Your Blood and Bones
By J. Patricia Anderson

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first ever fantasy read and I loved every second of it! I loved the storyline it was so unique and gripped me from the beginning. This was a story about not giving up on yourself or each other.

Even though the 2 main characters were nameless and simply referred to as “the boy” and “the girl”, I was heavily invested in them both and loved their character development and the fact they came from two completely different backgrounds but came together as one in the end.

I can’t wait to read more fantasy and to read more of this authors work. Thank you for making my introduction into the world of fantasy book so magical!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing and J. Patricia Anderson for this ARC in return for an honest review

I will also be posting my review on Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon on publication day.

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

A really unique and interesting short story. I was instantly drawn into the first few chapters, which were fast-paced.

The story had a natural progression, and the mystery element really added to the darker themes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and the ending was well thought out and satisfying.

I did really enjoy this book. It made me very sad for the two main characters.. but the whole time I was reading, I kept wanting more I wanted a longer version. It was a very well written short story And the magic was very unique. Despite never knowing the names, I kind of like that because even though I didn’t know who they were, I still grew attached to these characters. The boy and the girl.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a good novella, I wish we would've had more information regarding our main character, and that the book was longer. The imagery and world that was able to be built was phenomenal.

Your Blood and Bones is perfect for those wanting an enigmatic, dark fantasy story about the true identity of monsters.

The main characters are shunned for their otherness. The girl was going to be killed until the boy rescued her from the place she thought she was safe. Home.

She has lost all hope of living a normal life until her rescuer mentions a cure.

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I was pretty excited for this when I saw this novella in my dashboard. Girlhood in relation to monsters is a favourite trope/sub-genre of mine so I was expecting to adore this. However, my problem lies not with the characters and the setting but with the writing. At times, I found it hard to determine what the author was referring to; other times, Anderson would spend an entire paragraph describing something with the same metaphors and descriptions. I'm all for long, elegant description but when the first and last sentence in a three sentence paragraph describe what the character is experiencing in the same way, I'm going to furrow my brows.

This author has a lot of potential and I would be interested in reading their other work. Your Blood and Bones could have done with another round of edits.

3/5

J. Patricia Anderson's Your Blood and Bones is a beautifully disturbing (or is that disturbingly beautiful) novella of love, fantasy and horror. From the opening sentence, this one grabs hold and doesn't let go and I found it haunting me long after I'd finished it.

Special Thanks to Root of the World Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

Beautifully dark, vivid imagery, and an intriguing fast paced story.

"Your Blood and Bones" is a fantastic novella for readers who like dark poetic stories. There isn't much world building and the main characters don't even get named, but that doesn't stop you from being pulled along this story. Once you are given a little hope you don't want to stop reading.

The monstrous transformations made me think of the magical monster form Howl takes in the film Howls Moving Castle, but a little different. Especially with the physical discomfort of the transformation.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy!

I read this book pretty quickly, but I forgot to review it. Initially, I wanted to rate it 4 stars, but I think its more of a strong 3 stars?

Its brilliant and has great characters and ideas. I just didn't care much for the plot, and it's not very memorable. It's the read it and love it, then never think about it again kinda book. Still, the writing was absolutely amazing. Would read more from this author.

So, it took a little while for me to get into the flow of this one.
I did not want to give up though

I was seeing a little of myself in the book. Changes happening which can never be cured and just accepting it's you now, and hoping the change will lift the pain.

Personally for me, it was a hard slow read, but there is a good story there.

Your Blood and Bones is a wonderful book that takes you into a dark fairy tale-alike story, full of despair and fear but also companionship, love and hope. J Patricia Anderson brings us a story where we follow a girl and a boy through their journey after escaping their village, trying to save themselves and maybe, only maybe, finding a cure to their condition.

The writing is catchy, intriguing and dynamic, it's easy to digest and makes you want to be reading non-stop, you can easily read it in one sit. The characters feel very human and lovable due to their circumstances and you simply want them to be okay, yet they keep you in the edge of your sit wondering what'll happen to them next, the plot keeps you in a constant state of tension for most part of it and that makes everything more compelling.

Something I deeply appreciate is that, while we know that the protagonists are going through a monstruos transformation, is unclear what they're turning into, we get hints here and there but we never get the full picture of what they'll become or how much they'll change and I'm thankful with the author for this since it allows the reader to go wild with their imagination. I feel that in certain aspects related to the transformation and magic it could have been more bold or transgressive, but overall it was very very good.

A pair of unnamed characters slowly turning into monsters flee their home in search of an elusive cure to keep their humanity.

I am certainly in the minority of this book, having not enjoyed it nearly as much as most of the other reviewers. I believe that characterization and plot was sacrificed for imagery - which is certainly the best part of this book! Each scene setting is lovingly crafted, every bit of bone, blood, and feather pops from the page.
But the main characters are unnamed. I don't know anything about them, except that they're turning into monsters. They don't have that OOMPH I always love. The world building is also very sparse, once again in favor of imagery. While the reader is given the setting - the beach, the water, the forests, the caves - there is little information about who, why, where, or when outside of the very moment of each scene.

Knowing that this novella is based on a song ("King and Lionheart" and "Your Bones" by Of Monsters and Men, both songs I LOVE and know extremely well) definitely helped me with the story. I can absolutely see where each plot instance came from. But I really wish there had been maybe 30 more pages of exploration of character and setting. Or at the very least some names...
I would be interested in reading longer works from this author, but the length of this piece I felt was a handicap. I think it would have been more successful as a quick and brutal short story or a moderately longer piece.

What a gory and disturbing treat this was!

Your Blood and Bones is primarily body horror and there are trigger warnings at the beginning for a heads up.

We follow the story of girl and boy, two nameless individuals on the run from their townsfolk who are out for blood. For they are becoming the monsters they so feared and now need to escape and find the cure. Their path is not an easy one, and the transformation is far from pleasant, but it made for a delightfully original story.

While the nameless characters were a little hard to get used to, I do feel like it added to the atmosphere. That little bit of "don't name what might not live" added some suspense in the back of my mind and kept the air of danger up.

The writing itself is beautiful, despite the horrors being described. It created a compelling read that actually left me wanting more but definitely not needing it. I am interested in what the author has planned for future tales.

Being based upon a single song made for a unique reading wrap up too! I've read books with soundtracks, but never a single song to a single book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this novella in return for an honest review.

Thanks so much to @netgalley and Root of the World Publishing for this advanced reader copy of this novella before it's release on 8/27/24.

I was instantly intrigued by this novella. It was a hauntingly gruesome story about transformation and the true definition of monsters. It reminded me a little bit of CJ Tudor, how the writing can make you see beauty in the grotesque and how the meaning is deeper than it seems. This is the first I've heard of J. Patricia Anderson but I'll absolutely be checking out more from her.

<i>“Kill the monsters when they're found. No matter who they used to be. Drain their blood. Butcher their flesh. Grind their bones to dust. Wrap all and sink it in the sea,” the boy continued. “Leave nothing, lest some weak soul be tempted by the dark power bestowed upon those desperate enough to break the covenant. Desperate enough to use the remains.”</i>

I stopped reading at 43%. 😕 Despite the novella's glowing reviews, I struggled to engage with it. It seems more a matter of personal taste than a fault with the novella itself. Neither the storyline nor the two main characters, simply labeled as "the boy" and "the girl," managed to captivate me. While the author effectively crafted a dark, creepy, and gory atmosphere, which I appreciate, the narrative failed to resonate with me on a personal level. Although I'm relieved that certain gory details evoked a reaction, overall, I found myself lacking investment in the story.

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Body Horror – Violence – Self-Harm – Murder – Gore

✨ Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Empathetic, lyrical, and visceral, Your Blood And Bones’ heartfelt narrative will creep you out and make you weep, all the while longing for more from Anderson.

Right off the bat, the book is hella creepy. The atmosphere snatches you away to this dark world as you follow the protagonists (an unnamed girl and an unnamed boy) running away from a mob. The creepiness intensifies as their truths are slowly revealed.

The girl and the boy are both humans in the process of transforming into monsters. As would be possible in a primitive society, they are hunted to be killed by their fellow villagers because turning into a monster is essentially a death sentence, a curse that the villagers do not want lurking about. But, the boy has heard of a cure, and that tiny hope takes the protagonists on a journey that is relatively short and straightforward, but full of emotional ups and downs, empathetically exploring their psyche as they slowly come to terms with their situation.

The very first thing I noticed was the atmosphere. Anderson has done a fantastic job of creating the atmosphere of that rainy night when our protagonists are running for their lives. I could feel the cold wind against my skin, feel the rains drenching me as our protagonists got onto their weird raft (I’d rather you find out what I mean by yourselves, I don’t want to take away the experience). Everything is so beautifully written that Anderson will immerse you in the ugliness of her world and its characters.

This book is the opposite of a feel-good cosy fantasy. It’s uncomfortable to read, with all the body horror, suffering, and mental turmoil our protagonists are subjected to. While you don’t really get much of the characters’ personalities and past, save for their monster transformations, they feel very much like real people stuck in a very unreal yet devastating situation. Despite the wavering hope, there is a perpetual drive to survive, to keep pushing for that thin sliver of hope which dangles in the distance. With all that the protagonists have been through, you want them to succeed, to get the cure they set out to find.

Lastly, the prose. The author mentioned in the afterword that she was inspired to write this book after listening to ‘Your Bones’ by ‘Of Monsters and Men’. When I read that, everything started to make so much sense. I love Of Monsters and Men, and now that I have that piece of information, I can easily imagine them using this novella to visualise a song of theirs. The visual absurdity, the lyrical prose, the visceral exploration of the characters, all weaves together to form a brilliantly bittersweet experience.

If you like slow-moving narratives that focus on the characters and their inner dialogue, lyrical and atmospheric prose, I cannot recommend this book enough!

TL;DR:

What I liked: atmospheric settings, lyrical prose, visceral exploration of the characters, body horror, absurd imagination

What I didn’t Like: some portions and descriptions felt a little repetitive, but not enough to spoil the overall experience

I really loved the idea of this story. Really, it has strong potential to be an entire series. I do feel like the overall tone of the book was monotonous; all the characters feel like they have the same characteristics. I wish there was more back story on them. If the book had started before their escape, maybe it would have felt better in a way. I think this definitely could be viewed as a prequel if the author decided to write additional books though, I would love to read a full series!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc copy of this book.

This was such an interesting and unique short story and I loved the author’s note that it was based on the song ‘Your Bones’ by Of Monsters and Men. This was a great addition to the story and gives more insight into the origin of the story - P.S I hope Of Monsters and Men read your book too! After reading this note I immediately wanted to listen to the song to see where the inspiration came from. This is a band I love too and it added so much to the experience to go back and listen to the song that inspired the story - I would definitely recommend other readers do this too! I must admit that I don’t usually read the author’s note at the end of a book but after reading this one, I am definitely going to try to do this more in the future!

In terms of the story itself, I thought it was weird in the best way! You get thrown into what feels like the middle of a story which takes some time to adjust to, however, by the end, it’s so worth it and provides a really unique experience. I liked that you don’t get overwhelmed by too many characters with it being a short story. This allowed me to get a better impression of the fewer characters who were more heavily involved. I would love for this story to be continued in the future - maybe this could be a prequel to a longer novel? I would love to find out more about the ‘monsters’ and what happened to the others with this ‘affliction’.

I am quite new to short stories as I usually tend to read much longer books and this book is the perfect introduction to those wanting to read more short stories. I enjoyed this book just as much as some of the longer books I have read. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy weird/unusual stories and those that don’t always end in the way you would expect.

3.5 stars.

I liked the book, the story was interesting. I only wish we got a bit more explained about magic.

* rated 2.5 on storygraph, rounded up to a three here.
ehhh. ok. the ending of this book saved it from a flat two star rating. i ran into numerous issues, mainly characterization, the romance, and dialogue.

the dialogue and the characterization go hand in hand in some respects, the characters are given little in distinguishing personality traits, which is unhelpfully accompanied by having identical dialogue styles. the boy and the girl especially are from two different backgrounds, but speak in the exact same manner as everyone else in the book.

the romance..... it really just wasn't well built, and fell prey to the most basic cliche YA tropes, though even they are usually employed in books with better build up. it took 20 pages and a near death experience for her to start admiring how hot the boy was, or how she was absolutely certain he would not hurt nor kill her, despite not having much of a reason to believe that. it also destroys the possible intrigue their relationship could hold. because yeah, what does it mean that this guy who saved you has also murdered two people in cold blood, and nearly killed a third. that should give a character pause, but the girl rationalizes this in a paragraph. this is ostensibly an adult novel, i think we spend at least a third of it in a poorly constructed YA fantasy romance.

this is a common issue of novellas, but this book really did not trust it readers to understand its themes or purpose (probably because the plot is largely meandering and more interesting outside of the scope of the protagonists) so it has to directly inform the readers through corny out of place dialogue. i am not against a self righteous monologue on principle, but this book ended up at 74 pages on my phone, and they started to appear on every other one after a certain point.

honestly i truly do not think this is a bad novella, but it definitely needed another round or two with an editor.

Thank you NetGalley, J. Patrica Anderson and Root of the World Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Monsters are killed on sight, a girl is found out and the boy comes in to rescue her. They go on the run together in search of a cure to stop their monstrous transformations. Along the way they find hope, friendship and love in each other.

Things I enjoyed about this book
▪️it took off pretty darn fast
▪️the descriptions of their transformations-spooky
▪️ the black mage- I wasn’t expecting that at all.
▪️never learning their names. They were ambiguous monsters
▪️it’s a fast moving novella
▪️the end- I immediately wanted to know more. But I loved that it’s left up to interpretation.

Things I didn’t enjoy-
▪️ at time the reference of the boy and the girl got confusing.
▪️I started this thinking they were little when in fact they were not little. It seems like the consistency in writing at least on that part wasn’t there.
▪️ no explanation why these people transforming had to be killed.
▪️ no explanation why they assume the transformation means death sentence.

Over all I’ll give it a 3/5 because I liked the writing a lot. It was different than other novellas I’ve read and I liked how it pulled me in right away