The cover and synopsis hooked me so I sent in a request. Daughter of the Bone Forest is the first book in the Witch Hall series and I couldn’t get enough. Witches and Familiars attend school together so that they can get better with their abilities and finding their match. I always enjoy a good dual POV, this book is a dark sapphic fantasy. Jasmine did a great job with the representation of the LGBTQ+ community and I can’t wait for book 2 out next year.

Thank you Feiwel & friends and netgalley.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The premise and description of the book sounded so interesting to me that I was so excited to get approved for it. But once I started it I had trouble staying in the book. Not sure if it was the book itself or my headspace at the time of reading, but I will try again to read it at a later time and updated my review then.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

The first in the series by Jasmine Skye. There are multiple points of view, Rosy and Shaw. Some will find it boring or not like the limited world-building. The focus is more on the characters, their thoughts, and their wants. The book does not exactly end with a cliffhanger. It ends in a manner that informs the reader that there will be a part two.

I can't say enough about Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye. The book flows well and the characters are well written. I really liked the bone witch magic and was instantly drawn in by Rosy and her story. The world building and imagery in the book are fantastic, I was in the forest right along with Rosy. Absolutely loved the queer normative relationships in this book. I read it in one sitting and can not wait for book two. There are some anxiety/panic attack triggers.

Actual Rating 2.5

Rosy is a bone familiar who has the power to shift into bone animals. Her home is at the edge of the Bone Forest, and she spends her days caring for her grandmother who shifts into a feral wolf. But Rosy soon finds herself drawn into a world of politics and posturing when she accidentally saves Princess Shaw and is forced to attend a prestigious school due to her powerful abilities. It isn’t long before Rosy is faced with a choice, having to decide if her destiny lies with the princess or with her home.

This story is told from a dual POV, though most of the chapters come from Rosy’s POV. The characters were okay, though I was never able to connect with any of them and they weren’t particularly well developed. Rosy wasn’t the most relatable protagonist, and I often wanted to give her a good shake with how she was acting. The fake dating trope was used, but it added zero chemistry to the already zero chemistry and really wasn’t cute.

While this work had some worldbuilding included, it wasn’t enough to bring the world and setting to life. The details included were mostly related to politics, the types of magic, and war. This wasn’t enough to make the setting come to life or to paint a vivid picture of the world, especially in the beginning of the book. I did like the gender representation that was included though, and that same-gender partnerships were a part of everyday life for the culture/world.

The ending of this work was decent, though it is absolutely setting up for a sequel that will likely continue to focus on the larger-scale politics and war. I probably won’t read it as I just really didn’t find this work engaging or that interesting. If you’re interested in YA fantasy set in a queer-normative culture then you might like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This started out a little slow and confusing, btu quickly got more interesting as they arrived at Witch Hall. The magic system is a little confusing to figure out, but it's an interesting story with great characters.

This is how you do a magical school setting. This book is a set up book and I didn't mind. I loved exploring how the world and the magical school worked. I grew attached quickly to the characters and their stories. I can't wait to see where the story goes next.

I loved this read. Magical beings are either a type of witch or familiar. A witch and familiar bond to couple their magic. The MCs: Rosy = familiar and Shaw = witch. Shaw knows what she wants where Rosy is far more conflicted. Their relationship was what I really like about a high school aged dynamic. They’re learning who they are and who they want to become. Some of that happens together and some doesn’t. There’s a lot of push and pull with them, and I loved it.

I always love when a magic forest and forest creatures are involved in a story. The forest feels like its own character. It thinks and interacts with its own interest. My absolute favorite part of this book is the bone magic concept. Rosy’s shapeshifting abilities into these bone creatures was really cool. The concept and balance of the magic system was creative and felt new. I’m really excited for this series to continue.

4.5, rounded up. I'm so taken with the world Jasmine Skye created; there are so many intriguing magical elements in the witch-familiar dynamic, and the integrated queer rep is a welcome addition. I wish we had gotten more of Shaw's POV (or that her chapters had been spaced out more consistently), but I loved seeing her relationship with Rosamund grow. I'm eager to get my hands on the next book in the series because it's such a compelling read, but I will patiently wait.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Daughter of the Bone Forest is a unique, dark fantasy novel that follows the story of Rosy, a girl who possesses abilities to shapeshift into any animal. Rosy can be found in the magical Bone Forest, where she takes care of her grandmother and avoids being conscripted into the Witch King's army. However, her peaceful life is disrupted when Princess Shaw visits the forest. Rosy ends up saving the Princess's life. In return, the Princess rewards her with a ticket to attend the prestigious school called Witch Hall.

I found the world-building of Daughter of the Bone Forest intricate and fascinating, with a magical, fairytale-like feeling with a touch of darkness.

Rosy was a delightful character to follow around because of her resilience, kindness, and strength. I loved everything about her.

The representation in this book was phenomenal, making the series inclusive.

Towards the end, the pacing felt slower than the rest of the book. However, I still enjoyed reading it.

This book offers a fresh take on fantasy where many readers will be left satisfied and craving more. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Cool. I think it definitely was out of my age range but if I was younger I would’ve loved it. Necromancers, specters, bone magic, magical forest, shapeshifters, and witches. I loved the vibes. Just wanted it to be less angst.

4.5/5

This is a world where magic and destiny intertwine as witches and shifting-magic familiars seek companionship to build their power. There are numerous schools of magic and each has a witch and a familiar. It is a very unique magic system and I was enamored from the start.

Rosy is a bone familiar and has the ability to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. Unlike most familiars, she has numerous forms instead of just a few - including a wolf, prized for its fighting capabilities. She lives with her family on a bone horse ranch near the magical Bone Forest, where her wolf-familiar grandmother is held captive. Rosy cares for her feral grandmother while hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King's army. However, when Princess Shaw unceremoniously enters her life, Rosy's world is forever changed. Saving Shaw's life leads Rosy to an unexpected opportunity: attending the prestigious Witch Hall to find a cure for her grandmother's affliction.

As Rosy navigates the halls of Witch Hall, she becomes embroiled in school and otherwise politics. She is something of an outcast and immediately befriends the only scholarship student there. Shaw, with her own hidden agenda, seeks to court Rosy when all she wants is to be left to her learning.

Skye weaves a rich tapestry of magic and academia, with a queernormative world that adds depth and diversity to the story. The dynamic between Rosy and Shaw is beautifully portrayed, filled with tension, longing, and denial. The two characters are incredibly charming and so different. I loved the occasional missteps due to their different backgrounds and the corrections they made to build a stronger relationship. Even if ONE of them is in denial. The secondary characters are incredible and I adored them. The author was able to give me soft moments and then rip my entire heart out the next. It takes talent to make readers feel these intense emotions.

The ONLY complaint I have is that pacificism seemed like such a big part of Rosy's character and it just turned out to be a plot device to create tension. I hope that Rosy is allowed to lean into this aspect in the upcoming conflict. Violence isn't always the answer and I hope that she gets to explore that.

Skye sets the stage for an epic continuation, as war looms on the horizon and unresolved secrets that promise to make things even more complex. In "Daughter of the Bone Forest," Skye delivers a spellbinding tale that will enchant fans of fantasy and sapphic romance alike.

Thanks to netgalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends. This review is based on a complimentary pre-released copy and it is voluntary.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Everything about this called to me and I was so prepared to love this story. The plot, the ideas, themes, fantasy, and sapphics!!! had me practically doing a jig. I hate to say that I couldn’t get into this one very well.

The fantasy elements didn’t feel too developed for me at times and I think part of that was due to lack of details. Tidbit information was thrown in at random parts and that’s not the best route to go with in fantasy because world building is so important.

The characters. I liked Shaw at times but Rosy frustrated me so much that I couldn’t develop any form of connection with her. I liked the side characters more than the main characters and I found myself looking forward more to their storylines than the main characters. I would’ve loved Aklemin or Oluk as the main focuses.

This is a me thing so it didn’t affect my rating but I do not like pov chapters that have one character in first person pov and the other character in third person pov. This is my second book I’ve read with this in it and I do not like it. It feels ilegal to me and it’s just harder to transition from first to third pov during a book. Once again it’s totally a personal preference I’m sure the author has valid reasons for this I just couldn’t get with it.

Overall, I tried so hard to get sucked into this but I couldn’t. On the surface it has everything I could ever want but in the papers it falls flat for me. I think this will be a hit in the fantasy community or at least I hope others will enjoy it.

I got a little lost in the world building and the different characters. I am not an avid fantasy reader, but thought a YA book would be a great starting point. This book was easier to follow than say, Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, where there are literally thousands of characters. If you are unsure about Fantasy, I would recommend this book.

I was pleasantly surprised with everything about this story. The way the author built up the worlds and the characters while keeping the story going and engaging all at the same time was impressive. I find that sometimes the building will overpower the story and events but that wasn’t how it felt at all with this story. Also the LGBTQIA+ representation im the story was done beautifully!!

Daughter of the Bone Forest takes place in the Cursed Kingdom. A small slice of the world where magic is protected and encouraged, with a school to train those that qualify. Rosy is a bone familiar - she can transform into any bone animal whose voice she takes into her heart. Shaw is a bone witch, princess of the Cursed Kingdom, and prophesied to lead the next big war. Rosy wants nothing to do with her or the upcoming war because the current king killed her grandfather, turning her grandmother feral, even though they were heroes from the last war and it was ruled an accident. When she finds out there might be a cure for her grandmother at the college she willingly joins, but vows to stay away from the princess and under the radar. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.

The world building was pretty top notch. The four different types of magic and their connected abilities were well thought out, and I liked that they didn't automatically go with the typical 4 elements. The creatures that the familiars could change into were pretty creative and I liked that you could see hints of the elements in each animal - bits of exposed bone for the bone familiars, chunks of glass, bits of flowers, and shards of ice for the other three. Beyond that it was a pretty typical feudal system with the peasants being downtrodden and the royalty having everything, with some levels in between.

There were a few parts in the book that were very trope when it came to magic schools and/or wooing the princess. They were mildly disappointing, but did move the story forward. I also am not sure I believed the chemistry between Rosy and Shaw.... I mean, if your seer bestie tells you communication is key then wouldn't you, I don't know, talk out your differences? Or your visions of the future? So much angst could have been skipped if they had just talked! I got sucked in and 100% thought I was going to love this book, but some things just didn't want to mesh up in the end. Also, WHY did everyone but Rosy and Shaw have to have names that tripped me up every time I tried to read them?? On the fence about reading the next book in the series.

3.5 stars rounded up for creativity

i think maybe i’m getting to old to read YA because i thought everything was so boring. i couldn’t see a genuine connection between the characters and the pacing could’ve used some improvement. the writing wasn’t bad though.

thank you netgalley for the e arc!