When people hear the term "American colonial life," what often comes to mind are heartwarming, nostalgic tales of childhood books. But the true stories from those untamed lands were sometimes horrifying and chilling. 

In this book, we follow the journey of Ellis, a teenage girl from England, as she travels to America in hopes of finding her father, who had left home years before. However, life on the frontier proves brutally harsh—especially when winter arrives, and people resort to unthinkable measures just to survive. 

This is a dark tale set in the early days of American settlement. The author’s simple yet effective writing style perfectly suits Ellis’s voice—young and uneducated, yet compelling. The plot moves swiftly, though not always easy to follow. 

Thank you Netgalley and Rocky Pond Books from Penguin Young Reader Group for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting release date : 10 September 2024

I feel like I was tricked into reading this with the promise of sapphics and cannibalism. I would have steered clear had I known it was also a book about colonization and Indigenous trauma written by a white woman.


Trigger warnings: Cannibalism, murder, domestic abuse, racial slurs, racism, violence related to colonialism, pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, child death, body horror, blood, gore, starvation, and food-withholding.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC

To the Bone is a dark, gritty historical novel set in the Jamestown colony during the "starving time". I learned about Jamestown in school, of course, but Bruzas goes places with this book that my history classes never went. It's exceptionally well-researched, but also concise, dramatic, and fast-paced.

It follows indentured servant Ellis, and she was the perfect main character for this story. She's uneducated, naive, and anxious, but also hopeful, and this story is about those hopes flying out the window as Jamestown descends into the starving time and Ellis is forced to come to terms with some harsh realities. Ellis works for an abusive employer, Henry, and I thought this was depicted really well. Henry appears charming and caring, but behind closed doors he abuses Ellis and his wife. This duality is so realistic, and it genuinely challenges Ellis given her naivety.

Things come to a head when it becomes clear that Henry is doing something even more sinister, and I was horrified at not only what he did, but what he forced Ellis to do. Ellis also finds herself caught in the crosshairs (to an extent) of the settlers' conflict with the Powhatans, which I thought was handled sensitively. Bruzas emphasizes how both groups suffered during this time, but also has Ellis reconcile this with the fact that the settlers have been cruel to the Native Americans.

This story is genuinely disturbing, but Bruzas did a great job telling it.

A lesser known moment in colonial American history takes center stage in Bruzas' "To the Bone," one that no reader will be able to forget, and will leave more inquisitive readers wanting to do a deeper dive into the so-called "Starving Time."

Nothing at all is easy for Ellis in this new colony, but the few moments of joy and tenderness she finds are so vital to her character, and readers will rail at her employer for keeping her from them, especially Jane. Jane is such a bright spot in this bleak world, and Ellis holds on to that as tightly as she can. Their love is fierce and important, and so rarely (if ever) seen in stories set in this era.

"To the Bone" is unflinching in its portrayal of the horrors of this terrible stretch of time -- from how the colonists treat their Indigenous neighbors to the descriptions of desolation, cold, and the desperation of utter hunger.

This is not a book that anyone will soon forget.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the arc.

3.5 stars!

This was much darker and grittier than I was expecting and I'm so thankful for the surprise! The author definitely did their research into how harrowing it would be to try and survive during colonialism in the 1600s Well done.

As a former history obsessed child reader this book was right up my alley. I thought the treatment of sensitive topics in this book were done well. I would recommend this book to those who are able to face difficult topics and are interested in early North American settling by Europeans. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one - harrowing, gritty, deeply unsettling. Clearly, research was done here - and boy, was it graphic.

A gripping historical fiction novel set during the harsh winter of 1609 in Jamestown, Virginia. The story follows Ellis, a young indentured servant who has come to America seeking a better life but finds herself facing unimaginable hardships. The novel does an excellent job of portraying the brutal realities of colonial life, including starvation, abuse, and the tension between settlers and Indigenous people1.

While the historical setting and the stark depiction of survival are compelling, the pacing of the story can feel slow at times, and some readers might find it difficult to connect with Ellis emotionally. The romance between Ellis and Jane adds a tender element to the narrative, but it sometimes feels overshadowed by the harshness of the environment.

Overall, "To the Bone" is a well-researched and thought-provoking read that sheds light on a dark chapter of American history. However, it might not be for everyone due to its intense themes and sometimes uneven pacing.

To the Bone was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

Alena Bruzas is autobuy for me now! The way her writing transports you mentally to where the character is at is so well done. The entire time I was rooting for Ellis to find her voice and get away, even knowing what the outcome would be historically! The story is a sad one, but that’s what the colonizers get for thinking they could come to a land and take with no work.
Definitely recommend to horror fans as well as ones who enjoy historical fiction.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for my arc copies!

This book is well-researched and well-written.

But it is dark. And not for the faint to heart.

I should have learned by now to be aware of content/trigger warnings.

I thought I would be okay.

I was not.

To be fair, that's the point of this book.

"There is a whining outside. It comes to me through the darkness. The stars are all hidden by the clouds. The sky is dull gray like ash. There is no light. Not even the warmth of a fire behind a glowing square of oiled cloth. The whining. I follow it. It's high and strange and I can't tell if it's human. My heart thuds with fatigue and fright. It's louder now. The whining. And there is struggling too. And whispering. It's all coming from the dark ruin of a house. The family there, they died. . . It's just a gaping hole. A darkness I can't see past to what's inside."

Trigger warnings ahead. Cannibalism, abortion, abuse, slurs. I know the author put more on Goodreads so check them out there.
If I only learned this during history! How was this never taught? I think I would have dived into wanting to learn more about "Starving Time".
I did like the afterword that was put in there for us to read I felt it gave us a lot of insight into what inspired the author to write us this story.
Can you imagine living in the times of Jamestown and knowing you are not wanted in the land that people before you took? You are trying to survive, but in the end, it may not be enough. I felt for Ellis. She was a kid who was trying to survive and no matter what she did it wasn't enough. Her "owners" are not really the best. I mean the wife is so depressed that all she does is bed rot. The husband seems okay until Ellis starts hanging around someone he doesn't want her to and we just see him take it out on Ellis. Overall, this was a great and interesting read. Yes, I do think Ellis was too much at times with her feelings and repeating things.

To the Bone by Alena Bruzas is a heartfelt and powerful read that really sticks with you. The writing is raw and honest, pulling you into the main character’s journey in such a real way. It tackles tough themes like healing and self-discovery, but it does so with so much heart and care. This book is perfect for anyone who loves emotional, character-driven stories. It’s one of those books you won’t stop thinking about after you finish it.

Ellis flees devastation in England after losing her family and looks forward to a new adventure in America. Filled with hope for finding a place of her own after fulfilling her debt, Ellis works for the Collins family which includes Henry and Mrs. Collins who is expecting. Despite Mr. Collins’ warnings not to explore with Jane Eddowes, Ellis can’t help but fall under Jane’s adventurous spell. The two find ways to meet and explore their new surroundings both inside James Fort and in the uncharted land around it. Ellis harbors a secret hope of locating her father, who traveled to America before her but never sent word to the family. It’s not difficult for Ellis to observe the unkind relationship between the colonists and the Indigenous people. Jane offers Ellis a break from the reality of Mr. Collins’ anger towards their situation and his wife’s resistance to accepting their new life. As supplies and food stores dwindle and winter approaches, the colonists are forced to do whatever it takes to survive. Will Ellis reach her breaking point when the unthinkable happens, or does she have the will to survive?

THOUGHTS: Initially, I picked up To the Bone due to its short length, unique approach to a less-covered historical time period, and its appeal to horror fans. That said, I had to put down my book while reading on more than one occasion due to the graphic descriptions. Though this one fits historical fiction, the horror definitely is real. A worthy YA purchase to highlight the realities of early American history and where horror books are in demand.

I don't think I enjoy books set in this time period but I didn't realize that until I picked up this book. I think this could be enjoyable for someone who has an interest in this time period.

A lot of intense subjects and trigger warnings! This was a tough book to get through with the content having so many hard subjects to get through. Was written well just tough content.

I started and ended up finishing this book in one night. I'm always fascinated by historical titles that cover early America and the English who tried to live here initially. I appreciate that author did not gloss over the fact that many of the early settlers had very little respect for the Native Americans already living here whose land they took for their own. I was a bit surprised by the dark aspects of the ending considering this was a YA book, but overall I was very glad to read this.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of To the Bone by Alena Bruzas in exchange for an honest review. I was pulled into this book by Ellis, Rowan and Jane. I thought the book was heading in one direction about the people who invaded the land and slaughtered the natives, but then winter hit. It became a much different, darker book about what do people do when it's winter and you have no food and people are dying from hunger.

To the Bone is the story of Ellis, an indentured girl in the Jamestown settlement of the Virginia colony. Ellis aspires toward little more than goodness; born poor in the late 1500s, she can neither read nor count, but understands the world as preachers sketch its edges. She works hard as a servant to the semi-prominent Collins couple, but finds her attentions often drawn away by fun, curiosity, and Jane Eddowes.

This is a brutal read. I don’t mean that as either a positive or negative, simply as a fact. This is a Pilgrim story with the propaganda stripped away. This is a story about a Puritan girl conditioned to accept the abuse she’s dealt. This is a story about colonizers who despise Indigenous people and a story about colonizers who lack the education to even consider them. This is a story about the Starving Time… and what was eaten when the “food” ran out.

I loved this book. Its sparse, atmospheric prose both suits the uneducated narrator and asks readers to accept themselves into the historical setting. There’s no hand-holding here. Ellis does not explain her world; she simply exists within it. I love seeing a character who is the product of her time—superstitious, ignorant, indoctrinated—and yet a person all the same. She yearns. She wonders. She learns. Of course, in a book as harsh as this one, that may not be enough.

As a reviewer, I can and will offer my opinion, but please keep in mind that I can speak to only some of the representation here. The queer representation, Ellis’s relationship with Jane, felt achingly familiar. Anyone who’s ever been a teenage girl with a crush will empathize here. I also appreciated the representation of anxious self-injury. It was never directly addressed, and this isn’t a book where anything was neatly resolved. But it was clear. Like everything else, it was simple fact.

As for representation of Indigenous people, I can’t speak on a personal level. I thought the book was fair. The ways Indigenous characters acted might have been portrayed as aggressive by some, but Alena Bruzas didn’t fall into that trap. She showed the background of political and social strife that led to it. In author’s notes, she acknowledged where she had taken creative license and why she made the choices she did. However, not being Indigenous myself, I can only offer an outsider’s perspective.

In conclusion… oh, this was so good. This was so horrific. I haven’t been so viscerally compelled and repelled by anything in a long time. I adore so many of the pieces here: a flawed character who represents her time; an ugly, honest, brutal work; the sheer determination to wring you as the colonists are wrung.

But do proceed with caution. None of the content warnings ought to be taken lightly.

To the Bone by Alena Bruzas is a haunting, beautiful, and tragically poignant story that blends a deeply emotional love story with a starkly honest depiction of Colonial America during the Starving Time in Jamestown. As someone who grew up in Virginia and knows the horrors of Jamestown, I found this book to be both chilling and incredibly moving.

The protagonist, Ellis, is a character you can’t help but root for as she navigates the terrifying and brutal realities of the New World. The love story between Ellis and Jane Eddowes is tender and tragic, making the horrors they face even more poignant. The historical details of the settlers' cruelty, the starvation, and the inhumane treatment of Native Americans are depicted in a way that is both raw and impactful.

This novel would be an absolute perfect fit for an animated adaptation in the style of Guillermo del Toro. His unique ability to blend dark fantasy with emotional depth would elevate the horrific elements of the story while highlighting the tragic love at its heart. The eerie, unsettling atmosphere of Jamestown during the Starving Time, combined with the intense emotions of the characters, would make for a visually stunning and deeply affecting animation. The combination of historical accuracy, supernatural elements, and the haunting love story would create a perfect marriage with del Toro’s signature dark, gothic aesthetic. This is a story that needs to be experienced in a way that brings both the haunting horrors and the tender beauty to life—an animation by del Toro would do just that.