I am a sucker for a sapphic fantasy add shifters and some great horror there was no way I wasn't going to love this book! I couldn't put it down and loved every minute!

I was drawn to Daughter of the Bone Forest for the witches and shifters, and was hooked with this fantastic fantasy world and sapphic romance

Daughter of the Bone Forest is a Young Adult fantasy set in a world with witches and shape shifters. The protagonist, Rosy, is a shape shifter who is determined to avoid getting involved in a her kingdom's war. It was a a fun read. Thanks to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC.

I got totally lost in this book. It’s the first in a series, but I kept forgetting that as I read it. I loved both main characters– Rosy and Shaw. Rosy’s scenes are told in first person point of view, and Shaw’s are in third person, so I immediately felt closer to Rosy, which I think was the point. Shaw is so closed and carefully measured and controlled.

The romance arc in this one was honestly pretty perfect for me. I think a higher percentage of the girl/girl romances I’ve read have either had an insta-love vibe, and that’s really not my favorite kind of romance to read. This one is much more in the slow burn lane, which has (especially lately) been a favorite flavor of romance for me. So DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST knocked it out of the park for me as a reader in terms of its romance elements.

I also find the magic system really intriguing and different. There are magic users (witches) and shapeshifters (familiars) who often bond with one another for magic and life benefits. I can’t remember all the different magic classes, but I know there was bone magic, which the main characters use. There’s also flower magic and maybe ice magic?

Most of the story takes place at the magic school (Witch Hall) so the book also has a magic boarding school vibe to it, too. I see that more often in middle grade books, so it was really fun to get to read a young adult novel with that element for a change.

All in all, I would absolutely call this one a win for me. I really look forward to where the series goes. I’m already excited for the second book.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this amazing arc. I loved this book. I found the sapphic love story wonderful and just everything about it extremely unique. I can’t say enough about this book, except GO READ IT!!!!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

Daughter of the Bone Forest is a young adult romantasy set in a world where people can be witches, able to cast spells, or familiars, able to shift into animal or plant forms. Rosy lives in the Bone Forest, and all she wants is to live there, helping her family. The arrival of the crown princess, heir to the throne,changes her whole life. Soon she is at the magical school, along with the princess, who wants to bond a strong familiar, which Rosy is. But can she trust the princess?

Thank you so much to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley, who provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 


Wow! What a unique and captivating story. This book was easily 5/5 stars. This book follows Rosy, a Bone Familiar, who risks her own secrets to enroll in a prestigious school for witches and familiars, in hopes she can save her grandmother from banishment. 


The world and magic system in this book felt really fresh and new to me, yet easily understood and beautiful. The author did a wonderful job writing the book, as the story was engaging and well paced the whole time. I found the characters to be relatable and intriguing, and I grew to love many of them. I especially found the relationship between Rosy and the princess refreshing, as it was not the typical 'fall in love, attraction to eachother' type storyline. There was more depth in and realistic relationships in this book, which was appreciated. 


I am highly looking forward to the next book, and I really encourage others to read this one!!

I won't lie; I really loved this book.

The worldbuilding is phenomenal. The rules of witches/familiar were explained in great detail, but it never felt like exposition dumping. There were even parts where a few characters would voice their disagreements to the system their world operated, which really rounded out the world as well as the character. This is also where the themes of classism and wealth inequality shine brightest; I absolutely loved Skye's take on it through the lense of a queernormative world (i.e., spouses taking the last names of the higher class partner, the gape of education and the treatment of scholarship students, the politics of courtship, etc.).

I also really loved the romance! Not only is it a super slow burn (Rosy and Shaw don't even kiss! I can't be mad because the circumstances preventing that made total sense, but, dammit, Skye got me so invested in them!), but both leads are so compelling and interesting. Rosy, the march-to-her-own-beat farm girl, navigating the chessboard politics at Witch's Hall got me hooked so deeply. Shaw also has a POV every five chapters, all of which give great insight into her character and her true intentions with Rosy (It also shows her falling first so hard. That got me grinning like a fool.)

All in all, this is an amazing book. This needs to be on radar for every queer fantasy reader out there, because it's too good for it to be put aside.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.

4 out of 5 stars

I don't request ARCs unless I believe I will like the book, but I will say I didn't expect to like this book so much.

Rosy is a short, angry bone familiar. Her grandfather was murdered by subjects of the Witch King, and her grandmother, in her grief, went feral and was banished to live only in the Bone Forest. Rosy learned early that should she reveal that she can shift into a wolf, that she would likely be pulled for the army of the Witch King.

One day, while in town, Rosy saves the princess Shaw, but disappears not wanting to be noticed. There is safety in invisibility. But Shaw did take note and ended up at the farm where Rosy lives with her parents and her uncles. After some discussion about how Rosy was able to calm her bone horse down, Shaw that familiars should go to Witch Hall for training. Rosy's cousin already goes there and it was all they could do to send her. But Shaw offers to pay for Rosy's tuition, and so Rosy goes, with the intent of finding someone who can create a cure for her grandmother's feral episodes and to try to get her mother's punishment stopped.

Rosy immediately finds she does not fit in. Almost everyone there is from rich and powerful families. She pretends to only have two shifts, a horse and a mouse, which raises some eyebrows since usually the second shift isn't so far removed from the first: someone whose first shift was a rattlesnake might have a second shift to a boa. But Rosy doesn't just have one more voice in her heart that she can shift into - she has several.

When Shaw requests to court Rosy in front of the entire school, Rosy quickly finds herself in the public eye even more than just being the new girl. She doesn't want the attention, and more importantly, she doesn't want the princess whose father murdered Rosy's grandfather.

Despite her protestations, Shaw convinces Rosy to at least play along at courting so that some pressure could come off Shaw and her entourage could pick their own familiars.

Little by little, Rosy's guard comes down with Shaw, even as she clings her anger and hate, but love and hate cannot reside in the same heart for long, and soon Rosy will be put in a situation that will force her to choose between who she always wanted to be and who her duty requires her to be.

My description doesn't adequately present the book. It was so interesting. The Bone Forest was somewhat sentient with a mischievous nature. The grandmother, for all she loves her family, sometimes cannot contain the feralness that overtakes her, and one time hurt Rosy's cousin.

Rosy's cousin has worked hard to not be the odd girl out, to not be noticed for her lack of money and power, and she doesn't appreciate Rosy not following the social rules that have long stood at the school.

So, yes, it is YA and yes it had YA tropes so if you're not into that kind of thing, just be aware, but it was still pretty freaking cool. A lot of political intrigue and fear of a promised war to come. I felt that the ending was a little too cliffhanger-y, but... I will probably read the next one because I am vested in the storyline.

In a world where there are people gifted with the ability to turn into animals (or familiars) and are bonded (romantically) to a witch, a familiar girl with a powerful gift wants nothing less than to escape from the Princess of the kingdom's courtship and to find a cure for her grandmother's feral stage. Rose is a bone familiar, she is a powerful one too, having the ability to shift into various animals without needing to really think about it while most people only get one or two, she has so many to pick from. Rose spends her days in the Bone Forest, caring for her feral grandmother and hiding her powers to avoid being conscripted into the Witch King's army. Yet when she ends up saving the Princess Shaw, a witch known as Death's Heir, and the King's daughter... she is given the chance to go to the prestigious school, Witch Hall as payment. This is her only chance to find a cure for her grandmother's affliction yet Rosy finds herself hurled into the political games she can't understand and a bond she doesnt want, begins to grow between her and the one person she never wanted, especially since Princess Shaw's family was the cause of Rosy's grandparents' death and current situation. Rosy has to hide her powers while also finding a way to just get by with passing grades, yet the more she tries not to stand out the more she does. It doesn't help that Princess Shaw, a girl known for not wanting a familiar is now actively courting Rosy and even asking her to pretend a fake courtship ( and trying to win her over despite Rosy thinking it's only a fake one as they agreed). Rosy will face the war brewing head on and have to decide whether or not she is done running away from problems and finally embrace her magic and inner wolf or will she hide away like she always does? This one was a miss for me unfortunately, I really wanted to love this one because sapphic fantasy romance with witches, magic, and some politics is absolutely right up my alley.... but this was just not it. I did not feel the chemistry between Rosy and Shaw at all and half the time I was struggling to even like either of them. The switch from Rosy's 1st POV to Shaw's 3rd person POV was so strange for me. I also didn't really care for the pacing of the story and the overall romance just didn't work for me. There were so many characters and yet I really didn't find myself all that invested in any one of them particularly. I was just tired by the end of this book unfortunately and I dont think I will be continuing on with this series. While it wasn't for me, if you like complicated school drama with a bit of romance and magic give this one a go, I definitely think you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

What an absolutely fascinating concept, these bone creatures and bone forests. I loved the magic system and enjoyed the romance.

Rosy knows that she is powerful. The fact that she can sift into a bone wolf is something that she must keep hidden if she wants to stay out of the upcoming war. And why would she want to fight for the royals when they cursed her grandmother and cast her out. Yet when the princess herself comes through her town and Rosy learns that there might be someone at an elite magic school who could help with a cure for her grandmother’s problems of going wild, Rosy knows she needs to find the cure if possible. Once in school Rosy must find a way to hide how powerful she really is while at the same time making friends who can help her with her goal. When the princess asks Rosy to bond with them Rosy must choose how important curing her grandmother is. Is it worth bine in a pretend couple and possibly being swept up into the world she has tried so hard to escape.
This book is lovely. I love books that have worlds where characters can be who they want to be, no gender roles need to be in place and the world is just accepting. The storyline is well done and doesn’t drag. There is enough intrigue and movement that readers will be swept up in Rosy’s journey of self-discovery.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel and Friends and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

This is the first in the Witch Hall series, and what an amazing start it was. Witches and Familiars attend school together to learn how best to use their abilities and find their match. Jasmine Skye did an amazing job world and charater building. Greatly anticipating book 2!

Thank you Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Daughter of the Bone Forest immediately caught my eye with that gorgeous cover and I went feral over the description. It sounded right up my alley and I'm so glad I got it because this was so good!

It's a slow, idyllic life for Rosy as a horse rancher's daughter, taking care of her little farm with her family. Her one point of worry is her grandmother who was banished to live in the Bone Forest that their farm lines up with. The Bone Forest doesn't scare Rosy, or her Gran, both who are bone familiars, magical shapeshifters. Gran and Rosy can turn into bone wolves, but Rosy can turn into many different animals, which she knows is rare, but the most dangerous shift is the wolf. If anyone were to know, even her own family outside of Gran, she would be sent to Witch Hall and then conscripted to fight in the Witch King's army. Rosy wouldn't mind going to Witch Hall, a school where she could learn more about her magic and others, but after what happened to her grandfather, she truly hates the Witch King, his army, and especially the future of her country, the Witch King's daughter, Princess Shaw.

Raised to close off her heart, Shaw Colchuck, Death's Heir, daughter of the Witch King, and prophesied to inherit a bloody war, believes that nothing can surprise her. People are predictable, especially in the political world she's grown up in. But she is not ready for Rosamund Holt, the late war general's granddaughter, who's intense disdain for Shaw is clear. Drawn by her rough exterior and refusal to participate in the political games of her classmates, Shaw slowly realizes that she would do anything to keep Rosy close, even bring down the walls around her heart.

The story is told from each girl's POV, and I loved seeing the different types of magic at work in this fantasy world, the power structure and games played even on a small scale, and the platonic as well as amorous relationships built. I will say that I enjoyed Rosy's POV much more than Shaw's. I think it's because we really got to see Rosy's thoughts and feelings in the first person point of view, whereas Shaw was more aloof and told through third person. It makes sense to me why the author did it that way, as that aloofness is definitely in character with Shaw, but I felt like it hurt the story and the reader's connection to her.

If you enjoy magic schools, rich world-building, political turmoil, a diverse cast of characters, and a slow, slow burning of enemies-to-more, than I highly recommend you read this! Be warned, there is violence, death, and slurs. As far as romance, there's nothing heavier than sweet kisses.

My unhinged first thoughts: I adored this book and I NEED the sequel posthaste!!

I am a sucker for a magical school, and this did not disappoint. The witch/familiar structure and their designations added a layer of depth that made the story especially compelling. I particularly enjoyed that world building was so strong, yet it never felt overly dense. Bonus points for the forbidden/enemies to lovers romance being so full of tension and resistance.

A well deserved 5 stars and an immediate entry into my favorites of the year shelf. Highly recommend!!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great YA fantasy! I loved the protagonist, Rosy - she is perfectly flawed and easy to root for, with a masterful character arc. I loved the magic system; it has familiar elements while feeling unique and fresh as well. The bone magic was incredibly interesting, and Skye manages to make shapeshifting (not my cup of tea usually) something I loved to read about.

I loved the queernormative world and the all of the representation that felt easy and natural. Rosy and Shaw's romance is definitely a slower burn, and at first, I wasn't convinced. But as Rosy grew to trust Shaw, I grew to believe in their romance more and more. The side characters were also well developed and added to the richness of the worldbuilding that Skye created.

My only gripe was how trope-y the book was, but that is expected nowadays with YA fantasy. Overall, I liked it a lot and will look forward to the sequel!

I am so in love with this beautiful queernormative world that Jasmine Skye has crafted. Daughter of the Bone Forest is an epic fantasy full of politics, high stakes, complex characters, secrets, and betrayals with a gorgeous magic system. The main romance toes the line between enemies and lovers extremely well without it being overdone. The diversity and representation are super well done without them ever feeling forced. I only have good things to say about Daughter of the Bone Forest and I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment.

Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye. Thank you, Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this page gripping story.

I really loved this! From the start of the book I was pulled in by bone, magic, ice, etc. The characters were built s well that I understood their choices in the book and could sympathize with them. I soon found myself invested in their story and there were a few times I cried while reading.

Rosemund was by far my favorite character. Despite the challenges she faced or how her life changed, she stayed true to who she was. Too often characters change in the face of danger and allow it to impact who they are and what they stand for...not Rosemund.

I truly love this book and I hope to read more from the author in the future.

I really enjoyed this book and need the sequel like yesterday! (seriously the plot twist at the end got me and I need to know more!) This book is set in a world where witches exist and have magic, and bond with human familiars that can shift into different types of animals. The story mainly follows Rosy, a familiar who can shift into bone animals, on her journey to save her grandmother. When Rosy saves Princess Shaw at the beginning of the story, she is taken to Witch Hall, a school for witches and familiars to learn and prepare for the impending war, where she must hide just how powerful she really is.

While the book was a little slow at the beginning, with having to settle into the world and figuring out how the system of witches and familiars worked, the book moved at a pretty fast pace after that. I couldn’t put it down! The school politics were interesting, especially seeing how Rosy defied the social “rules” and her sort-of-fake courtship with Shaw was great. I loved seeing their relationship develop over the course of the story. Though it’s an extremely slow burn (we don’t really see much romance between them in this book), we get to see Rosy become more and more comfortable with Shaw, despite not always agreeing with her.

Another major highlight of this book was all of the casual representation. The author stated it’s a queer-normative world, and that is definitely apparent. There are relationship pairings of all kinds (m/m, f/f, m/f), along with trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid characters. All of this is treated as normal and is simply a casual part of the story and who the characters are. I also loved how different kinds of relationships were emphasized, not just romantic ones. The friendships and other platonic relationships in this story were great.

If you enjoy fantasy stories with magic, politics, secrets and betrayals, and representation galore, definitely check out this book!

Daughter of the Bone Forest follows Rosamund, a shapeshifter who only wishes to care for her imprisoned grandmother and the horses her family raises. By happenstance (or by nudging done by a friend with foresight) Rosamund meets Princess Shaw, saving her and her friends from an animal attack. To repay her, Shaw brings Rosamund to Witch Hall, a school for witches and familiars to learn how to control their magic and shifts. It's the last thing Rosamund wants, but she will do anything to help her grandmother and this may be the only way.

I really enjoyed this, even more than I thought I would. First and foremost because nearly every sapphic book I've read that claims to include horses only includes them at bare minimum. This book includes horses in many ways, from the ranch that Rosamund's family owns to her assignment working the stables at Witch Hall. Not to mention Rosamund's own shifter ability to turn into a horse (every horse girl's dream, or mine anyway).

Rosamund really sticks to her guns throughout the entire book, I feel like characters in this situation often change their points of view quickly. Rosamund was committed to keeping on the down low (admittedly not well, but the intent was there) and trying to find a way to help her grandmother be free of her imprisonment.

There was inclusion of a variety of gender identities and sexualities that were naturally included. This book also does not end with a romantic ending and I am so excited to see how it progresses through the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!