There are parts of this story I very much enjoyed. The parts based on Jewish mythology were well portrayed and engaging. I could feel the pain Dimitri felt, that crippling sense of loss and the guilt and shame because he felt partly responsible for what happened to Alexey. But Dimitri also felt responsible for his own abuse, and that portrayal felt real and accurate.

However, part way into the book, I felt like I'd missed reading the first book in the series. Only there is no first book. And there should be a first book. How much more powerful would it be if we knew what Dimitri did with Alexey? If we knew how Alexey gave up his humanity in a quest for knowledge and power?

Also, there is way too much graphic sex for me personally. I skip sex scenes in books because they make me uncomfortable. But some of the sex scenes in this were in the middle of action, or of learning information I needed to know for the plot.

I would read the next book even so as the idea is very engaging, and there is enough there that I want to know the next. And I really hope the author writes the "prequel", because that would be a great story.

This surprised me in so many ways, yet amazingly fun, and also one or two bad ones.

TSOTB starts off slow, let’s get that out of the way. You’re immediately jumped into the story, and while you get what had occurred slowly, for the first time in my life I believe:

This book would’ve benefitted from an info dump. Immediately tell us the story and what had occurred so we can move past that and get to the actual story.

But, once the story gets going, it gets GOING, and all for the better. You end up genuinely falling in love with these amazing characters, with such great personality, and it’s so fun!

Vasily, I think, was my personal favorite. I loved his dynamic with Dimitri, and how they fell in love, though it was quite quick and albeit sudden.

I also want to point out that this book is being pitched as a “dark romantasy”.

It is not.

It is about abuse, and pain, and power, and people who will do anything for it. Dimitri and Alexey are NOT, a power couple, nor will they be, and as such, it shouldn’t be said they aren’t.

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

I really wanted to love this book. I hate to not finish but I just couldn't get through this one.

I got about 30% in sadly and just ended up finding myself not wanting to pick up from where I was.

Unfortunately this book was a slog to get through. I did not really enjoy it. If you like the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone- you may enjoy this book, however it’s very similar in some ways. It was hard to enjoy it when I kept comparing the two. It definitely pulled strong influences from it, and at some points straight up copying the other book series. It was just unoriginal.

immediately a new favorite. Samotin crafts an immaculately immersive world that combines Jewish heritage with fantastical necromancy. I absolutely fell in love with each and every character in this book and the heartbreak, trauma, and love was so raw and well written I could get enough. I am so excited to see what else Samotin has to offer in future stories.

Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read this early for an honest review.

This book was major dark and depressing vibes. It’s set after a major war in Russia, so there you go. Full disclosure I only made it about 40% through. Vasily was just sent off to infiltrate the court. I like the underdog characters - Dimitri, Vasily, etc. just fine. The villain (Alexey) is charismatic and captivating too, but I’m not sure I can/will finish this before it’s published (which is why I’m sending this review/feedback now).

I know Dimitri is (or at least starts out) super depressed. I know - I feel it! So good on the author for that? But it makes the book hard to read.

I still recommend this book and if the depressing vibe doesn’t bother you, then all the better!

Dimitri has lost everything. He’s lost the country that he was meant to rule, he lost the husband who ruled it at his side, and he’s also lost himself. Broken, and barely able to keep himself together, he and a few of his friends are in hiding from Alexey, Dimitri’s former husband.
Alexey always knew he was meant to have power, and now he’s found it. Using powers beyond anything anybody could have imagined, he managed to bring himself back to life into a body much stronger and more durable than a mere human’s. Now, Alexey is immortal, and he’s taken the country from his weak husband. He can rule it with strength, and bring forth a new era.
Vasily swore his loyalty to Dimitri years ago, and even though Dimitri is no longer his Tsar, Vasily has never wavered as Dimitri’s spy master. But Dimitri is more than his Tsar, at least to him. When he hears of an opportunity to get close to Alexey, he knows that this might be the chance they were waiting for. They might be able to end the undead Tsar, but it might cost some of them their lives.
I received an advanced reading copy of The Sins on Their Bones in exchange for an honest review.
The Sins on Their Bones is a fantasy novel by Laura Samotin. It’s one that I was very excited about, since it seemed to feature a Russian-inspired setting, Jewish-inspired tradition and magic system, and so much LGBTQ representation!
Before I get into the review, I want to give you a few content warnings. There is death, murder, suicide, abuse, gore, and violence in here. There’s also an abusive relationship, as well as depression and trauma. Be ready for all that before diving into this story.
So, let’s get into the review, shall we?
I want to start talking about the pace of this book. I was actually a little surprised by it. This isn’t the kind of book that, as soon as you open it, it takes off with you. It takes a little while, about a third of the book, before it the plot really picks up, and so does the tension.
But that’s because in the first third, Samotin is laying the groundwork, especially in her characters. We have three POV characters in this book: Dimitri, Alexey, and Vasily. Dimitri and Alexey were in love until Alexey betrayed Dimitri, and now Vasily is taking care of Dimitri. Needless to say, this book is full of LGBTQ representation, and I loved how normalized it was in the world and story.
It’s of course a big part of the characters, and a lot of this book is about how Dimitri has gone through so much trauma. There is discussion here about mental health, as well as about how bad relationships can be. After all, Dimitri and Alexey were married before this all happened, but you can definitely see how their relationship was toxic from the start, and I appreciated having that understanding early on in the book, especially as the plot started to get underway.
Oh, and before I move on from the characters, know that there are quite a few sex scenes here. I don’t often read those, so I can’t tell you much about them, other than to be careful and make sure nobody can read over your shoulder as you yourself read, but I was honestly surprised by how many there were.
There were also some great magical elements to this book. In the author’s note, Samotin explains how she used aspects of Judaism to inspire the magical system, and I really loved how they were represented. Of course, I can’t speak at all about their authenticity, or their representation, but I thought the magic system was one of the strongest elements of this book. The way it drew on angels and demons, and influenced the characters and their world, was fascinating, and I enjoyed every scene with it.
While the magic system and the LGBTQ representation were great, the whole thing didn’t come together for me as much as I’d hoped. Fans of dark fantasy, as well as elements of Judaism or a Russian world would probably enjoy this, though. Also, it’s a great example of a story with normalized LGBTQ characters and relationships. I want to see more worlds like this, and I am still curious to see what more Samotin writes, and where her writing career takes her.

3/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc! I’m always really grateful for the chance to read books before their publication date, but I also always want to share my honest thoughts and feelings in my reviews.
First of all, even though there are some elements of romance in this story, this book is NOT a romantasy. This is a dark fantasy, so please be aware and read the trigger warnings.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the political and cultural aspects of this book, it was like nothing I ever read before. But it was too slow paced for me. I was a little bored for at least half the book, if not more, and the plot lines and the ending felt completely predictable.
I still think it was a really interesting, well written story, but it was not a favorite.

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura Samotin was a gripping, heart-wrenching adventure from start to finish. I'd definitely recommend checking out the website to see the content warnings, as I neglected to do so and was woefully unprepared for some of the darker scenes.

This novel expertly weaves a story full of rich characterization and culture, drawing on Samotin's Jewish heritage and lived experiences (don't skip the end note for this one! It really added to my understanding of the book). Some books with alternating POVs are challenging for me, but each of the three narrators had such a unique voice that I had no trouble keeping track of who I was reading.

The only reason I'm rating 4 instead of 5 stars is because there was a period of time in the first half of the book where the sex scenes felt like they were overpowering the plot. But that's the kind of thing many readers love, so it's easily forgivable.

I was enthralled from the start and can't wait to read more of Samotin's work in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

REVIEW✨
I was kindly sent an e-ARC of “The Sins On Their Bones” by Laura R. Samodin (it comes out 7 May), and I've enjoyed it a lot!🤩

It's a dark, queer, adult fantasy that takes place in a post-war world inspired by 19th century Russia (with a background of splendid Jewish mythology and folklore thrown in) and it touches upon grief, power, trauma, abuse, friendship, redemption and so much more.

I was immediately hooked by the beautiful language and atmosphere and I’m happy to say that the rest of the book lived up to my expectations as well!
I was captivated by the wonderful stile of Samodin and her ability to help the reader get in touch with all the characters’ emotions and thoughts.

I LOVED in particular how the author described the character of Alexey, how he truly believes he’s a savior for his country and how she is able to express so well his thoughts and his feelings for Dima.
I enjoyed the psychological analysis of his figure, it really made possible to understand what happens in the mind of this abuser, the fact that he has been corrupted by his power and how he is blinded by his own ego at the point of being able to manipulate and corrupt everyone around him, even himself.
He is definitely the character I appreciated the most (let’s be clear, I didn’t like HIM but I loved the work that the author did on this character!).

I also liked the friendship and the love story between Dimitri and Vasily (I left some WONDERFUL quotes in the post!).

The epilogue definitely provides a satisfying conclusion to the story, leaving you wanting more!!


SOME THOUGHTS💭
I read a lot of reviews about the fact that there was no plot, or at least not enough, and that it was “filled” by a lot of unnecessary explicit scenes.
In my opinion this is absolutely not true.
It’s indeed a book with a lot of explicit and vivid scenes, but I think that what’s important to remember is that the whole story has a significant meaning if you understand that it’s based on past sex trauma and how the characters are trying to process it.
Overall there are a lot of explicit scenes but I feel like they can bring more value to the story and they are all so well written that it’s quite “enjoyable” even the worst or most violent part of it.

I don’t feel like recommending this book so lightly as it is really intense and graphic, with violence, gore, and sexual abuse that can be really hard to stomach, but I think that if you can handle that you should definitely give it a try, I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!

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

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark, Eastern European inspired romantasy. Two very different men claim the throne of one country, one who was born into the ruling family, and one who believes he deserves to rule. What lengths will they go to tone the ruler they believe is best for the country? They both will sacrifice everything, one for love and one for hate. If you’re a fan of dark fantasy, this is one you’ll love!

3.5/5 stars

The Sins on their Bones is the first in a dark queer fantasy duology that is Jewish/Eastern European-inspired. Ex-Tzar Dimitri is a broken man, still reeling from the guilt of being blind to his husband Alexey’s machinations and dark turn towards Holy Science, leading to civil war and the usurpation of his throne. Now, Dimitri’s spymaster Vasily must infiltrate their old court and uncover Alexey’s plot before he can go any further. But can Dimitri make the right choices when he still loves the husband who betrayed him while also growing to love the man he sent to do the job?

Reading this book, it reminded me of the Shadow & Bone trilogy, just queerer, darker, and more mature. The antagonist, Alexey, especially reminded me of the Darkling with his turn to dark powers for good reasons corrupting him. One thing to note is that the book has a lot of gay sex scenes (between different partners), and most come with this sort of D/s dynamic. It can be gratuitous and too frequently featured, but I personally didn’t mind.

I liked that all three main protagonists were such complex men with rich histories and motivations, and the story alternates between all three perspectives. Dimitri and Alexey’s relationship was a particularly noteworthy (but possibly triggering) with its demonstration of an abusive spousal relationship between men who seem to love each other. As a result, Dimitri is wallowing in so much grief and guilt through so much of the book that it can feel overly wrought and drawn out. Vasily has the most to do and is the most dynamic in the story. Their romance is primarily sexual and friendly, but the book does something with it (spoilers so I won’t mention) that allows it to evolve.

With Alexey getting an equal proportion of the three PoVs, the book gives up any mystery or suspense because we see all of him. It would have been far more narratively compelling if his parts were shown as brief glimpses (much like we almost never see the Darkling that much in the Grishaverse and that made him all the more sinister). Although admittedly his chapters were the most interesting and compelling of three perspectives we get so I understand why he was so prominent in the book. His whole plan also felt very reminiscent of the Darkling’s actually.

The book’s biggest issue though is that everything is laid out and established already at the beginning, so it missed out on much of the development of the plot and forming of bonds between characters. Dimitri and his friends are all already a found family who have worked out their dynamics after failing to defeat Alexey during the civil war, and they are all licking their wounds and finding comfort in each other. We see them like this at the beginning and they all remain so by the end. Dimitri and Vasily are already in a sexual relationship with each other and just needed to remove their own blinders to see what they are to each other (mostly Dimitri).

The Sins on Their Bones is not without its issues, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would be checking out a sequel.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed the queer Jewish story. The accurate portrayal of what it's like to overcome victims/survivors guilt after experiencing an abusive relationship. The writing is excellent and I love the relationship between Vasily and Dimitri. But I really don't like that epilogue at the end. If Alexyev survived and basically undergoes the resurrection process again, isn't it second book just going to be a repeat of the first and ruin all the growth our characters had?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Sins on Their Bones follows Dimitri Alexeyev, the former Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. After losing a civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey, Balakin, he’s languishing in exile. Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily, contrast a ruse to sneak into Alexey’s court to gather information while Dimitri finds a way to kill him. But it’s not as easy as they believe as Alexey has resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body and claims to be guided by God. Alexey turns Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire as he’s able to summons creatures and demons for an army. But Dimitri will not let Alexey corrupt his country, yet saving Novo-Svitsevo and his people will mean forfeiting his husband’s soul and forsake the spymaster he’s come to love.

The Sins on Their Bones is such a good fantasy! Its definitely Shadow and Bone meets 19th century Russia with Jewish folklore/mythology and dark, enchanting elements. The vibes of the book are so well done with the post-war fantastic Russia. The politics and religious elements were really fascinating and captivating. The world is so complex and pulls you in so deeply.

I really enjoyed the characters overall. Especially Alexey as he's so interesting. He’s such a good villain who truly believes he’s a saviour and his actions are justified. He’s blinded by his ego and he was a truly fascinating character to read about. Dimitri is a really interesting character who was blinded by love and utterly destroyed by it. He starts off quite depressed and has such growth through the novel and I really felt for him. Vasily was a really good perspective as his POV really progressed the plot. He was a fun character to read about and I enjoyed his romance with Dimitri. I quite enjoyed all three perspectives and they were all really well-developed characters.

Overall, such a good fantasy if you love character driven stories with complex characters, dark and enchanting worlds, and queer love stories!

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark queer fantasy story that is inspired by Jewish folklore and mythology. The points of view it is told from are vastly different, one of the POV's even being from the antagonist. There is violence, including sexual violence, plotting, betrayal, resilience, and a lot of different depictions of PTSD.

There aren't a lot of roads to success, possibly not even one, but all of our characters are willing to do what they must for their country. It's just Alexey and Dimitri have very different ideas of what is needed. At times, particularly in the beginning, the book had some pacing issues, but around half way through those smoothed out. There are many potential triggers, so I recommend readers to do research if that's a concern!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not okay, because I now have to wait another year to read the second book.

This novel wasn't quite what I expected, but it was exactly what I needed. The plot is unique and compelling, and the world is so exquisitely developed and described. I loved the magic, the mysticism, the dark and eerie vibes that permeate the whole book.

But nothing compares to the characters. Dimitri is so easy to both feel and root for, and his struggles are both heartbreaking and empowering to read about. Vasily is an absolute darling, but not one-sided in any way. The rest of their court makes such a wonderful found family that my only complaint is that we didn't see the whole group together more often. Alexey isn't likable, but I love that the author doesn't shy away from that fact. At no point is there any attempt to redeem him, but his perspective is still written in a very realistic way and it's fascinating to see his point of view. Even Ivan tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to do nothing but protect him.

Anyway, I think I'm done rambling for now. I'll just go curl up in a corner and cry until I can get my hands on the next book.

This book felt like the best kind of fanfiction. It felt lived in from page one. I didn't have to get to know the characters to root for them and care about their struggles. I was made to from the beginning.

And the romance had me. I was not sure who I wanted together at first. Dimitri's pain was hard to read and I felt so many things.

Go read this!

My first ARC review! Thank you netgalley and the author for this book,

First off, if you’re expecting a romantasy, this is NOT that. It’s maybe dark fantasy, but really , it’s a love story between two people who have been heavily traumatized. Read the content warnings!

The character cast and the setting were compelling. I thought that the fantasy based in Ashkenazi Jewish folklore is a beautiful and interesting idea. I enjoyed the ‘found family’ trope, and I loved loved how queer the character cast was, and how normalized that queerness was within the story itself. I also appreciated the author’s attempt to explore really complex psyches with traumas that generally revolve around relational and sexual abuse and how characters grow and evolve from those experiences. The author’s note was also lovely.

However, I do think something was missing. The plot just felt very slow and incremental, and I found myself losing interest around halfway through. Then, all the action happens at the end, and it almost seems to work out too easily. I feel like the circumstances should have torn my heart be torn out, but really all I felt was mehhh. I think it’s because I never really felt invested in the primary relationship because there was, for the most part, too much telling and not enough showing. I also felt like the world-building had a lot to be desired. I really have no idea what the palace or their city looked or felt like. Even the magical lore in the book felt lacking to me.

I didn’t think the sex was gratuitous because so much of the book and the characters revolves around their experience with sexual trauma and how they deal with their relationships afterward, but readers should know that many of the sex scenes are not really pleasant. Several of them are within an abusive relationship. This is NOT smut or smutty.

To that end, 1/3 of this books is from the abuser’s POV, including some sex scenes. I liked this because I think those stories and psyche’s are interesting to explore, but I would caution others that you should be conscious of your own emotional health and history. The content warning is very nicely written.

Overall, I give this a 3/5 for the fantasy folklore and exploration of trauma, but knock of 2 stars because the plot was just so slow.

I had no idea what to expect when I started The Sins On Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin. I saw that it was blurbed by several queer romantasy authors that I like, so I requested it from NetGalley on a whim and was happy to dive in. I’m so glad I did. It was not what I was expecting but it is an interesting and dark fantasy that I enjoyed discovering.

First of all, if there are things that could trigger you, be sure to read the content warnings before you start this book! This novel deals with some very heavy topics and the author has kindly included detailed warnings on her website (there’s also some stunning character art for you to seek out while you’re there).

The Sins On Their Bones is inspired by Jewish mysticism and folklore and is a high fantasy set in a world similar to Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Dimitri Alexeyev, one of the main POV characters and a former Tszar, has recently lost a brutal civil war to his vicious and newly immortal ex-husband, Alexey Balakin.

At the story’s start, Dimitri is in hiding in the Free States with his closest friends and former members of his royal court: Vasily, his most trusted spy; Annika, who once led his army; Ladushka, his political advisor, and Mischa, his royal physician. Dimitri still harbors a lot of guilt (and other complicated feelings) about Alexey, the war, and the consequences of it. When Vasily brings word that Alexey is building an army to invade the Free States the group hatches a dangerous plan to finally defeat Dimitri’s monstrous ex.

The novel cycles through three POVs. Along with Dimitri, we also get chapters from Alexey and Vasily. All three POVs are engaging and each adds different things to the story. Jumping back and forth through their parts of the story moved the plot along steadily while also filling in the needed backstory. Vasily’s chapters, in particular, give a lot of clarity to the backstory which was one of the many reasons that his chapters quickly became my favorite.

The plot of this is fast-paced, dark, and full of religious and political themes. I also found it surprising and not predictable at all. Multiple moments shocked me and had me frantically flipping pages to see what would happen next.

The characters are also likable. Vasily, as I’ve already mentioned, is a fantastic character. Dimitri is sympathetic and has a nice arc of growth and healing. Alexey is a terrifying and well-written villain. Annika, Ladushka, and Mischa round out the main cast as dynamic characters with a lovely “found family” relationship (together with Dimitri and Vasily).

The Sins On Their Bones is a unique and very queer dark fantasy. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic tales of good versus evil in their fantasy!


OTHER POINTS:
- Alexey reminds me of The Darkling from the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
- There may be a Doctor Who reference?
- There is an asexual character and a non-binary character along with the many same-sex relationships that the book features.
- The whole book is delightfully queer normative with most of the main characters and several side characters being casually queer. There’s no drama or trauma around their identities.
- I also liked how the author wove Judaism into the world.
- Did I mention how much I love Vasily?
- The last 25% of the book is tense, action-packed, emotional, and surprising. It is almost impossible to put down!
- The ending is satisfying while also setting up issues for a future sequel.

The Sins on Their Bones is a gorgeously written story about grief, abuse, and moving on from the past. ⁣
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It has a loveable yet flawed cast of characters, a fantastically written evil villain that feels like the Darkling meets Rasputin, and enough humor to balance out the dark themes. ⁣(At one point, Dimitri has to hold a goat for a ritual, and it's hilarious).

I loved the LGBTQ+ characters, the Jewish mythology, and the Russian-inspired world.

Samotin did an amazing job with the body horror elements in this. The descriptions are dark and gruesome—but I appreciated that the story isn't dark just for the sake of it.

I also enjoyed the multiple POVs—I think Samotin balanced them out really well.
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If you like Anastasia, Frankenstein, and Shadow & Bone/the Grishaverse, then I recommend it! ⁣
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TW: Blood/gore, sexual abuse and violence, death/murder, trauma/PTSD, drugs and alcohol use