4.5/5 stars
The Sins on Their Bones is a beautifully written story. It was giving me Song of Achilles vibes. It is heart wrenching but the found family keeps your heart afloat. You get not one, not two but THREE POVs. It deals with a haunting and hurtful past, and working to right the consequences of that past when the future of a kingdom lays on your shoulders. Not to mention what you may have to give up in order to protect your kingdom. I'm so grateful that we get Vasily's POV, it honestly made this story that much better. Thank you Laura R. Samotin and Penguin Random House for this ARC.

I feel like this is an all or nothing book. You either love it or can't get into it at all. It's dark, it is not a romance, and it's got great world building if that is your thing.

Slow start for sure but it did pick up more around the middle. Aside from Dimitri or Vasily I literally did not care whether any characters lived or died- sorry. I almost feel like we needed a book before this one to really delve into each character more so that I could understand and really come to care for them. And so much obviously happened during the war and I want to feel all their pain.

One thing I really liked was having Dimitri and Vasily literally sharing souls with one another. Made the story so much more interesting.

and fuck alexey- you make me sick

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the e-arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC. I really enjoyed this. It took me forever to read but the fact that I never lost interest is a testament to how interesting it is. The world and the relationships were fascinating and omg that ending. I wasn't totally sold on the romance but that may have more to do with how drawn my reading of this was. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

I’m sadly having rather mixed luck with new releases this year, and this was another highly anticipated debut that I ended up having to DNF. I loved the concept, and the promise of Jewish mysticism, but ultimately that wasn’t enough to save my reading experience.

My main problem is that this book starts after the action, following the a civil war that has left Alexey and Dimitri on opposite sides. As a result, a lot of time in the early chapters is spent with our MCs moping around and reminiscing, as a way to get the reader up to speed on how and why the relationship went sour. There’s absolutely no forward momentum in the plot, or any hook to convince me as the reader that I should care about what happens next… Even as a character-driven reader, there’s just not enough to grab onto, as our main characters can basically just be described as “sad” and “evil” respectively. Oh, and the spymaster Vasily gets a POV too as the eventual new love interest, but his chapters have no spark either).

Here’s to hoping my next new release is more compelling.

I kinda got the vibe that this book was trying to be a darker, grittier, crueler & queer melding of shadow & bone & divine rivals, but without much of a magic system. I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I couldn’t get a grasp on the actual world it was set in other than it was Eastern Europeanish because there was very little world building. You start out being thrown into a story that reads like it’s a sequel. Like you’re missing a huge chunk of what happened previously. It spits it out in bits and chunks throughout each POV, but overall I didn’t enjoy the storyline. I wanted to like it, the premise in the synopsis seemed like it would be enjoyable and I love the cover art, but this book just wasn’t it for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

"If I die fist, I'll tell you the secrets of heaven."

Interesting mythology and necromantic magic but ultimately reads like a standard NA romance in the guise of a "sexy dark political fantasy." Has all the melodrama and vapidity without any of the real emotional depth, nuance, or complex schemings or machinations one would expect from such a description. This was such an unintentionally maudlin book.

The characters are all over the place and the depths of their feelings for each other are so dramatic that all the relationships just comes across as silly most of the time. Dimitri is a self pitying ball of despair, wallowing in his misery and inaction for a good majority of the story. His POV got old real fast and I ended up not caring about what ended up happening to our man or his "court." His husband Dmitri is a sexy undead psychopath and such a caricature I could hear the evil laughter emanating off the page every time he graced us with his presence (which at least was somewhat entertaining). I cannot even remember the last protagonist's name at this point, which is a testament to how milquetoast he was. Would not recommend.

Heat Factor: I found the sex deeply disturbing (and not because of the bondage)

Character Chemistry: It’s complicated

Plot: Dimitri must reclaim his throne from his ex. Who is now possessed by a demon.

Overall: I expect that some scenes for this book are burned into my brain and will continue to live there, rent-free, forever. Not sure if this is a good thing.

Let’s start with the big question: is this book a romance? It’s being marketed as fantasy, but it was pitched to us as romantasy.1 Other reviewers seem to be split on this. I say, yes, this is a romance in the technical sense (love story plus optimistic ending2); however, because of the way it’s structured, it’s a confusing one until about the midpoint. I would also say that there is more focus on plot and the magic / religious system than on developing the ultimate romance—so the ending has a very satisfying plot resolution, and a so-so romance resolution.

We open with Dimitri. He is the rightful Tsar of some country that is not exactly Russia3, but he’s in exile. He drinks. He smokes. He refuses to eat. He wallows in misery. And he thinks about his husband, Alexey.

In Chapter 2, we meet Alexey. He is now the Tsar of Not-Russia, and he is immortal because he’s been touched by God. (Please note: he’s the kind of immortal that’s unkillable, not the kind of immortal that just doesn’t die of natural causes.) No matter that everyone is afraid of him; his cause is righteous. He doesn’t eat. He doesn’t sleep. But he does think about his husband, Dimitri.

“Ah yes,” I thought. “Here we have a classic spouses-to-enemies-to-lovers set up! Alexey seems a bit sus, but this is clearly marketed as a dark book (there are skulls on the cover!) so maybe he’ll get redemption or we’ll have a burn-down-the-world-to-save-my-loved-one scenario or we’ll go all in on Dimitri embracing his dark side.”

But then, in Chapter 3, we meet Vasily. He is Dimitri’s spymaster and is running around trying to find any information that would help Dimitri a) return home, b) kill an unkillable man, and c) retake the throne. He’s part of Dimitri’s small court in exile, a group of close advisors who have made their own family in the face of extreme adversity.

“Huh,” I thought. “This is an interesting twist. Is Vasily a love interest? Are we going with a menage? What’s going on here?”

My confusion only grew as I continued to read, especially once it became clear that both Dimitri and Alexey were having sex with people who they explicitly pretend are their estranged spouse. Alexey has taken Dimitri’s younger bastard half-brother as his new boytoy, but honestly, the way Dimitri has sex with Vasily is even grosser. Vasily absolutely knows that he is meant to be standing in for Alexey (which hurts) but does it anyway because he cares about his king and country more than himself. Or because it’s love? Anyways, it is very clear that Dimitri and Alexey are very very hung up on each other.

As the story progresses, it is revealed that a) Alexey is doing some extremely evil shit and b) Alexey and Dimitri’s relationship was abusive. Now, readers of dark romance know that neither of these points are deal breakers. Also, I must admit that for the first hundred or so pages, Alexey was the only character who was doing anything interesting, so I was more inclined to be sympathetic to him. But that’s not where we go—and it becomes clear at around the midpoint of the book that we’re not working toward a resolution for Alexey and Dimitri, but rather that there’s a romance between Dimitri and Vasily.

The first half of the book was a bit slow, and not just because of my confusion about where we were going romance-wise. However, once things get going, things GO, and I devoured the second half of the book quite quickly—not least because I was on the edge of my seat to see whether Vasily and Dimitri were going to survive implementing their impossible plan to save Not-Russia.

So back to the question of genre. I think that this would work better as a romance if there weren’t chapters from Alexey’s perspective, as that change in structure would better set reader expectations in terms of who we’re meant to be rooting for. This would have made space for Samotin to better develop the relationship between Dimitri and Vasily (which felt a bit flat) and also built up the mystery of what Alexey was up to.

On the other hand, the book probably would have been more satisfying as an adventure fantasy where everyone is working through their trauma if the love story between Dimitri and Vasily hadn’t been tied up so neatly at the end. The love declaration felt tacked-on; an HFN would have felt more earned.

But that’s not the book Samotin wrote, so I will say that the chapters from Alexey’s perspective did successfully up the horror quotient—things started getting real when Alexey has his consort shoot him full of arrows just because. (This is not the most gruesome thing that happens.) (I told my husband some of the things that happen and he was like, “That doesn’t sound like a romance,” because despite my yelling at him about romance novels for literally our entire relationship, romances with horror elements are still a thing that can’t exist in his brain.) In addition, the chapters from Alexey’s perspective give us a lot more detail about the magic / religious system, which I read as loosely based on Kabbalah.

Including Alexey’s perspective also allows Samotin to really explore the nuances of the abusive relationship between Alexey and Dimitri. The first details about their relationship imply one of consensual dominance play, and, in fact, it seems like they both see many components of their relationship this way—including some bits that, to the reader, scream non-consensual. It’s very messy. Seeing Dimitri slowly confront his trauma allows for some very interesting character work, but I wouldn’t call it easy or comfortable.

In fact, none of this book is easy or comfortable, but it certainly was interesting.

1The comps are Leigh Bardugo, C.S. Pascat, and Katherine Arden. I have read books by two of these authors, and I expect a large part of the comp for Bardugo and Arden is the Russian-esque setting. ↩︎
2But we’re definitely set up for a sequel. ↩︎
3Time period is fuzzy here: there are antibiotics but no cars. Then again, the Tsar is gay and Jewish, so let’s just call this world fantasy with revolvers. ↩︎

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

"The Sins on Their Bones" by Laura Samotin is a dark adult fantasy novel rooted in Jewish folklore that explores complex themes, including abuse, friendship, love, and healing, within a post-war setting.

The story follows Dimitri, the former tsar, recovering from an abusive relationship with his ex-husband, Alexey, the current tsar. Dimitri grapples with his lingering feelings for Alexey and his potential new love for his spymaster, Vasily.

The writing is solid, with beautiful prose that grabs the reader's attention from the start. The world-building is intriguing, reminiscent of tsarist Russia and influenced by Jewish folklore, although not overly detailed in terms of setting. While the first half of the book is slower-paced, particularly focusing on Dimitri's healing journey, the plot picks up in the second half, making it more engaging and enjoyable.

The characters are incredible, with even secondary characters feeling like real people. The three POVs - Dimitri, Vasily, and Alexey - are well-executed, providing depth and moving the plot forward. Dimitri’s healing journey, with the support of his court, is compelling to read. Vasily’s determination and strength add a dynamic element to the narrative, while Alexey’s POV offers a fascinating insight into his villainous mindset.

While the romance elements, particularly the dominance/submission dynamics, might not appeal to everyone, the book excels in its portrayal of trauma, healing, and the complexities of abusive relationships. The balance of dark themes with moments of love and friendship makes it a compelling read.

Overall, "The Sins on Their Bones" is a great debut, blending slow-burn romance, deep character exploration, and rich fantasy elements. I highly recommend it to readers who appreciate character-driven narratives and don't shy away from darker themes. I'm excited to see what the sequel brings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

I'm still working through this novel but I thought I'd post my review before I finish it because it came out a month ago. I can always tell right away what rating I will give a book when I first read it and usually the contents inside is what changes my mind as I make my way toward the end. This was an easy 4star book. The characters were really cool and the setting was immaculate. I loved how the POV was for all three men as well.

Step into a world where mysticism intertwines with profound emotion in Laura R. Samotin's 'The Sins on Their Bones'. Set in a post-civil war landscape, this dark fantasy follows Tsar Dimitri and his husband, Alexey, as they grapple with the aftermath of their conflict. Though the pacing may feel measured at first, the intricate character dynamics and gradual unveiling of secrets keep the narrative compelling.

Samotin fearlessly delves into themes of abuse, trauma, and power unchecked, yet amidst the darkness, moments of hope and resilience shine through. 'The Sins on Their Bones' isn't for the faint-hearted, exploring violence, body horror, and explicit content. However, for those willing to traverse its depths, this novel offers a poignant reflection on love, loss, and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. With its haunting prose and intricate illustrations, Samotin's work leaves an indelible mark, showcasing the enduring power of storytelling.

Thank you to the publisher for approving me! Never got to read this because the arc wouldn’t download on the netgalley app. Would’ve loved to read it.the story seemed interesting and right up my alley.

The Sins on their Bones by Laura R. Samotin paints a dark queer fantasy that follows two estranged husbands after one usurps the other’s throne.

By far what I loved most about the story were the character dynamics. I’m a sucker for messy and tragic lovers, angst, melodrama, which this book delivered on a silver platter.

However, while I loved the premise itself, the execution and structure didn’t work for me.

In essence, this story feels like a sequel to a book we never got to read. There’s so much juicy character backstory and lead up to the events of the coup, but we only get to see snippets of it.

Honestly, I wish that this book had either included more flashbacks or had been written as a trilogy with The Sins on Their Bones being the second book in the series (because apparently there’s already going to be another book that follows the after aftermath of this one).

It strikes me as odd though that the author omitted large parts of that civil war and Alexey’s climb to power and descent into madness when that was by far the most compelling aspect of the story for me.

Hopefully someday we might get a prequel that covers those storylines, or who knows? Maybe it’ll be addressed more in the sequel.

This started off really strong for me and I would say this I still overall enjoyed thus, but I really started to get lost in the middle and I did not realize this was going to be the first in a series (I was under the impression that this was going to be a standalone) so the ending threw me initially as well. I do believe I will pick up the next book because I really enjoyed the characters and I want to see where the author will take their storyline and I am interested in the romance (which is very slow-burn and a little toxic at the beginning-just a fair warning).

The Sins in Their Bones is a dark, Jewish-inspired fantasy story with a second, storyline romance (it is NOT the main focus-so definitely not a romntasy if that is what you are looking for). I am intrigued to see where the author will take these characters next!

This book is an incredible book that will tug at your heartstrings! It truly will stomp on your heart for good measure. However, I was uplifted by the book. It's a powerful tale of overcoming abuse, finding forgiveness a true healing journey with self discovery. Despite tackling serious themes it's also filled humor and passion. The book was well written and the characters were believable and felt relatable. This book will stick with me forever. It will remind me to find hope even in my darkest times. I highly recommend it with a full 5-start rating.

I also loved it so much that I had to purchase the physical copy when I saw it at a bookstore in Pasadena.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Dimitri, the former Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, is living in exile with what remains of his court - the few most trusted among his advisors, the only ones he can still call friends. Increasing his anguish following the end of a brutal civil war is the knowledge that the coup that led him to lose everything was led by his now estranged husband Alexey, whom Dimitri thought to be the love of his life. Except Alexey is no ordinary usurper: through a perversion of his religion, he turned himself into an immortal demon-like creature and now claims to be guided by God Himself with devastating consequences should his plans succeed.

The Sins on Their Bones starts off with an intriguing premise for a dark fantasy queer romance. The story is told through multiple POVs, alternating chapters narrated by Dimitri, Alexey and Vasily, Dimitri's spymaster and lover. This certainly adds some dynamism and depth to these characters, all three of whom have to grapple with trauma, impossible choices and love - both the abusive kind and the healing one.

Alexey's and Vasily's chapters were the most interesting for me, as I really struggled to connect with Dimitri. Some of the chapters in Alexey's POV ended up detracting somewhat from the suspense though, as certain key points in his plan were revealed quite early on to the reader while still remaining a mystery to the other characters. I enjoyed the found family vibes between Dimitri and his court, and I would have loved to see more of these characters as well, but they felt mostly sketched rather than fully fleshed out.

The writing is deeply immersive and perfectly paints the picture of this Eastern-Europe-inspired world. The novel also incorporates several elements of Jewish lore, which I wasn't really familiar with but were so seamlessly weaved into the narrative that I had no trouble at all following along. Most of the descriptions were quite evocative and flowed nicely, even though some of the dialogues were a bit too verbose and unnatural for my taste.

The structure of this book is what I struggled with the most. The story starts after the end of the civil war when Dimitri and his friends are already in exile. Several past events are referenced throughout and discussed among the protagonists yet they are never shown, not even through flashbacks.

Though this choice could have been very original, bringing a new perspective to the story, it felt as though I was reading the second book in a series without having read the first. I also ended up getting a bit tired of all this telling after a certain point and would have liked to see more of the things the characters were talking about. The pacing also didn't quite work for me. After a fairly interesting beginning, I started to feel the story drag along and the whole middle section was really hard for me to get through. Things did pick up again towards the end but, by that point, I had kind of lost the momentum.

I would have also liked to see a bit more of this magical yet brutal queer-normative world, which seemed really interesting from the glimpses we got from the characters but wasn't really shown all that much. In this sense, this book gave me the same feeling of a theatre play: mostly played out indoors in few settings and propelled by dialogue between a limited cast of characters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it wasn't what I was expecting from this given the blurb, and it left me wanting a little more.

That being said, I appreciate what the author did with her exploration of the themes here. All the characters are battling their demons (some inner and some... less so) and dealing with the aftermath of their choices and the pain that comes from having to live with that. PTSD and matters of mental health feature heavily here, and I really liked how Dimitri's friends worked together to ensure he felt supported and loved while going through an extremely difficult time.

Sensitive readers should be very careful approaching this book as there are many content warnings to be given, as well as explicit sexual content between consenting adults. The spicier scenes were actually quite disappointing for me, as they felt very repetitive, but other readers may enjoy them more.

Overall, The Sins on Their Bones is an interesting exploration of what it means to be human, of the seduction of power and the constant battle to do the right thing - whatever the cost. I really wish I had connected more with this book, but maybe it just came to me at the wrong time or with the wrong expectations. I think that readers who do connect with it will really love it, and this is definitely an author I'll be keeping an eye out for!

I agreed to review this book before realizing that it was an adult novel, but it’s endorsed by several of the YA authors that I love, so I wondered if it would be a good crossover.

The main characters are in their early twenties, so they’re solidly adults. Their emotional maturity made them seem young to me, but at least in Dimitri’s case, that’s really part of his character and how sheltered he has been.

Each chapter follows Dimitri, Alexey, or Vasily’s perspective. All three think about sex a lot. Sometimes at what seemed to me to be weird moments. At one point, Dimitri sits on a rooftop, thinking he may end his life, and a few minutes later, he wishes he could cheer someone else up with sexual favors. I think that in that scene in particular, it’s supposed to show that Dimitri’s past abusive relationship has sort of programmed him to “fix” things through sex, so maybe that’s not a great example. The sexual tension did feel pretty constant, though, which I think was just too much for me personally. I kind of found it wearying.

While the central plot of the story is about taking down the man who removed Dimitri from power through dark spiritual means, many scenes focus on the abusiveness of the relationship between Alexey and Dimitri. Despite the fact that Dimitri has literally just lost a war with Alexey, he longs for him and craves the companionship they share, even though it is pretty toxic.

While hard to read, that longing does make sense in terms of my (limited) understanding of how a trauma bond can work. Even Dimitri’s need to have someone reenact the abuse cycle does make a certain kind of sense. It’s just really dark and hard to read. It also made it difficult for me to really connect with Vasily’s character since he’s the one helping with the reenactments.

The characters have Russian names, and some other Russian words are used for titles and other elements. The primary faith of the people of Novo-Svitsevo appears to be Judaism. Characters celebrate the Sabbath and spiritual leaders are called rebbe, a term for a Jewish spiritual leader.

Characters encounter angels and demons in different rituals. I don’t know enough about Jewish beliefs to know whether all of the names and references are made up or what’s drawn from faith or folklore.

The only thing that confused me about the spiritual part of the book was that sometimes it seemed that, in the morality of the story, it was a bad thing to involve demons or angels in your life in exchange for favors. At other times, characters seemed to make those choices more casually or with the understanding that the end justifies the means. It seemed a little weird that they would so quickly jump to playing with the same fire that was burning down the whole kingdom under Alexey’s rule.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. Even though this book wasn't for me, I was so grateful to be given the opportunity to read it.

I really wanted to make it through this one because it was an ARC, but it really wasn’t for me, and I unfortunately had to DNF. I am a relatively quick reader, and I only got through 144 pages in over two weeks. I felt like the book started in a really weird place. The entire beginning of the book was talking about things that happened before the book started which I didn’t understand. There was apparently a huge coup, a dissolution of a marriage due to dark magic, and the ousting of a Tsar that was constantly mentioned in this book, but that’s not what the book was about… it started with just the aftermath of all of this and a group of friends dealing with the repercussions and trying to dust themselves off to go and fight for their country again. It was such a good premise, but the timing was so odd to me.

Also, the first 144 pages were just SO slow. The former Tsar was mourning his marriage and the death of so many of his soldiers, so the entirety of these pages were dedicated to him dealing with the toxic relationship he lost while starving himself, having sex with a member of his court, and drinking himself silly. The only interesting part, to me, that I felt moved the story along were Alexey’s chapters, who was the antagonist. I just found myself wishing that all of the turmoil that was briefly touched upon was the actual plot.

This book, unfortunately, just put me in a funk. I’m so appreciative that I was given a chance to read this ARC, but I found myself not wanting to pick it up…

Something went wonky with the formatting for this and I can’t get it to work on my kindle 😭 But it’s still on my TBR and I will read it eventually! 5 stars for now bc queer books are the best in the land.

Dark, moody, and incredibly sexy, Samotin has taken a base foundation of lore and turned it into something exhilarating. From the moment we meet Dimitri smoking on the rooftop, we're swept into his agonies and defeats. The story begins at rock bottom, but from there we launch into a tale of intrigue, romance, and victory that anyone who enjoys fantasy and dark academia will love. This book quickly launched Samotin onto my "authors not to miss" list, I can't wait for her next work!