Once the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, Dimitri now suffers life in self-inflicted exile after losing the civil war against his now-estranged husband Alexey Balakin. Dimitri is grieving yes, but also plotting on how to stop the man he loves from using the sect of Holy Science to remake the world in dark and terrible ways. Alexey, power-hungry and furious over the betrayal, names himself acting Tzar and the chosen of the Lord.

All around him, Dimitri’s closest allies and friends watch him sink deeper into the muck of depression and heartbreak while they try to lift him back into the light of their love and support. This band of outcasts must craft an extraordinary plan to get close to the enemy in order to cause Alexey’s downfall. Vasily, Dimitri’s closest friend, must offer himself as the sacrifice. There is so much at stake in this book!

The Sins on Their Bones was given the label of a queer dark fantasy. It takes place in the fictional version of 19th-century Eastern Europe/Russia and has been seeped in East European Jewish mysticism, folklore, and traditions. It is a novel in three views, Dmitri, Alexey, and Vasily. A pair of ex-lovers, a set of closest friends, and the interactions between the three of them and their inner circles. It is a slow, creeping plot of deep dark desire and trauma shaping the world around them.

While there are plenty of things from the complex backstory and history of the world and characters, I didn’t find the starting point of the novel to be a problem. It is a very slow read, because the plot is moved forward in chinches, only to backtrack a bit on the next page. There are a number of sex scenes that don’t offer much to the storyline other than highlighting the fact that the main three characters are all twisted by their traumas and coping in unhealthy ways. But again, this didn’t detract from my liking of the book so much as it slowed the plot down. What I loved about this book was the immersion into the post-war world that Dimitri lives in. I could feel the swirling sadness and longing from him the moment he stepped onto the page. The distressing drive for power in Alexey was larger than life. The longing and courage of Vasily was a stab straight to the heart. The characters were so fully developed that I could easily fall in love or burn with hate for them.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGally, thank you! And this is my honest review. It is a four star rating for me, simply because the pacing is so slow and inconsistent that it took me too long to reach the end. It is a well-written, incredibly smutty, and highly funny book containing a world, magic system, villain, and hero, plus anti-hero that I could very well see myself reading another book about. The novel comes with major warning labels. It has a large portion told from the perspective of an abuser and it is not comfortable or easy to stomach. The violence and cruelty can be difficult to witness for others, so I do no recommend this book lightly. At the end though, this is a book of crawling out of the darkness and discovering the light, a book of hope.

Content Warnings
Major
Domestic Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Violence, Blood, Gore
Moderate
Mental Illness, Alcohol, War, Injury detail, body horror,
Minor
Drug use, Torture, Child Death, Emesis/Vomit

3.75 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Sins on Their Bones was a unique reading experience for me, and one that over time I think I will come to appreciate even more.

I found the pacing a little sluggish. Some of the scenes could have been more engaging, more eventful, especially in the early chapters. There were sections of dialogue that felt redundant/repetitive and sometimes I felt a character's actions or language didn't harmonise well with their identity. It did take me a little while to connect with this one. So be aware that this is a slow burn narrative but I think the payoff is well worth it.

Samotin's world-building is very tangible and she has stitched elements of her Jewish heritage into a beautiful and terrifying depiction of an Eastern European landscape under siege. Caught in its death throws, the people of Novo-Svitsevo struggle to carve out a place for themselves in ever narrowing gaps between stretches of war-torn farmland; their way of life endangered by a supernatural threat nobody could have prepared for. It is a brutal, harsh, and unforgiving setting, shrouded in melancholy and fear, but its people hold tightly to their traditions, to their duty to the living and their memory of the dead, and to their appreciation for what remains. Despite being saturated in loss, the narrative never feels without hope.

I struggle sometimes with sombre stories but Sins strikes a good balance between showing us the horrors of war and illuminating the resilience of human kind. The cast are lovable and easy to invest in, and their playful antics provide a respite from the intensity of what is happening both inside and around them.

I definitely recommend checking the content warnings for this one. It is dark. The cast are all at various stages of healing from trauma both in their interpersonal relationships and their exposure to acts of brutality on the battlefield. Samotin does not pull punches. The sex scenes are frequent and often uncomfortable to sit through, and there is a very interesting but equally disturbing discussion here about the dangers of domestic abuse in partnerships underlined by D/s dynamics (though to be clear, the author does not villainize D/s).

The magic system was fun and I enjoyed trying to place the elements that were directly inspired by Jewish mysticism. I recommend checking the author's notes at the back of the book for more context after or even before reading, as she speaks quite passionately about her goals with this part of the story.

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My rating system:
✧✧✧✧✧ - loved it, no complaints
✧✧✧✧ - loved it, some technical flaws
✧✧✧ - liked it
✧✧ - disappointing
✧ - unenjoyable

This book felt like a need for me after I saw it described as Six of Crows meets Fullmetal Alchemist. And I think that's an apt comparison in a lot of ways, but it also doesn't really do this book - or those series - the justice any of them deserve.

"The Sins on Their Bones" was sadly just solidly okay for me, as much as I wanted to love this. It had a lot of promise. The mythology, the mysticism based in Jewish folklore, and the bonds between the characters in Dimitri's court were all very well done. This is a mythos in writing that just doesn't get the exploration that it deserves, so to see it appreciated and treated so lovingly here was wonderful. It's obvious that Samotin, both from the story itself and from her author's note, has a deep love and respect for her heritage and it shines through in the book. Meanwhile, the strongest part of the story is the relationships between Dimitri and his surviving court. They all so very clearly love each other and are dedicated to helping Dimitri. And the particular bond between Dimitri and Vasily was so great to follow and watch develop.

On the other hand, I think the biggest downfall of the story was where and when it was set in relation to the overall plot. We're dropped down in the aftermath of the Novo-Svitsevo civil war, trying to piece together how these characters know each other and what happened between Dimitri and Alexey and how exactly everything fell apart. This book could have benefited from being a duology, or a trilogy, that detailed the war and then the aftermath, instead of counting on readers to try to figure things out through details dropped in conversations between characters. We barely learn about the characters themselves - their motivations, their backstories, anything - because of this. And it made the inclusion of Alexey's PoV (a solid third of the book) seem wasteful, when we could have focused on Dimitri and Vasily instead.

So, overall, it was a promising book but it just didn't have the follow through that would have made it a great read.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley.

DNF. I was looking forward to this book, and really wanted to love it, but regrettably I couldn’t. I have nothing to say about the plot, since I wasn’t able to read past the first few chapters (though the blurb sounded really promising, and I was curious to learn what would befall the characters), but unfortunately the writing style is juvenile and lacking. Maybe it gets better as the book progresses, maybe it doesn’t. I couldn’t look past it in order to push on and find out.

That said, the premise DOES sound very promising. Maybe in some time I’ll come back to the book with a fresh perspective and try again, in order to find out what happens with Dimitri and his estranged husband. Lovers to Enemies is a fascinating, heart-wrenching dynamic that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of.

This book was a transcendent experience for me. The comp titles of Six of Crows and Captive Prince are 100% accurate, so if you like either of those I’d definitely recommend this book. Also if you’re looking to read good romantasy you need to pick this up ASAP (also check out my top tier romantasy shelf for other recs)

First off if you’re interested in this book definitely look at the in depth trigger warnings on the author’s website because this book deals with some difficult topics. I adored Dimitri and Vasily’s relationship and the exploration of how “broken” people can learn to love themselves through others. The supporting cast of Dimitri’s court were also a wonderful group that felt really fleshed out. As a reader you could see that their devotion to Dimitri was not because of his royal blood but because of the kindness he shows to others. Even though he was the villain, I also loved reading from Alexey’s point of view. Samotin created a villain whose motivations you can really understand. The pressures of the world and his family broke Alexey, but he refused to acknowledge it and instead succumbed to darker forces.

Aside from the characters, the magic in this world was so fascinating to me. I have not had the chance to read much fantasy that explicitly celebrates its Jewishness and I really enjoyed it. The mysticism and reverence for God was something that I found super compelling as someone raised Christian.

Finally the ending of this book was truly perfect. These boys have struggled for their entire lives and it feels right that not everything is fixed and that they can revel in a happy for now not a happily ever after.

Thanks to Random House Canada for providing me a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Do you ever finish a novel and sit staring at the pages after, fundamentally altered as a person and unsure of how to proceed? That's me, right now.

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark fantasy novel about the aftermath of a civil war, the complexity of human relationships, and the farthest reaches one must go to save themselves and those they love. It's raw, and heartbreaking, and funny, and I loved every moment. I can recognize that there are some minor flaws - primarily the pacing in the first half - but sometimes a novel wows you so much that you just don't care.

Samotin has a style of writing that feels influenced by Leigh Bardugo, particularly by the Grishaverse, which only adds to my enjoyment. She writes characters that I come to love and villains that I love to hate, she crafts an interesting magic system, and she writes a normatively queer world (something that seems like such a small detail but that I, as a queer reader, find immensely meaningful and greatly appreciate). The portrayals of grief and depression in this novel are particularly hard-hitting, and it's just. so. GOOD.

Read the content warnings before you dive in because this book covers some pretty heavy topics, but it's well worth the read in the end. I promise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC!

Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. I'd like to say up front that there are probably plenty of people out there that will disagree with me and that would enjoy reading this. However, I feel this book being marketed as dark fantasy is a mistake. Within the first 25 pages of the book, the main character has at least two other characters lusting after him while he mopes about his ex-husband causing a whole heap of trouble in the main character's former kingdom. This is very much an adult romantasy book, not dark fantasy, even though it does have dark elements. The focus of the story seemed to be on relationships.

Also, this book did something that I have come to loathe. The first few chapters are just info-dumping about things that happened in the past. It's just a self-pity fest by the main character mourning the life he lost before being exiled. The things he's remembering, though, sound interesting enough it made me question why the book didn't just start there? It could easily be a duology at the very least with the first book covering the events leading up to the main character's exile, and the second book could cover the consequences. The author didn't do that, though. So, I DNF'ed this book because I came to dread picking it back up again.

I'm sure people who enjoy books like Fourth Wing and books by Sarah J. Maas would enjoy this somewhat unique take on romantasy, but I am not the target audience.

This book was so much darker than I was expecting and definitely one of those stories where there may be a very impressive detailed plot and a lot of worldbuilding, but really the most important part is the way the relationships and characters are portrayed. There is such a beautiful portrayal of the love between friends, of the way people are prepared to lay down their lives for each other and for causes they believe in, The casual intimacy and care that all of the group show for each other was perfect. On the other hand this book also offers characters who are so vile that just seeing their name on the page send shivers through you, people are wretched and broken and vile, who keep pushing for what they want at the detriment of all else.

One of my absolute favourite things is when a fantasy novel tackles religion. This was beautifully done here, with an examination of power structures, and personal faith, and glory and awe of the divine versus the quiet prayers whispered at night. It just really brought this whole story to life for me in a way that nothing else could've done.

Ultimately, I feel that this was a novel about unhealthy relationships, escaping them, and how we can forge forward to find people who will love us in the ways that we really deserve. My heart broke continually from the first page of this book right until the end!

2.5 stars.

I can see this working for many readers, because there are so many elements that I also enjoyed: the Jewish culture and mysticism, the secondary characters who make up Dimitri’s court, the portrayal of two broken people finding safety and acceptance in one another. There was never a point where I considered not finishing, despite the pacing and plot issues, and reading the author’s note and acknowledgments allowed me to view the story with deeper empathy. Unfortunately, though, this just didn’t work for me.

The opening chapter had so much potential, but from there, I honestly feel it never quite reached that promised potential. The main reason was the writing and structure. Samotin’s writing on a prose level was generally alright, but she relied on characters spewing details from the war (which we never got to see) to provide context. In other words, telling rather than showing. Honestly, much of the book read like a sequel. I also found it repetitive, with similar lines and sentiments repeating themselves in all three perspectives. Which leads into what I saw as the main hindrance: Alexey’s POV. I’m all for authors delving into the mind of the antagonist, especially since Alexey is an abuser and deluded by his own need to control everyone and everything, but 1) I never got a definite motive from him, and 2) having his perspective consist of a third of the book took up space that could have been dedicated to fleshing out Dimitri and Vasily (as individuals and as lovers) and actually giving Dimitri’s court something to do besides mope around the townhouse—like they’ve been doing for a year. Let me see them scheming. Let me see Dimitri being a competent leader and ruler rather than continuously wallowing in bed. That’s not to discount his abuse and his right to grieve everything he’s lost, and I liked the author’s decision to open on a protagonist at his lowest, but this has been going on for a year and the court has made no progress against Alexey.

That being said, I adored Dimitri’s relationship with the court, who were the shining points of the book for me. There was such camaraderie between them, a sense of love and respect and family, that even while I wanted them all to be doing more, their interactions were delightful. I do wish there’d been depth to the world itself, but I enjoyed the presence of demons and angels and the conflict between the different branches of religion; this could have been pushed even further to add another degree of conflict. And while I heavily wanted to see more of Dimitri and Vasily’s relationship—specifically how their friendship started, how Dimitri saved him—I was feral over the amount of casual affection between them (and the entire court, really), which highlighted how they made the other feel secure.

Despite my many complaints, I did actually have a good time reading The Sins on Their Bones. It may not have been my cup of tea, but I know plenty of people will find a new favorite in this.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a dark and gory fantasy set in a queer normative 19th-century Eastern Europe and inspired by Jewish folklore full of grief and trauma, but also the characters moving on from it and how family and love impact our lives

this is incredibly dark and gruesome, there are many hard to read moments of SA and body horror/violence, so check TW before reading. by having the narrative told through three pov’s, the world and past history of the characters is slowly learned and we see just how different they all are following a war that tore everyone apart. i really enjoyed having the different characters telling the story as it meant there were different interpretations of the past

jewish folklore and history are present all throughout, and i found myself really enjoying learning about it and how religion plays a part in their lives. the world itself is interesting and i liked the politics that we were introduced to

this is not about romance in the sense that the story is based around it, but rather focuses on the past abusive romance between Dimitri and Alexey, and the growing relationship between Dimitri and Vasily. the two vastly different relationships ships have a large role in who Dimitri is as a person, and the growing romance is one that brings joy and hope to both Dimitri and the reader in such a bleak and horrifying world. this definitely is not a romantasy and the abusive relationship between the two holds deep scars and wounds over Dimitri, and a large part of the narrative is him learning and growing as a person following the breakdown of the relationship

the found family truly broke my heart, they all love each other so deeply and the bonds between them are so precious. family and identity are some of the main themes within the story, and their progression as a group to the end of the story is so beautiful seeing them finally have the opportunity to be free from their trauma and pain

Confession time…. I only got this book because of the beautiful cover, and then I saw it was LGBTQ+ and grabbed it as a Read Now from Net Galley.
Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I felt bored through that story even though there was a lot happening and magic, murders and deception. The book read fast like I finished it in 3 days but it felt like it drug on forever. I did almost DNF it but decided to just power through.
I didn’t really care about any of the characters. I feel like we weren’t made to like them really or form connection they were just there and there were quite a few of them.
I’m not sure I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the review copy.

The Sins on Their Bones had me at Jewish dark fantasy, and it delivered. This semester, I finally delved into my copy of Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion by Joshua Trachtenberg (though I admittedly got stalled by other reading commitments), and it was quite rewarding to recognize many of the terms and phenomena in Samotin’s novel. Without that prior knowledge, however, I wonder if the distinction between the central fictional religion/magic system and its offshoot would have been sufficiently clear, other than that one is “good” and associated with the protagonist and the other is evil.

From the start, the found family greatly appealed to me and reminded me lovingly of Shadow and Bone. I had no trouble following the three alternating POVs since their voices were so distinctive, and each one felt necessary to properly unfolding the story. Nevertheless, I had a difficult time connecting with some of the peripheral characters’ emotional stakes. I understood their roles in the group, but because the vast majority of their bonding occurred in the past and is only referenced as such, they felt less three-dimensional.

I also would not take the content warnings lightly. The Sins on Their Bones is gritty and consistently graphic in recounting sexual trauma. Although important to multiple character arcs, it felt overwhelming at times. The long-term effects of such abuse are also treated very sensitively, which I appreciated exploring in the context of a fictional version of 19th century Eastern Europe. I also always adore emphasis on platonic friendships, so I enjoyed that they were upheld alongside romance.

Even after completing the book, I’m not sure how I feel about the story occurring after the Novo-Svitsvevo civil war, after Dmitri assembled his ragtag inner circle/court, after he withstood so much abuse from Alexey, usurper and manipulative husband. It certainly provided an angle I’ve never encountered before, but I think it distanced me from the characters too much and quelled the potential for intricate political intrigue and military strategy.

Overall, a grim historical fantasy rich in Ashkenazi mysticism that drops the reader in an odd, sometimes unpleasant place, but not one that I would refuse to revisit in a sequel given the chance.

The Sins on Their Bones has interesting character dynamics. It shows how friends become lovers become enemies and how those we care(d) about have the ability to hurt us the most. That aspect of the book was really well written, both Dimitri and Alexey struggling under their shared past, yet in very different ways. Alexey is driven by his ambitions and plans for the country, willing to sacrifice everything for it even though he didn’t truly expect having to sacrifice his husband, Dimitri, as well. Maybe that was the one thing he couldn’t sacrifice but did so anyways. Dimitri is younger, more idealistic and basically the personification of the word ‘good’. Of course he has his flaws and he sees them, too. Throughout the entirety of the book, the two of them dance around each other, one of them trying to forget and the other not being able to do anything but remember. Their thoughts are with each other but for different reasons. Both Alexey and Dimitri know they have to overcome each other but still, theyy can’t really let go.
I thought their past and present relationship, their dependence on each other but also how vastly different they each are as persons was very interesting to read and well written. Samotin really delved into human psyche here, drawing a picture of want, obsession, dependence, love and hate, flaws and the wish for something better.
While I don’t think Alexey was ever good for Dimitri, I understand why they were drawn to each other and what broke them. The physical and emotional trauma caused by Alexey was evident in Dimitri and his struggles were realistically portrayed. Laura R. Samotin has thoroughly worked out their relationship and I absolutely liked that aspect of The Sins on Our Bones.

Unfortunately, this was such a big aspect of the book, I feel like everything else wasn’t developed enough. Especially Dimitri’s friends and their whole friendship group. I liked their dynamics but I didn’t fully understand where they came from. It is hinted at why some of them chose to stay with Dimitri but I would have loved to know more about their pasts. How did they even become friends? What was the moment for their decisions to stay at Dimitri’s side forever? How do they all know each other?
I would have loved to explore Vasily’s relationship with Dimitri more. He even has his own PoV chapters but I still don’t think I know him that well, especially when it comes to his Dimitri’s friendship before the country fell to pieces. I like how their relationship develops throughout the story, how they grow closer physically and mentally and how they help each other. Their relationship is a supportive one in which both parties simply accept each other with all flaws and struggles and everything good as well. I truly enjoyed that but I would have loved more background.
Where Dimitri and Alexey were highly complex characters that were both very well written, the others are more or less shadows on my mind. I just would have liked some more information on all of them and their shared past. It always felt like I missed some vital parts of their lives, like if there was a prequel to this book, but there isn’t. So I was just left hanging there, wondering about their lives.

I do think the religious aspect of The Sins on Their Bones was very interesting as well. I always love mythology in books and I really liked how Ashkenazi traditions were intpreted in this book, especially when it comes to different forms of practice and different movements within a religion.

Another thing I really had trouble with was the pacing. While I liked the focus on the main characters, it took a lot away from the plot and for the first few hundred pages nothing happened. It dragged and I really needed to actively push through them. This got better towards the end but the beginning was, in my opinion, boring. Characters can only carry a story so far, and here, it just wasn’t enough for me. I have to admit, I don’t necessarily need much of a plot but then I also need more than two developed characters. At least half of this book just felt dry.

The Sins on Their Bones was a study in abusive relationships. It shows all aspects from getting to know each other, the mental and physical toll it takes on people and how they recover and try to heal. It is dark and atmospheric, but also lacked character depth in all supporting characters, the world building wasn’t there except for the religious and mythological aspects.
This book has a lot of potential and there are definitely many people who will love it, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I wished to love this but I simply didn’t.

Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to complete the book, so my commentary is limited to roughly 55% of its content. Initially, the story unfolded at a slower pace, but it gradually gained momentum as I delved deeper.

The narrative revolves around Dimitri, a deposed Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, who resides in self-imposed exile with his four closest companions following a devastating war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals under his rule. This conflict, lost to his estranged husband Alexey, the current immortal Tzar, saw the rise of a tyrant who aims to build an army composed of demonic creatures, and strikes fear into his subjects. Alexey's ambitions for Novo-Svitsevo as the paramount global power, achieved through Holy Science, prompt Dimitri and his confidant and lover, Vasiliy, to conspire against him. Yet, the challenge remains daunting: how does one slay an immortal, especially one with lingering affections?

Categorized as queer dark fantasy, the book aptly lives up to its label, laden with numerous content warnings. Themes of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, alongside vivid depictions of bodily harm, resonate powerfully, leaving enduring scars on Dimitri's psyche. It's a narrative that demands resilience from its audience, as Dimitri navigates a landscape of moral ambiguity and personal torment.

Regrettably, I was unable to complete the book due to an archival date coinciding with the publication date. Nevertheless, I remain eager to return to its pages promptly.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a story of healing from trauma and abuse, healing from loss of loved ones and loss of self, and it’s a story about redemption, and love, and faith in oneself and a higher power. The treble POV made it particularly interesting because though the villain is undoubtedly villainous, you also see his motivations and how very clearly *wrong* he is in his beliefs while not apologizing for him at all. On its face, it’s a dark fantasy novel with an Excellent found family, but at its core, it’s a story of self-forgiveness and resilience.

But all that said, definitely check your content warnings. This one is *dark* and could be very triggering to anyone who can’t (or shouldn’t) read about domestic violence, sexual assault, or body horror, among other things.

I am sad that I missed the window to read this story. I am sure it is an interesting read, and I will try to get a physical copy at some point to give it a chance!

A note of some importance about The Sins on Their Bones: This is not a romance, though it contains a love story—a love of country, a love of friends and found family, a love that is poison, and a love that becomes salvation. It’s a story of sacrifice with the purpose of vanquishing another’s story of avarice; it’s a lust story, for power, for control, for immortality. In accomplishing the telling, Laura R. Samotin confronts traumas such as memories of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The Sins on Their Bones is a story woven in Jewish mysticism and mythology. It is foretold that Dimitri Alexeyev will suffer more than any living man has suffered, and that the pain will almost break him. When that prophecy is eventually fulfilled, it delivers Dimitri to a point of no return. What led him there, along with who and how, is unraveled through flashbacks as well as current events.

Dimitri’s betrayal at the hands of his own husband leads him to a life of exile, in hiding with those of his court who are still loyal to their tzar. Dimitri’s story is a slow reckoning of his perceived inadequacies and shortcomings, not as tzar but as a man, a husband who failed when it was time to take command. He was, however, facing impossible circumstances. How does one kill what cannot be killed, after all? It’s a burden under which Dimitri nearly crumbles and destroys himself, and readers witness his near-crippling guilt alongside him.

Alexey Balakin is a usurper. He broke his marriage vows and turned his back on Dimitri in the pursuit of a devil’s bargain cloaked in holy righteousness, and in gaining eternal power, Alexey lost the very thing that made him human and humane.

At the helm of Dimitri’s security is Vasily, the man who loves Dimitri most ardently but knows his love can never be returned. Of the three men, Vasily’s sacrifice felt greatest to me. In fact, I saw him as the hero of the story because he was willing to offer himself, even if it meant near-certain death, with the expectation of nothing in return. Whether the author intended me to see him so I can’t say, but there’s no question that Vasily places himself at the helm of an impossible mission, not because he wants glory but because he loves both Dimitri and his country so unselfishly.

Samotin delivers her characters to their final battle—a critical one for the heart and soul of the world—with painstaking clarity and careful interrogation of her characters’ interior lives, what they offer, what they refuse, and how far they are willing to go to achieve their objectives. This isn’t a fast paced, action packed novel. It’s a story that grows on you the deeper the author mines her characters’ emotions and struggles, especially in the ways they seek comfort. The Sins on Their Bones is decidedly more character than action driven, but that doesn’t mean the story lacks urgency. It’s the very urgency of the threat, in fact, and what’s at stake if they should fail, that creates the tension in the story. It reads like catharsis; perhaps that’s exactly what it is.

Thank you to the publisher and Sydney from Wunderkind PR for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading the blurb and seeing the cover made me excited. I like demons in my books, queernorm societies, religion has my interest. But even though I read the content warnings in the beginning, it didn’t prepare me enough for what was coming. It’s a daaaaaark story. The author explained she wouldn’t beat around the bush with the trauma, and it’s clear she didn’t, showing horrible things on page. Dimitri already has so much traumatic bagage at the start of the story and we’re only shown tiny bits of it. He shares the good memories while his friends share the bad memories of the two together. It hurts to witness. This continues throughout the whole book.

While the story itself was interesting, it was the tone that pulled me out of it. I don’t pick up dark stories often but there’s a reason why I don’t pick up grimdark fantasy, and now I’m not sure it I’d classify it as grimdark or not. I wish the tone was a little different so it didn’t feel like I was witness to such harsh abuse up close.

I really like the world the author created, and Dimitri’s court (or friends) are all lovely. Everyone should have a group like them. Alexey, what shall I say? He was a monster before and after his death. Vasily was my favourite character. His love and kindness in these dark circumstances made him shine bright.

Ultimately, I think this book was definitely a Not For Now or a Not For Me. If you can handle all the content warnings, this will be a good read. It reminded me a lot of Shadow and Bone but way more dark and mature.

DNF unfortunately.

I meant to add this as a DNF a long time ago, but I got too busy.


This writing style comes across as both smarmy and self conscious in a way I found to be wildly grating. The dialogue didn't match up with time period it was placed in, and sounded awfully juvenile. I'm also very, very sick of being quipped at, or having to read truly terrible flirting. Ultimately, despite the legions of reviewers commenting how dark the novel is, I just simply do not trust the author to tackle the purported themes properly. Both from the shallowness I get from the prose alone, but also trying to reconcile the "queer normative" world building. You can't have no homophobia and imperialism, because that's not how those concepts work on a basic structural level. There was also a lot of telling and not showing, references to past key events and bonding moments between the characters, all of which serve to pad out what is simply a book that cannot seem to allow itself to be that deep.

It’s taken me a while to write this review because I really didn’t know where to start with it. I guess I will begin by saying that I had really looked forward to this book, with its Jewish-based fantasy world and heavy emphasis on queer characters and relationships. Instead, I feel like I got a slow book full of trauma porn, relationships that weren’t fleshed out or believable, bad execution of detail and background, and so much unnecessary sexual content that existed SOLELY for the purpose of demonstrating abuse.

Like many other reviews, I really struggled to get sucked into this book, even though the magic system and fantastical elements had so much potential and were really interesting. The starting point of the book being after a war could have added to the intrigue of the novel if not for the fact that the dispensation of details felt jagged–at times way too slow and at other times far too much at once. The flashbacks didn’t feel well-paced, and I found that inter-character dynamics just existed and the reader was plopped into them, rather than watching any of them naturally unfold or grow. This is the greatest hindrance to the Dimitri/Vasily relationship, which I absolutely could not find any investment in beyond feeling bad for Vasily the whole book (because let’s be honest, he was used). The Dimitri/Alexey relationship was even worse: one of utter abuse and horror that we were supposed to buy into, or at the very least, be interested in witnessing their abusive sexual encounters. So much time was poured into this aspect, and I personally had no interest in reading about it.

I found myself skimming all the way to the very end, and when the resolution presented itself, my primary thought was “meh.” I didn’t feel a cathartic satisfaction at the end, likely because the author didn’t ever win my entire buy-in for her characters. She didn’t make them well-rounded or, frankly, very likable, and their relationships to each other felt superficial—or, at the very least, like their friendships had been forged in a prequel war we never got to see and therefore could not really understand.

I appreciate the intent of the novel, and am always excited for more diverse versions of fantasy worlds, but the intricacies of this book really took me out of it and removed any sense of enjoyment I could have felt. I give this 2⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*