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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

To The Bone is a heartbreaking and beautiful YA historical fiction that hooked me from the first line.

I loved everything about this book. From the aching and tender sapphic romance to the seamless character development, this book captivated me. This book was fearless, tackling difficult topics and presenting realistic, unsettling scenes. It’s a powerful story I didn’t know I needed to read until I read it. I couldn’t put it down. The pacing was perfect, and I loved how Alena incorporated so much history and emotion into the story. The ending was gorgeously written but utterly heartbreaking. I will think about this story often. I highly recommend To The Bone and strongly suggest checking the trigger warnings before diving in!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

Thank you so much for allowing me to arc read this book.

I’m a pretty hard on raring books and when giving my feedback.

The book itself has an amazing concept and the story could be really good. Personally, I couldn’t connect with the characters and follow the style of writing. With it being historical and adding some horror elements with some of the scenes, it was just wasn’t executed very well. I see where the author was trying to get across, it just was getting to the point directly.

Book:
TO THE BONE
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the PenguinTeen for the opportunity to read this. (Sept 10)
Review:
3⭐
I don't know how I feel about TO THE BONE. It was a tale of sorts with somewhat of a nod to settlement in the New World. This historical fiction novel follows Ellis as she serves out her indentured servitude in the New World. It's very hard on Ellis and her friends Jane and Rowan, and as food runs out, everyone starts dying...and some resort to more drastic measures.
I'm not really someone who like historical fiction, so it was hard for me to really get into this book. Before I knew it, though, I was hooked. I wanted to know if Ellis would find her father, if things would change for the settlers. I wanted to know why Master Collins seemed to be better off than anyone. I wanted to know everything.
Though this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I found TO THE BONE interesting but not something I would want to read again. The story telling wasn't bad, I just felt like the chapters were too long---and when the story broke into another throughout those chapter, I found it confusing.

What I Liked About It:
*the slight historical significance.

Bursting onto the scene with Ever Since, Alena is always on my radar and this book does not disappoint! A turn from her debut novel, this book has all the pieces that I loved about her first story but still feels new.

While still exploring themes of self discovery and girlhood, this story is set in history and deals with some heavy themes and events. I think Alena handles the topics she explores with delicacy and care, leaving room for the reader to learn with the main character, Ellis.

TW's for those interested: this book deals with death; adult, child, and animals. There are also a few scenes of what I would consider semi-graphic gore.

Thanks to the team at Penguin for an eARC of this incredible book, Catch it in September!

i loved alena bruzas' debut novel and was so excited (and a lil scared) when i received the arc. to the bone is beautifully haunting and frankly disgusting at times. i never thought i would read a book about the early colonization of america from the colonizer's perspective and enjoy it, but Bruzas handles it amazingly and with such nuance that you know she put her all into the research. this book is already amazing and even better (or worse depending on how you look at it) when you find out how much is based on real people

Thank you for the ARC!

Unfortunately the book was a DNF for me about 30% in. The start seemed very strong but the world seemed to taper off and not be fully developed.

I loved Bruzas' debut so I had no doubt I'd love her sophomore novel, and To the Bone did not disappoint! Harrowing, compelling, and stunning, this is a story that will stay with you long after the final page.

I chose to read this because I love historical fiction set during the Colonial time period and this one caught my attention as it takes place during The Starving Time at Jamestown in the early 1600‘s. It‘s not a romance by definition although the Ellis‘ romantic feelings for Jane are quite prominent for a good half of the story. But then the story pivots completely to something more akin to horror. The end is pretty dark for what I would expect from YA, but I guess this is understandable as The Starving Time was awful for both the native population as well as the settlers in different ways.

I loved the historical part of the story and I also enjoyed the dark horror second half. But I didn't like the romance parts at all. Also:

The main character Ellis has a tendency to pull her hair out and pinch her own arms fairly constantly throughout, and this just ruined the story for me. It isn't that Ellis had this issue that bothered me as much as how often it happened and how much page space it took up. Granted, Ellis had a hard life. But it just felt strange to me that Ellis would have enough gumption to defy the cultural norms of the time and to be so outward with and sure of her feelings for another girl, while being so incredibly unsure of herself in all other aspects. Perhaps I'm judging Ellis unfairly, but it made it a disjointed read for me. It seemed like an incongruent characterization.

I read from an advanced digital copy that I received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review. On sale date is September 10, 2024.

ank you to NetGalley and Rock Pond for the ARC.
Based on the Jamestown winter of 1609 the whole colony starved untimely leading to cannibalism. Most notoriously the death and consumption of a young woman named Jane; whose body was discovered amongst animal bones in 2012.

To the Bone is brutal and bloody fallowing Ellis an orphan who falls for Jane; but her hope for a brighter future is ruined when winter hits. As food begins to dwindle and cruelty becomes common place. The horrific nature of the book is wonderfully captured by Bruzas leaving the reader with their skin crawling.

However the story really struggles when it comes to tackling the horrors done to the Powhatan by the colonists. One of the most well known events was the kidnapping of Matoka by the leader of the colony John Smith.

Had Bruzas taken the time to consult the Powhatan about the brutally they endured; I would have given this book a higher rating but by glossing over the issue To the Bone receives 3/5

This story is centered around the trauma and suffering of European colonizers to America, specifically the narrator, Ellis. Ellis is an indentured servant who is essentially a slave, and her situation is meant to be compared to that of the Native Americans—or as they are called in To The Bone, “country people” and “salvages.” Ellis isn’t like other colonizers. Ellis is just a poor, orphaned European girl who had no choice but to come to Jamestown as the servant of a wealthy couple. Ellis is just trying to survive… it’s not her fault the men in her settlement are violent and awful to the Powhatan tribe. Her master is supposed to feed and protect her, but instead he canes her and colonizes his wife’s womb. (Yes, the term colonizing her womb is literally used).

The author’s not attempts to explain the purpose of this book. I guess she thought this would serve as a way to raise awareness about how colonialism is bad and the land back movement is good?? I don’t know what else to say other than this book seems unnecessary at best and harmful at worst—another instance of colonizers taking up space that would have been better suited for an indigenous person to write their own story.

Wow. This is a book that will continue to haunt you in the days and weeks after finishing it. It is incredibly heavy, but a fair and accurate depiction of early colonizer life. The main character, Ellis, has a very strong POV and you can’t help but feel deeply for her plight. I also always appreciate sapphics in historical fiction.


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC.