‘Silver in the Bone’ by Alexandra Bracken had a bit of a slow start but swept me away quickly enough. With amazing characters, twists and turns, awesome and plentiful action, and an enemies-to-lovers romance I really loved this book and highly recommend it!

If you have been following my reviews for a while, you may know that I am a sucker for retellings, especially if they have got anything Arthurian about them. The tie to arthurian legends in Silver in the Bone was more than enough to get me excited about the story, but the urban fantasy setting was what really made this book a five star read for me! The characters were each excellent in their own way, but the world-building was my favorite part. I loved the dark magic and mysterious settings, which made Silver in the Bone such a quick read for me!

My Recommendation-
If you love high-stakes fantasy novels of any variety, I would recommend grabbing a copy of Silver in the Bone! I would especially recommend this book to fans of the TV show Merlin!

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I’m sad to give this book two stars. Bracken is one of my favourite authors! Unfortunately this one I just had a really hard time focusing on it or wanting to continue reading it. I will say I have not been into fantasy lately so that might have swayed my decision. I liked the characters but I kept getting lost in the world and everything going on.

I loved the author's previous foray into mythology-inspired tales, and Silver in the Bone is even better. Bracken is a very creative writer, always bringing in plot elements that I haven't seen before and connecting them seamlessly.

Terrific high fantasy filled to the brim with dangerous stakes and adventure, romance and magic. I loved every second of it!

First half was, meh.
Second half was, better.

Idk I just wasn’t feeling it for this book.
I loved LORE and was hyped for SITB but it almost fell flat. I wish there was more mythology. I wish there was more exploration of the magical aspects. It definitely picked up towards the end which makes me want to read the next book for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to this story.

Bracken is back with this next YA offering and does not disappoint. She is skilled at making us fall in love with characters and worlds!

Silver in the Bone is set in a modern time with a twist - magic of the type known in the time of King Arthur exists as well. Tamsin and her brother Clabell are Hollowers - treasure hunters who seek magical artifacts, for themselves and on commission. In addition to trying to make ends meet, the pair are looking for an artifact or spell that will end a curse, one which causes Clabell to turn into a large, vicious black dog in times of stress. Neither quest is going well.

This book is a combination of Arthurian legend and a bit of modern technology that almost slides into steampunk due to the contrast between the two. In the beginning of the novel, the intertwining of magic with modern technology seems a bit forced, but once the setting is established, that settles down, as Tamsin and Clabell seek an artifact of great value for a sorceress, in competition with Emrys Dye, another Hollower - one who, unlike the siblings, comes from a rich and powerful family. As they seek the artifact, the journey brings them back into contact, and wary cooperation. Recommended for middle school to adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the magic system, all the characters, and the twists + turns along the way. I hope that we get even more of the Arthurian mythology in the next book.

Also, holy hell it got way darker than I anticipated. Cannot wait to get my hands on book two!

Alexandra Bracken always delivers! Definitely pick this one up.

I absolutely LOVED silver in the bone. As a long time fan and reader of Alexandra Bracken, I was so incredibly excited to finally read what would be the beginning of an Arthurian retelling. And I’m so glad I waited for a new book. The lore and the mythology that was placed into this book was done so well. I love Arthurian retellings and the magic systems it creates in fantasy books. I loved our main character Tamsin. She was so much fun to get to know and learn about, I had the best time. And I loved our main guy and love interest - Emrys. The ending blew my mind and I cannot wait to get into the next book in 2024. 5/5 stars!

✨Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken ✨ 4/5 ⭐️

Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Swipe

The jist of it: this was good, while a little slower in the middle…and get ready for a cliffhanger.

Spoiler Free Thoughts:
- This story follows Tamsin and her brother, in a world where Arthurian Legends and magic actually exist. If that isn’t your jam you won’t like this.
- Book is very “tell not show” IMO, which didn’t necessarily bother me but does impact in some ways how we view character relationships. Our FMC is also *very* YA.
- Features battles, plot twists, moving among worlds and creepy deadly creatures.
- There was a *lot* going on in this one, and you really have to pay attention to make connections. This causes a little bit of a drag in the middle of the novel but the last quarter is really action packed and pulls things back together.
- I wanted to feel more connection to Cabell and Emrys, and Tamsin was a bit eye-roll-y at times with her self depreciation (we get it, you’re afraid to be left by everyone you love…) - but this is YA so we can overlook that.
- Generally I found the story to be unique and interesting, and I cried a little towards the end. This is number 1 in a series so there’s also a lot of world building happening here. Will I be reading the next one? Yes.

I love the story and the style of writing. The way she was able to almost seamlessly works build with out it feeling out of place or too much information at once. It was a little slow to read but I didn’t mind the pace. I can’t wait for book 2!

Originally I thought this book was a little slow and was concerned I wasn’t going to like it. But that changed.
The quest vibes with the King Arthur and the modern world was a good combo. It was interesting and intriguing. I’m glad I stuck with this book!

I don’t know much about Arthurian legends and I still don’t after reading this. Reading the lore for this felt as complex as learning the wars of religion in AP Euro.

What saved this book were the multiple twists. However, those also did not feel rewarding because I I spent most of the time waiting for another character to not know a term or what was going on so someone could explain it again.

None of the characters were that memorable and while the MC was very unlikable, I appreciated their character development ~70% into the book. The world building needs work but surprisingly, I’d read the next book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc.

I am not sure if it is just me, but the start of this book was beyond confusing. The mythology became better the farther I read into it, but initially I felt so lost. It is not a bad book, and it definitely is interesting to read about another type of mythology aside from Greek or Roman. I was a huge fan of the world building in and the magic system that Bracken had created. I am definitely excited for book #2 to see what comes next!

I think that maybe I’m just not a fan of Arthurian legend. Everything about this had the potential to be so great. Curses and grave robbers and just all sorts of shenanigans but I got very bored as soon as they entered into Avalon.
The only redeeming quality to me was the romance but it came soooo late in the book. By then the entire climactic sequence was flying and I was intrigued by how it was all going to end. Definitely a cliff hanger there and I *do* want to know what it means but I’m not sure I have the willpower to power through the next.
I will say, knowing that book likely takes place in the modern world it may alleviate some of the issues I had with this one so I’ll probably give it a try.
The writing is excellent and the main characters internal struggles were really well written. It was just the external plot that got a little muddy to me.

I have no other way to describe Alexandra Bracken's SILVER IN THE BONE other than it was just okay. A very okay story. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. Would I recommend this text to others? Not enthusiastically--and maybe not at all since there are other "descendants"/retellings involving Arthurian legend that I think are better. It's just okay. I felt lukewarm about the writing, characters, and story overall. It just wasn't compelling enough for me.

Stories inspired or influenced by Arthurian legends will always pique my interest, and while Silver in the Bone eventually won me over (sort-of), I struggled just a bit.

One thing I really liked about this book is FMC Tamsin. I thought she had such a unique and well developed personality and as the reader learns more, her actions and motivations are more clear.

I also really liked the enemies to maybe more subtle romance. There are some great moments between these two characters, and I appreciated that the romance is kept YA-level appropriate.

What I struggled with was the world building. There is a lot going on in this story: Magic in the modern world, a portal to Avalon, sorceresses, priestesses, druids, curses, knights. It was a lot of story elements that at times felt overly complicated.

So did I like this? In the end, yes. The last 25% made me interested enough to pick up the next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Level: Young Adult
Content: kisses, some violence

Oh my!  This was a wild ride.  I didn't know who we were supposed trust and this author kept you guessing right up until the very end.

Tamsin and Cabell are orphans who end up in a world where magic and the hunt for artifacts from King Arthur's court rule.  For Tamsin, an orphan girl with seemingly no magic, it was a rough place to be.  She was left by her parents and it always seemed she was left behind by her caretaker and her adoptive brother.  She did her best to fit in, but she struggled.  Metaphorically encasing herself in ice to survive while taking on odd jobs finding artifacts for sorceresses and Cunningfolk while trying to find the reason her guardian, Nash, disappeared ten years prior.

It was a hard place for Tasmin to be because she didn't have magic and was seen as less than by everyone in her world.  Her brother, who had some kind of curse, was her sole reason for being.  She did whatever she had to to keep Cabell grounded and with her.  Her desperation to keep what she had with Cabell was the driving force behind everything that she did...including trying to decipher Nash's journal and accepting the bid to search for another Arthur artifact.  So when she has to go back to where her life changed ten years ago, she found herself on another wild ride courtesy of Nash.

A lot happens to Tamsin in this book.  With her upbringing and the way she was made to feel inferior to others, I could understand why Tamsin pushed everyone, even the brother she loved,  away.  Tamsin didn't have much faith in anyone, including herself.  But when she found herself back in Avalon and surrounded by people she wasn't sure were friend or foe, especially when one her rival, Emrys.  But as she works to discover what Nash might have been doing with the ring everyone is chasing,  she finds that she's wanted and needed by these people...especially Emyrs.  She starts to realize that she needs this group she found herself with and starts to believe in herself and her worth.  Even when the unthinkable happens (and let me tell you, the ending of this book will throw you for a loop) Tamsin embraces the small group that has stood by her, her sisters.  I have a feeling she's going to need them as this story unfolds.

This has a cliffhanger ending, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this story.  I loved the interwoven history of King Arthur's court with magic and archaeology.  If you're a fan to King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable, this is definitely a book to pick up.