Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorites if not my number one fave author. Her opening lines always feel so strong and engaging. The characters were wonderful and her magic/world-building is fantastic. That being said, I struggled with this at the beginning just because I was reading it in my brain like a Harry Potter fanfiction when it is very clearly not - except Emrys who very much reads as Draco Malfoy if he wasn't raised a bigot. Eventually, I pulled myself out of the reading slump, and I'm glad I did. As usual, Bracken has knocked it out of the park. The dialog is fun, the magical system fascinating, and the relationships felt genuine.

A solid and compelling introduction that made me want for more. I enjoyed this, and I will be bumping Lore up my forever long TBR because of it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with the title.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) OK, I admit, the pretty cover drew me in. And the fact that it was based on the Authurian legend. I’m a sucker, I admit it. It has curses, legends and villains and just screams for me to read it. It was good, but not good enough for me to set aside other ARCs and stress myself out over deadlines. Such is the life of a Bookstagrammer.

As an orphan, Tamsin relied on a foster father to care for her and her foster brother. Her foster father left without a trace and the siblings have been chasing legends and ancient crypts since. Their hope is to find a magical artifact that could free her brother from a curse.

The setting was a huge confusion for me. It felt like a fantasy world but then they’d refer to Boston, texts and headphones. I’m guessing they came from the modern world and at some point crossed into another world. But if so, I totally missed that scene. This is my best guess. However, I’m seeing many other reviewers were confused also.

The end saved this book. Honestly I was not enjoying it much until about the last third then it picked up and threw a bunch of twists in. And that ending! Ok that was a great ending. So I’m definitely not 100% willing to read book 2 but would definitely consider it.

AUDIO REVIEW: Sophie Amoss did a great job as the narrator. She had a tone of voice that made the story magical and mysterious. She definitely added a lot to the story.

Thank you to Random House Children’s books and Libro.FM for the copies!

Silver in the Bone is overall a very good fantasy. It is slow to start. Once it does, the story is very good, fast paced and full of adventure. The ending is a "cliffhanger" leaving the reader to wait until the sequel is written. For this reason, I will recommend, for those teens that ask for my opinion, to wait to read this book until the sequel is out.

Although I found this book to be quite slow, I really did enjoy it. The lore, the plotline, the plottwists: they were really thought out well, and made for a very enjoyable read. The ending makes me want to read the next book right away!

This book had me really intrigued in the beginning. My interest waned a bit in the middle, but the ending was good! Overall, I think this is a good YA story for younger YA.

First things first, I am a sucker for anything and everything King Arthur. I blame it on watching the BBC's Merlin at a very formative age. So, anything that promises to have anything to do with the legend I am all about, and this book was no different. It somehow managed to use the well-known aspects of the legend into something new and fresh against the backdrop of a treasure hunt that everyone needs to win and a deadly curse-- well multiple curses really. With such a large cast of characters, each character somehow still had their own motivations and traits that were balanced well, though it did get confusing at times to keep track of everyone and some characters were rather shallow.

One of my biggest complaints about this book was that at times the main plot line got convoluted with everything going on, especially in the middle. But, the way everything ties together in the end more than made up for that and this book managed to keep me hooked from the very beginning. It was somehow nothing like I expected it to be yet everything I wanted it to be and I am itching for the sequel.

First of all thank you so much to #prhinterational for the invitation to read this arc.
I've really appreciated the Passenger's duology, so I was absolutely excited to read this new series.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this story isn't my cup of tea.
I've found myself confused since the very beginning with the setting: I thought we were in ancient times, then I found insted the book was in a sort of future with everyday elements and objects that are considered something "vintage". It was a little bit too chaotic to give a great start. Same for other details regarding this "new world", the magic and the main characters. They weren't totally clear and it didn't help me with focusing and being involved in the plot.

That said, I didn't feel affectioned to te heroine, who was often quite harsh without a reason, and I didn't understand some of her choices of action. I think we already have too many main characters that don't want relationships with other people because they don't trust anyone. Ok, it's a normal trope and a even more normal way to defend ourselves from people that want to exploit us, but I'm afraid that it has been presented in too many books in the last years to become boring.

I'm really sad I couldn't enjoy it.

Great characters, world building was on point. A very well told tale based on Authurian lore. Started out a bit slow, but picked up pace and had a great end.

Bracken's words are like water in the desert. She's so smooth and enticing in her word choices and world building that it makes any book I've read by her stand out.
This book was good. I enjoyed every aspect and read the whole thing cover to cover in an afternoon. I was wholly invested in the character development, the relationship building, the world collisions themselves. That said, however, for something that was publicized heavily as being a retelling of the Arthurian legend, I didn't feel that it held a strong part in the story. In fact, if Bracken hadn't blatantly said "this is Arthur's body, his knight's, etc." I honestly wouldn't have known otherwise. I think the publicity got too far ahead of the book and enticed readers in a way that left us disappointed in it's hope. All in all, this book was great, even if it didn't stand up to the Arthurian legends. I will definitely be reading the next ones.

Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone #1) by Alexandra Bracken, 480 pages. Random House (Alfred A. Knopf), 2023. $20. lgbtqia
Language: R (52 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Seven years have passed since Nash abandoned Tamsin and Cabell. Living in the space between the reality humans know and the magic of the Cunningfolk, Tamsin is desperate to take care of her brother and break his curse—even when it means making uneasy alliances and finding a way to Avalon.
Bracken has pieced together a story using elements of modern-day life, tales of King Arthur, magic, and zombie fae creatures. The strange combination fits oddly well together, though it didn’t keep my attention the way I wanted it to. I struggled to add each new piece to the story, especially with the incorporation of tropes I am not fond of, like dead characters not staying dead. The imagination of the story is incredible; I’m just not invested enough to care about when the sequel comes out.
Tamsin (or at least her hand) is depicted as White on the cover, and most of the characters are implied White. Neve is described as having “dark brown” skin, along with a couple other characters. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol and innuendo. The violence rating is for mentions of murder, blood and gore, and fantasy battle scenes.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really wanted to like it. The description sounds amazing. I was expecting a high adventure with a love that would grow throughout the book, but this book was a lot of info dumping and confusing unless you are really into King Arthur and have a lot of knowledge of this type of world. The info that was given, was not very helpful to the worldbuilding, so I personally was left confused for a good chunk of the book.

Tamsin is pretty unlikeable and the book mentions it a lot. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and I think that is why I had a hard time finishing this book. Tamsin has minimal development throughout the book, but I do believe she is in for a lot of growth as the series continues.

The end was probably the best part of the book and is the only reason why I am probably going to continue when the next book continues. I'm sure as the series continues, the worldbuilding will develop as will the love connection. I do have high hopes for the series and I'm interested to see what happens to Tamisn, Cabell, and the rest of the crew. 3.5/5 stars for this book just because I felt like the book dragged on until the last maybe 50 pages.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

<b>5⭐️</b>

from the moment i first heard about this book i knew i would love it, and i wasn’t wrong.

<i>silver in the bone</i> is a mythology infused fantasy that follows tamsin, a mortal girl with no magical talents working as a hollower, breaking into crypts and competing with sorceresses and cunningfolk for the treasures kept inside. her only goal is to keep herself and her brother cabell alive after their foster father disappeared with a powerful ring from arthurian legend. when a run-in with her rival emrys ignites tamsin’s hope that the ring could free her brother from his curse, she is determined on tracking it before anyone else can. as the stakes rise tamsin is forced to partner up with emrys while they journey to king arthur’s avalon.

first of all, this book blew me away. even though it started out really slow in the beginning the plot progressed really well later on. there were so many twists and turns, so much action that i never felt bored or tired while reading this book. as someone who doesn’t know too much about the legend of king arthur i was sceptical about this book at first. however, even my limited knowledge was more than enough because the author did an amazing job at describing everything.

secondly, we meet so many great and unique characters throughout the book. tamsin is literally one of my new favourite female characters. i loved her pessimistic nature and her stubbornness. she totally gives off older sister vibes which i relate to on another level. her banter with emrys was also a highlight of the book. that boy was obsessed with her i swear!!! the forced proximity also really worked wonders here.

the only complaint that i have about this book is that we were left on a cliffhanger. after so many betrayals and tragic moments it was almost my last straw. that was so evil of you alexandra bracken and i need the second book as fast as possible!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off a little slow for my liking, but once Tamsin and crew arrived in Avalon things picked up pace. I am intrigued by the system of magic in this book and hope it is explored more in the next book. I love how Arthurian myth was used and wish there was more myth. That cliffhanger though! I need another book ASAP!

On paper this appears to be an interesting story with Arthurian lore woven in the story. While I enjoyed the dark elements of the story, it fell flat, with little character development. If you are in need to read an Arthurian inspired tale I suggest Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
Many thanks to Random House Children's and netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Overview:

💀 Adventure horror
🆒 King Arthur retelling
🫶 Intense sibling relationship
🫶 Rivals to Lovers
🆗 Urban Fantasy/Isekai
🆗 Slow pacing
😍 Slow burn romance
😍 Betrayals

Tasmin and her cursed brother Cabel were both adopted by, then abandoned by their foster father Nash, and raised adjacent to a hidden world of magic. When the opportunity presents itself, they take off on a quest to search for a way to break Cabel's curse, which leads them to the crumbling island of Avalon. The once lush liminal world served as a place to protect King Arthur's court, but is now a hellscape overrun by zombies and monsters. With the help of the local rich boy and an adorable goth sorceress, the siblings seek to break the curse and escape Avalon.

Silver in the Bone is tough to rate. I consumed this one slowly, both through audiobook and ebook.

On the one hand, it is a brilliant fantasy horror that pulls no punches and has amazing characters. On the other hand, it can be slow, and its worst trait is that it has a lot going on. Alexandra Bracken vomits plot points all over the page, and many don't feel necessary. Expect a lot of side plots. But that's my big gripe and why it took me so long to finish.

Now, on to the cool stuff.

The characters in this book SHINE. Tasmin is a flawed female protagonist, jaded from years of struggle and abandonment. Cabel is a wonderful protective brother figure, but he's also struggling with his demons and identity in a major way. Neave the sorceress is a charming little monster- shes weird and seems like a dark character at first, but is truly an empathetic puppy dog. She struggles with the hatred that sorceresses experience from the rest of the magical world. Finally, you have Emrys- our little fanfiction Draco Malfoy type. Rich, entitled, but has a layer of sweetness underneath.

All of the characters interact with each other and have their own stories to tell, they are not just centered around the main character. Additionally, there is a nice rivals to lovers subplot, but it doesn't overshadow the story and is a very slow burn. I loved the pairing and has a lot of fun with it.

The plot itself is super creative. Legendborn set the standard for Arthurian legend retellings, and this one is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT- leaning heavily into horror. Bracken creates many creative monsters that are fleshed out and described so well for this story. It's genuinely creepy at times. I always appreciate when a YA series puts thought into its universe- and if you like worldbuilding and lore, Silver in the Bone won't disappoint you.

As noted, it's also incredibly dark and pretty unforgiving. It's grimdark as hell. Expect several deaths and horrific, scary scenes. There aren't any magic fixes, and the group experiences a lot of trauma. I don't have any obvious trigger warnings, but I'd avoid this book if you are apprehensive about books where happy endings are not possible for everyone. It's bleak from start to finish despite its glowing cast of characters.

I expected to like this more than I did. Full review linked below.

I'd like to thank the publisher Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

Plot: 8/10
The plot at the beginning of this book struck me as a little meandering and aimless. Tamsin is seemingly pulled in all sorts of directions—Cabell's curse, the Dispel Ring, Nash's disappearance, her own lack of the One Sight, all kinds of things are going on. However, once the characters arrive in Avalon, things get a little more streamlined. There's one major issue: the island is overrun by the Children of the Night, and priestesses of Avalon have dwindled to a truly miniscule number. Once the real conflict is revealed, I was properly pulled in.

The final 100 or so pages were very strong. There were all kinds of reveals going on, and it had me on the edge of my seat. Tamsin's own connection to the curse is incredibly interesting, and not all the questions have been answered by the end. The twist at the end was insane, and it was a little vindicating since I'd suspected one of the reveals. Also, I knew who the traitor was from the start; they almost made me doubt, but then I was right, which is always fun.

Characters: 9/10
The main character, Tamsin, was at first a little typical. The grumpy, rude, disillusioned protagonist abounds in YA today, and I wasn't really into her at first, but she got better. I think it really helped to have Cabell there; Tamsin's care for her brother balances her prickly personality well. By around halfway through, it's clear that Tamsin is disgustingly pessimistic but by no means an asshole. By the end of the book, especially after seeing how she came to be this way (and then have it happen to her again and her choose to be better this time), I was thoroughly attached.

Cabell is a character I'm torn on. From an analytical perspective, he's quite interesting, but I kept getting annoyed with him. I feel like it's just a side effect of relating so much to Tamsin, who definitely has eldest sister syndrome. Honestly, despite him being such a major character, he wasn't around as much as the other side characters, Neve and Emrys. Neve was sweet, and I think she was good for Tamsin, although I'm hoping to get more information on her backstory. We got a little peek of it, but then it was pushed to the side in favor of the other things going on. Emrys, however, really got me. First, he seems like a great love interest for Tamsin. Second, I thought I had him figured out towards the end, but then everything went off the rails and now I definitely want to see more of him.

The other side characters were pretty good. I particularly liked the priestesses, Cait, Olwen, and Flea. I think that Cait especially was characterized very well, and despite them really only 'joining the group' towards the end, they all were great.

Writing Style: 7/10
While I really like Alexandra Bracken, it's more for her plot and character work than writing. There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't think it stands out in the grand scheme of things. It does what it's supposed to do, and that's about it. I will mention that the pacing feels a little off in the beginning; it feels like Bracken knew where she wanted the characters to end up, but she wasn't sure how to get them there. Once they're in Avalon, everything smooths out, but before it's a little jerky.

Overall: 8/10
Initially, I was having some trouble getting through this book. I think part of it was just how busy I've been, but I do think the beginning just doesn't do it for me. However, it was necessary for the most part, and I really liked the rest of the book. Tamsin grew on me, I was invested in the romance, and the side characters are quite good. The actual plot is full of all kinds of twists and reveals, and it ended on such a good cliffhanger—it definitely makes me want to read the next book! I'd say that even though this book isn't perfect, it's a great read, especially if you're an Arthurian nerd like me.

Bracken drops you right into this Arthurian inspired tale and doesn't hold your hand while you figure out whats what. As such, I found the first fifty pages to be a bit disorienting but once I found my footing I could not put this down!

Fans of found family, enemies to lovers, and epic adventures will fall hard for this fast paced story! Do keep in mind that this is inspired by Arthurian legend and not a retelling. You will recognize characters and settings but beyond that, Silver in the Bone is something fresh and unique!

Endless thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope to read more of Bracken's books in the future. I've already bought some of them.