I really enjoyed this book. Full of adventure and hot and cold romance.

Rosy is a familiar that lives on her family farm. Only her grandmother knows what her first shift was. Because if anyone else found out she would been doomed. But one day the princess came to visit her quiet village and Rosy saved her from a bone bull moose. Princess Shaw paid for Rosy to go to the magic school. Within a week Shaw started to court Rosy. To get Rosy to agree Shaw asked her to make it look real so that people in her entourage would court as well. But deep down Shaw was falling in love with Rosy. And Rosy did not want to be in the princesses war that was soon to come. Come to find out it was Shaw father starting the war just for the sake of wanting more power.

4.5 ☆

i CANNOT believe this is a debut ??? i'm relatively new to fantasy but this book was so good!! i ate it up. the reason why i didn't give it 5 stars was because the first half was a bit too slow for my taste. that aside, the premise and plot were so interesting, i felt like i couldn't look away. i was quite literally captivated. the romance, the action, and the fantasy aspects blended so perfectly. i cried real tears towards the end of the book (not sure i forgive the author for that). i also think the ending gave me enough closure while prepping for the second book, and i seriously cannot wait to read the next one!!

thank you netgalley and jasmine skye for the arc!! <3

In a world where familiars and witches work together to face the oncoming war, a familiar named Rosey just wants to help her family. But after being given an opportunity to attend a prestigious magic school, she can’t pass up the chance. There, Princess Shaw takes an interest in Rosey and she has to decide whether to join the war or return to her family.

🪴 The Good 🪴

✅The magic is interesting

✅I love the non-cisheteronormative world

✅Horses (don’t @ me horses are amazing)

🪴 The Bad 🪴

❎The romance is boring and makes no sense

❎It reads seriously like middle-grade fiction at some points. It’s not “dark fantasy” and it’s not political, it’s just another magic school fantasy.

❎This is a world with queer couples and trans people all over the place, but they have a problem with familiars marrying familiars or witches marrying witches?? It felt like the author was trying to have a theme about queerness that just really missed the mark or was not fully developed

❎Saying it again, the romance is boring and makes no sense. Rosey and Shaw have zero chemistry and they’re not even friends it’s frustrating to read.

I had a hard time with this book. Like, I can see what the author is trying to do, but it’s just not there yet. It will be interesting to see how the author develops in the future with other books. This one just missed the mark. It read too juvenile to take seriously at points, the romance makes no sense, and the lack of serious, layered world-building ruined it for me.

That being said, I’m not the target audience for this book. I absolutely love that there are queer books out there like this one for teens today. Go check out this book and see if it’s for you.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4.75⭐️

I am so impressed by this debut from Jasmine Skye. Daughter of the Bone Forest convinced me to read because of the beautiful cover art, it made me stay because of the compelling world building. The magic system within this world is amazing, people who can use magic are classified as either witches or familiars (shifters). Our story begins with Rosamund Holt, a familiar who is hiding the true nature of her powers to avoid conscription into the army. She works on her family ranch while occasionally spending time with her exiled grandmother in the bone forest, another powerful familiar. The setting of the bone forest is stunning, Rosie has the capability to feel and connect with it, being a bone familiar. When her grandmother went into a feral rage and attacked Princess Shaw, heir to the throne, Rosie saves her, gaining her entrance to Witch Hall.

Her grandmother's affliction is the primary reason for Rosie to go to Witch Hall, a school for witches and familiars to learn to harness their powers. She goes with the intent to possibly gain favor to save her grandmother from exile. Rosie battles the different dynamics of a school setting while learning more about herself and the princess she ended up saving, Shaw. The two form a bond and grow with one another as their powers shift and grow.

I loved the budding relationship between Shaw and Rosie - the two of them were truly made for each other, but in a realistic way. I love the wary friendship built at the beginning, but it escalates at different levels for both of them. I adore the Princess x commoner theme and the conflict of Rosie never feeling like she will belong. The supporting characters fleshed out the world, they all had their flaws and different struggles while adding to the story. I loved the two underdogs becoming friends, throwing current power conventions aside.

The twists you learn about and are alluded to towards the middle/end of the book are getting me SO excited for the next book. Definitely a refreshing YA queer fantasy with an amazing magic system.

📍 YA Fantasy
📍 queer Romance
📍 witches & shifters
📍 unique magic system
📍 fake relationship
📍 secrets & betrayals
📍 prophecies
📍 dual pov

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye.

Okay. So. I have a lot of thoughts. Most of them being that this book was fine. Nothing was like a major issue, but there were like a bunch of little things that bothered me.
1. Rosy's aversion to war made sense at first. Her grandfather was used and discarded by the Kingdom and then her Grandmother was punished for what seems to be a very natural reaction (familiars going feral when their bonded partner dies). But Rosy keeps acting like the kingdom just wants to go out and conquer land when at least by all appearances they are being attacked and need to defend themselves. Like, you choosing to not help defend your people when you have the ability to isn't going to stop the war from coming to you? I'm pretty anti-war but it felt like a weird take. We do learn at the end that the war is pretty manufactured, but Rosy doesn't know that.
2. The kingdom has ALOT of politics regarding class systems, wealth, family bloodlines, etc but gender and sexuality isn't one of them. I love a world where homophobia doesn't exist, but it didn't feel like anything was solved/worked through, it felt like any problems that might arise were ignored. The princess is a powerful bone witch, from the bloodline of an extremely powerful bone witch. Where is her heir going to come from when she bonds with Rosy? Whether it's magic that helps them produce a baby together, or a donor is used, it felt like a weird omission when the King wrote to Shaw critiquing her courting choice.
3. The use of the word terrorist so often just felt odd to me. This is a personal thing I think, but it's used so often with racist connotations in the real world, that it felt jarring to hear it in fantasy.
4. The prejudices against Shaw felt less like actual problems and more like a way to manufacture a slow burn relationship. Rosy's gran hated Shaw because a prophesy about her leading a war, but loved her grandmother the queen she fought under? And Rosy just inherited that prejudice and was a bitch to Shaw because of it? Like hate the King, sure, but Shaw has nothing to do with anything.
5. The ending where Rosy determines she CAN fight but still won't bond with Shaw. Because she's not cut out for Court politics? This is just so random. Two chapters ago Rosy was complaining about how the ranch is doing just fine without her and how much she misses everything about Witch Hall. These circumstances keeping them apart make no sense except to further the relationship drama. They don't serve any other real purpose.
6. It was also a weird dissonance where, in a book where gender/sexual politics weren't an issue, we spent a very long time in Rosy's inner monologue reviewing the importance of not misgendering someone. Either it's a lesson we need to learn, or it's not a problem that occurs in this world. We can't both acknowledge and ignore it.
7. This book leans heavy into classism / wealth inequality but doesn't actually do anything to address it. The classism seems to exist solely so that Rosy can not care about status, because she's not like the other girls. Shaw tells Rosy she wants to offer scholarships to ALL witches/familiars that can't afford it when she's queen. Like that's great in theory but where is this money going to come from? What's the plan? It gives ethical billionaire vibes, and she's doing nothing to stop the bullying of less fortunate students at witch hall now. You're just suddenly going to do it when you're queen?

I finished this book nearly six weeks ago, and I kept putting off writing this review. Not because I didn't enjoy it but because I FREAKING LOVED IT! And even now as I sit down to write this review, I still can't think of what to say to do it justice.

I've gotten out of the habit of reading young adult books over the last few years. This is not because I think I'm "too old" -- though at almost 40, I probably am -- but because the last several that I've read just did not do it for me. They've all been some version of the same basic story and are incredibly dry and dull.

This book was none of those things. In fact, it has renewed my passion for young adult books in a way that I never thought would happen. It was SO good. I loved the magical elements, and while I've seen something similar done before -- where each witch or familiar has a specific aspect of magic that is just "theirs" -- the author incorporated that idea in a fresh new way that was unbelievably good.

The magic is actually what made me love this book. The romance, I could take it or leave it, although it, too, was well-written and engaging. But the world-building and magical aspects of the book were absolutely gorgeous. I could picture everything happening in my mind, and it was just plain beautiful.

I know this review still didn't do this book justice. But I don't know what else to say. I loved it. I highly recommend it. I cannot wait for the second installment.

From the very start of the story, I thought it was going to be some sort of retelling of Red Riding Hood. Boy, was I wrong. It was pretty incredible nonetheless. The main character could be a little whiny at times, but the shapeshifting was very cool!

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5**
Such an exciting debut novel! In *Daughter of the Bone Forest* we meet Rosy—a bone familiar who can shift into magical creatures—who lives in the Bone Forest with her family, including her powerful grandmother (a wolf bone familiar) who was outcast by the Witch King. Rosy has worked hard to hide how powerful she is, especially her secret that she also can shift into a wolf like her grandmother, so that she won’t be forced into the Witch King’s army and have to fight in the prophesied war. When Rosy saves the life of Princess Shaw, a bone witch who is heir to the throne and everything Rosy hates, she is offered a chance to attend school at the elite Witch Hall—and to potentially find a cure for her grandma’s feral condition there among the other magical students. As the school and Shaw herself begin to wrap Rosy up in political games, Rosy has to decide whether let a connection with Shaw bloom or reject it for her family.

> >What I loved: This was a unique and exciting fantasy novel that kept me hooked from the beginning until the very last page. The world Jasmine Skye created here is what really stands out to me, and it was awesome to spend some time wrapped up in this incredible, queernormative, and thoughtfully written world that s/he created for us. In addition to the compelling FMCs, there are a great variety of supporting characters round out an excellent, dynamic, and diverse cast. I can’t wait to The reading in this audiobook from Jeremy Carlisle Parker (Rosy) and Lindsey Dorcus (Shaw) worked with the writing to make this audiobook a great success.

>> What I didn’t love: This is mostly a me problem, but Rosy is the type of FMC that I find so frustrating in her stubborness. I think I feel this to some extent as an adult reading a YA, but without spoiling, I also think at times Rosy’s stubbornness felt inconsistent with her commitment to doing right by those she cared about. My other struggle with this book is that it’s a dual POV, but only minimally do we get Shaw’s perspective and it made me wonder about the decision to include their perspective at all. I hope we see more balance in their perspectives in the next addition to the series, as I think hearing more of Shaw’s story might have helped me feel more connected to her character.

I have already been recommending *Daughter of the Bone Forest* to my students and my adult friends. This is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in fantasy, and is an exemplar of queer fantasy in particular. I can’t wait to see what happens in Book 2!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Jasmine Skye, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. When the book first opened with Rosy in the Bone Forest talking about wolves and bringing her grandmother food, I wanted to laugh a little at the Little Red Riding Hood of it all. Very quickly though I realized that this story would be nothing like Little Red Riding Hood and was going to be much, much better than I anticipated. The world building was done in a very beautiful way and so was the magic that the witches/bone familiars could harness. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters (even Charles despite what an ass he was) Rosy of course was one of my favorites as was the other familiar she was friends with that died (I don't know how to spell their name as I listened to the audiobook so I'm not even going to try). The boy who also worked with Rosy in the stables (again I don't know how to spell his name) was also an awesome character and a good foil to Rosy to show how much his love and loyalty would drive him to do what he thought was right while Rosy's love/loyalty would drive her to run and hide.

I'm a little disappointed that this is a series book (I wish more debuts could simply be standalones) but I'm excited to see how Shaw, Rosy and their friends all fair during war time. It should be a very interesting read.

Daughter of the Bone Forest is the first half of Jasmine Skye’s Witch Hall Duology of queer romantic fantasy. I loved almost everything about this book, from the dangerous settings (a sentient forest, a magical academy), to the surprisingly complex characters, to the fascinating magic system (shape-shifting familiars and witches specializing in one of four different elements).

Our main character Rosy can be frustrating with her stubbornness and secrets, but she is also brave and loyal and doesn’t hesitate to stand up for what she thinks is right. I struggled to sympathize with her only when her determination to hide her abilities outweighs her instincts to protect those she cares about. Princess Shaw is an interesting character too, but despite the occasional chapters from her perspective, I felt like we don’t really get to know her very well because she tends to hide her emotions. I found the secondary characters interesting as well. Even those I didn’t like had motivations I could understand.

I loved the very matter of fact queer representation. This is a world where I did not notice any assumptions about or limitations based on gender or sexual orientation. People simply are who they are and love who they love. There are certainly other forms of bias though.

Readers seeking constant action may be disappointed, but I found the story easily held my attention, and I want to know what happens next for all of these characters. I would recommend this book for fans of queer romantic fantasy, magic academies, and political intrigue.

The audiobook production was excellent. I loved the dual narration by Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Lindsey Dorcus. They are pleasant to listen to, with good pacing and pronunciation, distinctive voices and speech patterns to suit each character, and the ability to convey mood and emotion effectively. The story works very well as an audiobook.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I want to start by saying I am shocked I haven’t seen any of the book boxes pick this title up, specifically @OwlCrate, @fairyloot, @dazzlingbookishshop or any others with YA picks. Because this book is FANTASTIC, and has a lot of diversity along with a queer normative storyline. Srsly, I LOVED it and it deserves all the SEs.

I was hooked early in, and ended up binge listening to “Daughter of the Bone Forest” by Jasmine Skye, narrated by Lindsey Dorcus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker. First, props to the narrators - they did an outstanding job. I will absolutely listen to both of them again in the future.

The book begins with world and relationship building for Rosy, her family, and the bone forest that they live near. It is obvious Rosy and her family has a lot of love and loyalty for each other, but that there is also resentment and anger by members towards government/leaders. A surprise visit by the nation’s Princess and her entourage leads to some secrets being leaked and Rosy leaving home for Witch Hall, a magical academy for witches and familiars. Rosy enters as a nontraditional student, but the knowledge and skills she possesses is beyond all expectations. As Rosy and Shaw (the Princess) develop a complicated relationship, the school begins to see some changes and other relationships ships blossom while others fail.

Fast forward to the cliffhanger ending though and whoa! The stakes were always high but now they are so much higher, and people may need to make some major decisions to save themselves, their loved ones, and their country (and magic) in the next book. Truths will come out, lies discovered, and I feel like the entire country, along with Shaw and Rosy, are going to see some major changes.

There are a lot of things I love about this book so just to list a few: dual POV, queer normative storytelling (!!!), family-love-and-loyalty, witches and familiars/shifters, fake courtship, elemental, necromancy, magic, politicking, and more! It’s also book one of a duology, and I love knowing I will get more of Rosy, Shaw, and their worlds!

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys YA. Also I recommend this book specifically for fans of Nicki Pau Preto’s “Bonesmith”.

Thank you 🙏🏻 for the @macmillan.audio, @mcmillanusa, @jasmineinthrskye and @netgalley for this FABULOUS ARC audio.

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

This book had me sucked in from the very beginning. I honestly really enjoyed the world building, whereas some other books the world building seems/feels tedious. This book, it was so effortless, it's woven seamlessly into the story line and not obvious. Even with this many characters, they're all so unique that I didn't feel overwhelmed.

Also, if this isn't a full on series, I will throw the biggest fit! i'm already ready for book 2.

Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye 2/27/24 (Witch Hall #1)

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC💙 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

This novel was narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Lindsey Dorcus with great characters voices. The standouts were Rosy, Shaw, and Grandma Ylva, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing was flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was pretty good. I loved all the political intrigue at Witch Hall that Rosy had to contend with. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Rosamund "Rosy" Holt is a seventeen year old bone familiar. She's able to shift into animals favoring the bone wolf like her grandmother Ylva. Gran has been sentenced to life prisoned in the Bone Forest for going feral and attacking someone. She claims her husband was killed by the military in the Cursed Kingdom, though they told her he died in an avalanche. Princess Shaw comes to the Bone Forest and Rosy saves her from a moose attack. In thanks, Shaw offers to pay her tuition to attend the prestigious Witch Hall to learn to control her magic. Rosy agrees in hopes of curing her Gran. They are attracted to each other, but can they survive a fake courtship or will secrets keep them apart?

Overall, this story checked a lot of boxes of genres and tropes I liked. From enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fated mates, fake courtship, and dark academia with seamless inclusivity. Rosy had to learn her place in the unique magic system, the military, and corrupt government. As she uncovered the secrets of the past, Rosy had to decide who she wanted to be and became a powerful heroine.

My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

Rating :5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is such a good book. I cannot wait until book two. The magic was awesome. The romance was a bit of a nice slow burn. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

The cover and title for this one intrigued me so I went into it blind. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was the first book in an LGBTQ+ fantasy series.

This was such a great debut book. The author did a fantastic job with the worldbuilding. It didn't feel too daunting, but I had enough information to form a picture in my head. Skye also wrote some really great characters.

I really related to Rosy in the way that she was willing to do whatever it took to help her grandmother get better. I could feel Rosy's desperation and emotion because of the vivid way the author wrote. I also appreciated that Rosy was the type of person to feel more comfortable with the outcasts, like Oluk.

The premise/plot of the story was so intriguing. I wasn't expecting there to be a dark academia vibe to the book, but it was so much fun learning with the characters. There's so much magic and shifting that I wanted to figure out what I would be able to shift into.

The plot and the romance in the book are both kind of slow burns, but they work very well. Things may move slowly at times, but my interest was always connected to the story.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and the narrators did great, but I plan to read a physical copy of this again before the next book comes out so I can immerse myself more into it. I really enjoyed this book and want to make sure I get the full experience of a physical read.

This is the perfect choice for someone who likes slow burn, fake dating, LGBTQ+ rep, and magic in fantasy series!

If you have been looking for a school-based YA fantasy The Daughter of the Bone Forest is a great place to start. It is the first of a planned duology about two young woman in a school for witches and familiars (aka shifters).

I value how steadily the story maintained my interest. Its pulls a lot of tropes and basic plot lines from established academic fantasy, but it does so in its own way.

There was nothing wrong with the writing. The narrative was told clearly with skill. However, I do feel that there was a missed opportunity in the atmospheric descriptions. The Bone Forest is such a spectacular concept, I would have liked to see that more developed.

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of these characters. I love seeing stories that break the gender normative binary and this one did so splendidly. I also appreciate how slow and gradual the relationship between Rose and Shaw is building. My interest in their relationship will be able to span the length of the series.

Thank you Jasmine Skye, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own. Out now!

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 4
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 3.8

4.5/5
This was a wonderful surprise! I absolutely devoured this audiobook and highly recommend it for fans of fantasy with a hint of sapphic romance, humans that can shape-shift into different animals, and magical school settings.

Rosy is living a relatively quiet life with her family on the outskirts of the Bone Forest until she unexpectedly saves Princess Shaw's life and is given a scholarship to attend Witch Hall. While Rosy wants nothing to do with the princess due to the fraught history between their too families, Princess Shaw is drawn to her and wants to enter into a courtship.

This book has a quick pace, lovable and diverse characters, interesting but not overly complicated magic, and an exciting ending that makes me anxious for book two! Audiobook is a great way to experience it Jeremy Carlisle Parker & Lindsey Dorcus bring this world to life. You won't want to stop once you start listening!