not being as great as I wanted them to be - I found myself rooting for the wrong side. After the midpoint of the story I was hooked and completely engrossed in every chapter.

I'm not sure I will ever forgive Alexandra Bracken for that cliffhanger though.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy a good story infused with the legend of King Arthur and this one did not disappoint. I was drawn in quickly and the story developed at a good pace. The world building and magic system was intriguing. I can't wait for book 2! I recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have absolutely adored Alexandra Bracken's books in the past and was so excited to read this one. This was no exception. There have been many King Arthur retellings but I really enjoyed this one. So many plot points and twists I didn't see coming.

This is a great book if you are new to Alexandra's books, or a returning reader!

"All sorcery is half illusion."

This is my first book by the author. I liked the concept of being inspired by King Arthur legend though it didn't come out much.

Tamsin is with no magic, she didn't ask for a life she lives. Her only motto is to save her brother Cabell from a curse until she finds herself deep in dark magic and things that might shatter all she believes.
The entire book leads us to Cabell with curse only to find another thing at the end.

The writing was good. It was intriguing and engaging. It made me want to know what happens next but somewhere later things became sort of mess.

The characters were okay. I didn't like them much, Tamsin was frustrating almost throughout. I understand she wants to do everything alone but asking for help when you need it and working together won't cause anything. Flea was my only favorite.

In the end where things take a 360° turn, I felt we are left with so many loose points and I want to know what happens next and get more clarity and details to all that happened in this.

I am expecting more from the next installment.

Amazing read! I was so excited to dive into this and did not disappoint. The story is intricately woven together and will keep you turning the page. Highly recommend!

Loved, loved, loved this book and I can't wait for the next one in the series.

I'll admit this had a bit of a slow start for me but the characters are what won me over. I loved Tamsin and Cabell and their relationship was perfectly done. And of course Emrys too. There's a lot of action in this book and the story was developed really well.

If you're looking for a new YA series to start, consider picking this one up but fair warning...there's a cliffhanger.

Alexandra Bracken always has great prose. It's very readable and easy to get into with stories that are always paced well with action scenes and character development. This is very much the same.

I was really into the first part of the book as she sets up the characters really well and the relationships they have with each other.

Until the plot shifted and the characters fully moved into the secondary world of Avalon. We got introduced to a lot of new characters and, unfortunately, I didn't get attached to any of them. I also felt that the story became more plot focused rather than the original relationships between characters. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of Arthurian retellings, so I guess that was another factor impacting my enjoyment.

I think I liked Lore better than this one. The audiobook narrator is absolutely amazing for Silver in the Bone.

First time reading this author and I enjoyed this book with it's intriguing plot but the last 20% of the book really is the highlight and makes me want to keep reading this series. This book really felt like it was a setup for the true heart of the story and it definitely pulled on my heartstrings more than I expected.

Tamsin is a non magical girl who after her guardian goes missing, winds up raising her brother in a secret society of magical artifact chasers. She winds up as a headstrong, loyal, and cynical person who grasp a chance to free her brother from a debilitating curse. Tamsin's love for Cabell is her driving force in almost everything she does and she comes off quite off putting. Her growth is a large part of this story and I think will make or break your overall enjoyment.

I expected more of an adventure story and while there were definite action scenes and horrifying creatures this made me feel as if it was closer to a dystopian with it's darker than expected tone. Much of the book is a struggle to climb out from darkness of a physical horror unleashed but also an inner turmoil of the heart. The side characters are given slight insight but I can't wait to see them further elaborated on as they added greatly to the story.

Finally those ending chapters! They stunned me in the best way as I did not expect that level of impact on my heart. Will definitely be reading the next book.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for access to the digital ARC.

I knew for a fact that Alexandra Bracken would knock an Arthurian mythology quest story out of the park and I could not have been more right.

I'm glad the synopsis was slightly vague because I enjoyed seeing the story/narrative unfold naturally. There were so many twists and plot points that I did not see coming and I was so engaged the entire way through. I found myself wanting to savor this book, and I was so sad when it concluded.

Whenever I read a book by Alexandra Bracken, I know I am going to have great protagonists and Tamsin fulfilled that description completely. I greatly enjoyed being in her head for this story and I always like seeing how authors pull off a 1st-person narration style. Alexandra Bracken has done it flawlessly in the past and here it was no different. Each and every one of the side characters was so endearing and I adored the found family trope found here. Neve was snarky, Caitriona was like the mom of the group, Bedivere the dad, Olwen the wise friend, Cabell the trusty planner, and Emrys the adventurous love interest/sidekick. They all added so much to the story and I loved following this ragtag team.

Arthurian mythology is one of my favorites and I love it when books incorporate them. I have read some reviews that said they felt like Alexandra Bracken didn't utilize it enough, but I thought it was the perfect mix. I've always wanted to read more about Avalon (even though I love Camelot as well) and I think she wove her own story elements and those of traditional Arthurian legend very well. The mythology is not as present or in-your-face as the Greek mythology in her last book, Lore, but it's very much there, and was, for me, a great amount. I love portal fantasy books so I really enjoyed both Part 1 in our world and also Part 2 and 3 which was set in Avalon. Avalon was such a fascinating setting and I loved seeing what AB did with it here. The magic was fascinating and I love all the riddles and curses. I will say though that the Children of the Night CREEPED ME OUT SO MUCH OML.

The plot was amazing. I've found that AB's pacing is sometimes just slightly off for me, but here it was absolutely perfect. Every chapter was enthralling and exhilarating and I just loved every single story beat. Quest stories always captivate me and this one was so much fun. The Earth characters themselves were Hollowers/treasure hunters and I loved all the discussion of artifacts and relics and all the journeys they and the Avalonians embarked on. The ending also SHOOK ME TO MY CORE.

And the writing was amazing as expected from Alexandra Bracken.

Overall, this was a great magical, mythological, mystical story with a phenomenal setting, cast of characters, plot, and prose style that pulls you in from the very beginning and refuses to let you go until the very end—an ending that will easily propel you into a state of aching for the sequel.

This is a dnf for now. I might get back to the book in the future but for now I could not get into the story and will have to set it down.

I thoroughly enjoyed Silver in the Bone. The characters and world building were fully fleshed out. I felt the pacing lagged in certain areas, but overall it was a wonderful story based in Arthurian Lore.

It took me a little while to get pulled into the story, but once I was hooked I couldn't put it down. Tamsin and Cabell's sibling relationship felt authentic and Tamsin's initial clashes turning to real relationships with Emrys and Neve were also great. I liked the world building and the magic system. The end definitely left me wanting the next book!