Bruzas’s writing is both lyrical and intense, capturing the reader’s attention with a compelling narrative and well-crafted characters. The story’s exploration of deep psychological and emotional landscapes makes it a thought-provoking read. With its powerful prose and captivating plot, "To the Bone" is a standout work that lingers long after the final page.

To the Bone by Alena Bruzas is a riveting and emotionally charged novel that delves deep into the human experience with its poignant storytelling. Bruzas’ rich character development and evocative prose create a compelling narrative that resonates on a profound level. The book’s exploration of complex themes and heartfelt moments makes it a standout read that lingers long after the final page.

What an exciting and fascinating look at the beginnings of life in the United States! Loved the historical fiction aspects and how they tied into the lives of the settlers. I could truly picture what life was like for these individuals.

This was the strangest book I think I have ever read. I was getting confused and had to reread a few parts of this book. I would still recommend this book.

This is a hard one to rate. It is in no way a light, happy story. This is historical fiction at its ugliest. Despite the various serious (and abhorrent) events depicted, this book also skillfully describes small moments of pure joy and hope. For the quality of the writing alone…4 stars

This book was surprisingly easy to get into despite being very light on the characterization and plot. The setting is well-researched and there’s so much discussion around the native people having already been there and the settlers never should have come. The villain of the story is an abusive husband who only values his wife for her pregnancy (that she doesn’t even want because everyone is starving and so many are dying).

This YA historical fiction horror story set during starving time during early American colonialism is such an interesting book. It's entirely told through Ellis pov. She came to America as a maid to assist Mister and Mistress Collins. She goes through a lot to include watching many of the other settlers die and there is some abuse from Mister Collins. This was definitely a different take of a historical fiction novel and I really enjoyed it.

What was it like to come to the New World as an indentured servant to a married couple in Colonial times? The story is told from the eyes of a young man. He sees anger and cruelty from his Master. His Mistress is mistreated and shrinks from life. Finally, the ultimate secret of revolting behavior employed for survival, is revealed. It is a shocking read but historically needed. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy.

This one was not a happy story. Settling in America wasn't ever as glamorous as he history books lead us to believe, and this takes a look at the darker side.

Wow, I’m having trouble describing how fast I read this book. “Devoured” isn’t sitting right given this book has cannibalism mentions. 😬 (Sorry, I’m laughing even though the topic of this book is not funny!) It actually left me full of rage, at the colonialism and the settlers at James Fort (same as Jamestown I think?), given this book is technically fiction but based on real events/people/towns. I really appreciated the author’s note at the end, where she clarifies which is fiction vs fact.

My heart broke for the FMC Ellis, who had only come to America because she had no family left behind and a small hope her father was alive somewhere here. She is indentured to quite the couple: a wife that is so sick she barely ever gets out of bed, and a husband who treats her poorly and whips her for any indiscretion. Especially if she sees her friend Jane, since he can see their relationship isn’t quite platonic. Add to that the growing food shortage, and not being able to leave the fort because they made enemies with the “country people,” things get intense real fast.

This book is YA, but definitely be mindful of some of these topics and content warnings. I still would recommend the book for everyone to read, especially just to understand what the settlers went through and the history of our country (the US), more.

Oh my! Alena Bruzas inadvertently took me a deliriously torturous journey with this story of early America. I was horrified in the best way.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Rocky Pond Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This one was tough for me.

I really liked the historical aspects of the story. The author’s afterword is also terrific – it explained so much of what was actually true in the story!

Where I struggled was with our main character. While I understood her lack of education, I found her hard to read. She seems to have trouble grasping the most simple concepts and, even more challenging, just…repeated herself over and over again. Sometimes it was in words, other times it was in actions. She grew a little tedious.

I found myself wishing the author had just given us a historical text rather than a novel.

I learned a lot, though, and I’m appreciate of that.

• ARC via Publisher

This was a hard story to read. I felt so sorry for the young girl and the situation in which she was in.

To the Bone is a captivating and masterfully crafted survival story that delves into the harsh realities of America's colonial history in a fresh and powerful manner. This visceral and breathtaking narrative is filled with tragedy, harrowing moments, and raw emotions that keep me on the edge of my seat. The tension, longing, and sense of impending doom woven throughout the story make it impossible to put down. To the Bone is a compelling tale that will linger in the minds of readers long after the final page is turned.

This is very intense for such a short book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I love the setting of this book. Colonial America is the perfect backdrop for the creepy horror novel because of all the unknowns to the new settlers that arrived. The novel is well constructed and is gripping as you watch the characters throughout the story. As you read you feel the tension and suspense and it was a rush to be able to get to the end and see what happens. All not to mention the added layer of the queer relationship and what that could mean for young women during this time period. It was an overall great read and I highly recommend it

This was a tragic and memorable book and although very sad, I enjoyed the overall story. The author was very descriptive with the settings and the character’s experiences. I could really feel the coldness and the hunger. This was an interesting and informative book about a side.of the beginnings of America as we know it that you may not often see. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone curious about the time frame or into historical fiction.

Taking place in colonial America we meet Ellis. She just traveled from England with Mr. and Mrs. Collins as their indentured servant. Ellis is dealing with her inner battle of feeling "wicked" over her growing feelings for Jane.
Hanging on to freedom and childhood, Jane, Ellis and Rowan
spend their summer days running through the forest and swimming in
the rivers outside of the fort. As Autum comes and tensions with the surrounding tribes grows, the settlement becomes more and more secluded. With winter in full force the settlement becomes even more depressing. Neighbors turn on each other and unspoken horrors become normal for survival. The darkness in this book is overwhelming but offers a realistic account of this moment in history. i can't tell if the ending is happy for Ellis but it does offer her some peace.

It's been almost a month since I've read this and I'm still not sure how to write this review.

Don't get me wrong, I did love how dark it progressively grew, and I really liked and appreciated reading this from the MC, Ellis's, POV, but at the same time, I'm not sure if the author's writing style works for a historical fiction novel.

I absolutely loved Alena Bruzas's debut, which is a contemporary novel. But for To The Bone, I wanted a lot more description of the time period that this took place in. I think if you're very familiar with very early colonial America (1600s) then this would work better for you and you might not need a lot of details with the setting, community values, politics, etc.

And while I do think that the minimalist writing style actually works really well with Ellis's POV as an uneducated indentured servant (meaning that she doesn't understand the ins and outs of her society well enough to explain to the reader what's actually happening on a deeper level), it's sort of difficult to critically understand certain aspects of the novel, like the relationships between people and the stratifications within the society (family vs. family, women vs. men, children/teens vs. adults) and of course, between two distinct societies (settlers vs. Native Americans).

Maybe another POV would've helped? Maybe Jane might have a different take on events and people since she's from a more privileged background. And from there, the reader can compare and contrast and understand what's truly going on.

But then again, being in Ellis's extremely limited POV really did help with the horror and psychological thriller aspects of the novel. So that part worked out really well.

I also have conflicting thoughts on the use of "salvages" instead of "savages." The author explains this at the end. And I get it, the author isn't Native. While my ancestors were colonized, I'm not Native either, so I have no say in this. I'd like to hear an Indigenous reader's take on this though.

For a quick read, I had a good time with this, so this wasn't all bad. I'm still interested in the author's future projects, but I might stick to her contemporary stuff.

Thank you to Rocky Pond Books and NetGalley for this arc.

THOUGHTS

Alena Bruzas dives into a particularly dark bit of colonial American history here, and I can appreciate that. The tone, however, didn't quite fit right for me.


PROS
Colonial Tragedy: Colonial history is messy, and that's definitely the case here. The colonial forces, as depicted in this book, are violent. The rampant individualism--the quest for new land--leads to violent conflict, and the retaliation that comes as a result feels, well, only natural. But at the same time, for an indentured servant girl within Jamestown, the consequences are quite dire even if deserved. Bruzas balances well the threat of what we know will be genocide for the various indigenous American groups these colonists encounter with the very real threat of starvation--and the resulting desperation--that Ellis faces.

Brutal Reality: The Starving Time is a brutal piece of history, even in the history books that more or less gloss over it. And Bruzas certainly does not gloss over this bit of history. Even before things get really dire within the fort walls, the reality for Ellis is... not great. She's sold herself as a servant to the Collins family in a desperate attempt to get to the New World, to maybe find her father (if he survived after they lost contact years ago), and the situation she finds herself in, without the support and structure of home, is not great. As tensions rise between the colonists and the locals, too, there are escalating murders (well deserved, for the crimes these men have committed) that Ellis bears some form of witness to. And as the long winter sets in, well, Ellis has reason to fear she won't exactly be the kind of person who makes it through to the other end.

Obsessive Hunger: The gnawing hunger is palpable throughout this book. Ellis and her neighbors are starving, and their every thought, every movement, every decision is preoccupied with this hunger. As Ellis drifts throughout the day, she asks herself, can we eat horses, can we eat dogs, can we eat rats? And, of course, can we eat each other? What, exactly, is one willing to do to survive?


CONS
Juvenile Voice: The biggest issue I had with this book is that the voice feels... off. Ellis reads very young, younger than she's meant to be. I think this is in part because Bruzas mimics a sort of "olden times" language in this book and imbues Ellis with a certain naivety that contributes to just how young she feels. But even in Ye Olden Days, teenagers would still sound like, well, teenagers. Or even older than that, given the responsibilities someone like Ellis would need to shoulder just to survive.

Self-Awareness: At the same time Ellis reads very young, she is also very aware of her own sexuality. Which was quite disconcerting to read. Even a contemporary teenager--a teenager who knows a bit more about what type of sexualities might exist--is still likely to wrestle with this as they start to become aware of what and who they want. Because Ellis reads so young, too, it just threw me off. It seems unlikely that Ellis would be so very aware of her attraction to her neighbor Jane in this day and age--especially with the other things that really should be on her mind.

Overestimation: In Jamestown, they ate people. The history books say they ate people. The official mayoral records say they ate people. Recent archeological evidence says they ate people. This is just a fact. People were eaten so others might survive. At the same time... Bruzas's account feels a little bit like an overestimation. There is so much cannibalization happening in the background of this book, and it just doesn't feel like there would be so much, well, eating people. The contemporary records mark it down as something horrific, something people were pushed to do through desperation--an absolute last resort. And that's also how it is portrayed here, but that "last resort" stage is reached... pretty quickly. I don't know that it is true that everybody who survived at Jamestown ate multiple sombodies, you know?


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10
Fans of Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond will like this fresh dive into colonial life. Those who enjoyed Mary Pope Osborne's Standing in the Light will like this new look at high-tension colonial relationships.