Your Blood and Bones is a beautifully written novella. Not only that, it straight up hits you with various emotions throughout, and will undoubtedly stay on your mind long after you’ve read it. The writing was excellent altogether; the characters were really well-written; the plot was engaging from start to finish, and the themes were superbly presented. The ending was a treat in itself as well. Overall, if you haven’t come across this dark and thought-provoking novella yet, I would VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you right that wrong right now!

GORGEOUS OML exactly what i was looking for when i saw the blurb and it totally delivered! it was PERFECT

Your Blood and Bones by J. Patricia Anderson is a fantasy/horror novella about two young adults who flee their home, looking for a cure to the disease that ails them.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Root of the World Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
The boy rescued the girl from their island village.  He rescued her from the villagers and from her own family.  The villagers and family that wanted to hack her to pieces.  She was transforming into a monster, and the islanders cannot tolerate monsters.

The girl's skin was growing feathers, and strange bones were starting to jut out.  This was only the start.  She knows she is destined to die. She's known for a while.

But the boy tells her that there is a cure. On the mainland, there is a Black Mage in the forest who can cure them.

As much as the girl wants to have hope, the back of her mind always knows death is just around the corner.


My Opinions:
There was a heads-up at the front of this book saying it contained body horror, self-harm, and gore.  Sounded fine to me.

This was like a fairy tale about two teenagers on a journey of self-discovery, of hope.  Yes, they were monsters, but they were also human!  It was a love story, it was a story of living and dying, it was a story of acceptance and trust.  It was a story about those that are different.

The author drew me in with her atmospheric writing.  I loved the fact that she didn't name any of her characters,  it was boy and girl to the end.  And I loved the ending!

The author revealed that the story was inspired by the song "Your Bones" by Of Monsters and Men.  I loved that song, and now it's stuck in my mind, and mixed with this story.  Both are welcome.

 This is a rather dark tale, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was an emotional read. 

I don't give that many 5 star reviews, especially to short stories...but this had everything I needed.

I absolutely loved this book. The magic and fantasy world built in it's pages spoke to my dark and grotesque soul. I really liked how the book immediately starts off so fast past and gruesome. It felt almost impossible to put down. The elements of monstrosity, necromancy, horror, fantasy, and romance all came together in the most perfect bleak and haunting way. I liked how merciless the descriptions were of the characters transforming into "monsters". Not only could you read the pain and torment of this transformation physically, but you also really felt how shattered the minds of the characters were becoming. Your Blood and Bones has a very dark and hopeless atmosphere, but I love how the characters are never alone. They have each other. They both are experiencing these unimaginable horrors together and build such an intense and deep bond. Their scenes in the woods stay in my heart.

This was an instant hook for me. The writing and mystery captured be immediately and I connected with the main characters. The juxtaposition between some of the themes of love and brutality were interesting however some of the gore may be a tad much for some readers. The story was short and I loved the ending. The story explores perceptions of who we are, how others see us and the fear of the unknown. An enjoyable read

Received arc Book from Root of the world publishing and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
Going by the blurb, I was looking forward to this one.This is a short story about monsters and how they are perceived .
This is quite a dark read and very well put together.The story is about trust, friendship and seeing what's there in front of you.

Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me. Usually I enjoy creepy folky horror settings, but this one was off putting and frustrating. I didn't particularly like the fact that the main characters didn't have names. Just referred to as "the boy" and "the girl". It was impersonal and became annoying pretty quickly. The writing was interesting in terms of story telling but I couldn't gel with the flow of the narrative. Even though this book was not for me I could certainly like to try the author again.

this was a really good book, i felt sad for the two main characters their life was hard and was written in a really good way. the way it was built up really filled u with the emotion that they were feeling and what they were going through. such a good read

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really loved the pacing and plot of this novella. The characters are not named and are only referred to as boy and girl throughout the story, which definitely added to the scarcity of the book.

There are some really compelling and fun horror elements to this, but with this there are some really raw and emotional moments too.

Overall, this is a solid horror novella and I really enjoyed!

I genuinely wish this book was longer so I could get to know the characters, world and history on more detail. It's such an interesting premise but I just wanted to know more about where the monsters came from, what the black mages did and how the stories spread.

Calling the main characters the boy and the girl was quite jarring and I felt I couldn't get a real sense of them without more descriptions of what they looked like. The lack of names meant I didn't have that emotional connection that I'm used to, but it did work to create a sense of otherness, similar to how they feel within the story.

The book is really well written but as with most shorter stories, I feel like more could have been covered. I did love the end though and the idea that there is always hope even when it seems like there isn't.

This was an interesting and emotional quick read that really stays with you.

I thought "Your Blood and Bones" by J. Patricia Anderson was a mixed bag. On one hand, the writing was beautiful and the world-building was captivating. The dark and eerie atmosphere really drew me in, and I loved the unique premise of a girl with secret feathers and strange bones. The themes of transformation and the struggle for acceptance were deeply moving and thought-provoking.

However, there were a few things that didn't quite work for me. I felt that the level of gore and body horror was sometimes excessive and a bit gratuitous. It often overshadowed the story and character development, making it harder to stay fully engaged. While I understand that horror elements are central to the genre, I thought a bit more restraint would have made the impactful moments stand out even more.

I was genuinely lost for words with this novella. I thought I was getting into pure horror and gore, and I got *feelings* instead.

Don't get me wrong, there are still aspects of horror, and aspects of gore (in the sense of digging into your skin and pulling out bones spurs, and feathers). I loved how detailed the minor things were.

I loved how there are no names mentioned for the main characters. They are simply the boy and the girl. And I love how.. simple that was. It took a couple of pages to get used to.

By the end, I was rooting for them. I hoped there was a happy ending; I guess in a way it was their happy ending.

I would reread this down the road; it's quick and easy to read.

Your Blood and Bones was a solid fantasy/horror novella. I read the arc and it read like a published copy. The writing was gripping but not flashy. The story read like a folk tale and the characters had dimension, even though the reader didn’t know their names. I liked the commentary on monsters and men, and whether or not they’re indistinguishable. I hope Anderson adds more work to this world.

Your Blood and Bones is a book about monsters and what it means to be human. It’s dark and gritty with gore, and yet beautiful. It’s raw and lyrical all in one. Despite the characters not being named throughout you are sucked in emotionally and that shows great writing. The magic system is intricate and interesting. For a novella it sure delivered a whole unique story that will stay with me. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I absolutely loved the writing! This story took me to a place that felt atmospheric-both dark and lyrical at the same time. I loved the pacing and the moralstruggles of the characters. There was such a bittersweet sense to the story and a wonderful blend between a tale of monster horror and comprehending human emotion.

Your Blood and Bones grabbed me by my collar and forcefully dragged me along for a bizzar and beautifully written ride.

The pacing of this book was perfect. The author doesn’t bother with appearances, hell, not even names. The story hits the ground running and doesn't stop for a moment. The characters are on a time limit after all, and the author does a great job of making the reader feel it.

The concept for this story is relatively concise and yet the world felt so vast and alive. In leaving out names of people and places, hard magic rules, and complex fantasy history, the world comes to life on its own. Through the author's soft world building and fantastic writing style, this simple concept flourishes.

The story itself is haunting. It's bitter-sweet. It's beautiful. It’s full of feathers and bones and blood and so much running. For a short read, it was a surprisingly immersive adventure.

This body horror filled story of two young teens is an amazing ride. This is a great epic horror full of fear, transformation, and necromantic magic. I really love the way this novella is written, packed with a lot of heart pounding circumstances. This is something I would recommend to readers who loved The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed. This is another great grim-dark horror fantasy to add to my list of favorites.

I was unable to finish this book on time due to a heavy work load while I had it. That is absolutely on me, and I plan to purchase it when I have the time to read it.

Thank u netgalley for the advance Arc of this short story

Reading this was enjoyable and I cared about the journey the main character was going on, this story to me was showing strength and friendship that can be formed even in the most unhappiest of times and anjourney to feel normal.

Looking like a monster and actually being a monster are two different things, as it is quite well portrayed in this novella. The lack of names was really interesting as well.