I love books that are written that focus on the magic that exists within the US, particularly the hill magic. While this book itself does not focus on Appalachian culture because it isn't there, if you like those kind of horror books you love these.

It is important to note this book is YA, not an adult horror book, and it is based in hill magic beliefs. I loved the references throughout and the fact you can't trust if something is real or not. The story itself I found to be less interesting than the setting, though the characters themselves fascinated me.

My only complaint was the unnecessary love triangle that happened, but that's nitpicky on my part cuz I just hate those. I would 100% read more from this author.

Thanks Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers for the ARC!

"When the Bones Sing" hooked me with its eerie Ozark setting and unique premise of a girl who feels the bones of the dead. The atmosphere was chilling, blending bone magic, local legends, and ghostly whispers. I did find the protagonist's skepticism about the supernatural a bit forced, considering her own powers. And the love triangle? Totally unnecessary distraction. Still, the mystery kept me guessing, and the pacing was solid. A fun, if slightly flawed, YA thriller.

** I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Ginny Myers Sain presents her newest YA thriller When the Bones Sing. Readers follow Dovie, a resident of the Ozarks who can feel the bones buried in the mountains. She helps the sheriff find them so that they can be laid to rest. A useful skill when hikers continuously go missing from the town, only to be found dead in the woods. Dovie's best friend Lo is haunted by the ghosts of the missing people and locals blame the legendary Ozark howler for the deaths. Despite her own gift, Dovie doesn't believe in magic or the supernatural. She does believe in truth, and is determined to find out why two dozen people have gone missing in the past couple years and why Lo can have no peace from their spirits.

I had a difficult time with becoming invested in this story, and waited for the audiobook to come available to give this book the best possible chance to be liked. Narrator Amanda Stribling is from Tennessee and contributes a Southern accent that contributes a lot to the atmosphere of the book.

This southern gothic supernatural thriller was very much on the nose. Readers had access to clues laid out throughout the story and could potentially figure out what was happening before Dovie. Dovie's refusal to believe in the supernatural despite her own very real generational gift came across as a bit absurd and detrimental to the process of finding out what was happening. The introduction of a pseudo-love triangle amidst the murders was absolutely not necessary and took away from the tension of the story.

Despite my personal problems with some of the choices made, I think the target age demographic would not be as distracted by the things that stood out to me. Even with those things, the pacing of the novel was pretty steady with a constant drive forward toward the conclusion.

I would recommend this one as having good entertainment value despite not doing anything particularly new for the genre and will be continuing to look into Sain's backlist.

I recently had the pleasure of reading this, and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. From the very first page, I was hooked by the engaging style and the intriguing characters. The author does an excellent job of building a world that feels both immersive and believable, making it easy to get lost in the story. The plot was full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story would surprise me with something unexpected. I highly recommend this and all their work.

I really enjoyed this read! The writing style was great, I really felt captivated by the scene descriptions and that made me what to keep reading. I loved this being set in the Ozarks!

4 suspenseful stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I enjoyed When the Bones Sing overall—the writing was atmospheric, and the story had some really compelling moments. However, I found it frustrating that the main character was so resistant to believing in spirits, even though the dead were literally calling out to her. It felt like her skepticism dragged on longer than it should have, making parts of the story feel repetitive. That said, the book had some great tension and eerie moments, which kept me engaged. A solid read, especially for a ya novel but I wished for a more natural character progression.

I had fun with this! The premise is really unique and it moved at a fast pace. I liked the writing style because it drew me into the atmosphere. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Ginny Myers Sain, Penguin Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the eARC!

"When the Bones Sing" is a solid YA thriller/horror that kept me hooked from the start. The story weaves together elements of bone magic, the eerie Ozark Howler, and possibly even ghosts, creating a chilling and captivating atmosphere.

Although I don't read a lot of YA anymore, Ginny Myers Sain's storytelling has definitely piqued my interest. Her ability to set the scene transports you to a small town in the Ozarks that survives off hikers passing through their town. It speaks to the way of life and how missing hikers can affect livelihoods, and speculations abound in small towns.

I would certainly read more from her in the future. If you're a fan of YA thrillers with a touch of horror and the supernatural, "When the Bones Sing" is a must-read.

Dovie Warner has a gift: she can hear the bones of the lost dead, a gift that's incredibly useful in her small Ozark town, where 23 hikers have gone missing in the last few years. And she's the only one capable of finding the well-hidden bodies. She doesn't exactly fit in well, a mountain girl with a mysterious gift in town, motherless, and her only friend recently left town. But now, Lo is back in town, haunted, determined to solve the mystery of the hikers so they'll stop hunting him, stalking him down, and to save him, Dovie will do anything. Together with the brother of the latest deceased hiker, they must face down a town full of secrets and one very dangerous killer.
This is a very decent mystery. It's full of twists and turns, and I didn't see all of them coming at all actually. I also really liked the setting. The Ozark Mountains are a rich, interesting setting, and not many stories take advantage of that. It made for a really interesting southern Gothic. My one biggest complaint is that, just once, I want a book where the two best friends who have never been anything more remain never anything more. It's so cliche.

I really loved the premise of this book. Our FMC in this book tends to help a lot with missing person's/recovery of remains cases because the bones sing to her when they need to be found. That, on top of the absolutely beautifully described setting and atmosphere really helped this story become a wonderful gothic book. It was simple, but very well executed in most areas of this book.

Of course, there were also a couple of things that I wasn't completely down for. Starting with the romance with Lo. The plot of the book was more than enough to keep me interested, but any time the romance with Lo progressed, it was so out of place with the type of story (dark/gothic, murder mystery) that it just threw me off. Dare I say, the book probably would have been better without the romance.

Another thing that I didn't feel the greatest about, and this was just for me, I knew who the person was who was doing everything pretty early. <spoiler> It's not really well hidden, and as soon as "the last kill was two months ago" and "He left town two months ago" both were said, I was able to guess, which was really unfortunate </spoiler>.

But in spite of that, I was still able to enjoy myself because of the unique plot and atmosphere.
Final rating: 4 stars

A gothic YA thriller at its finest!

Dovie can feel them calling to her. She can feel the song of their bones. But it's not magic. It's just a talent. All the Clover women, going back to her Nana, can do it. For three years Dovie has dug up the bones of missing and slaughtered hikers, chewed up by the Ozarks and spat back out. Three years of folks going missing, and ain't nobody knows who... or what, is taking them.

But when her best friend suddenly reappears in town, talking about seeing ghosts, he and Dovie will begin to dig into the mystery surrounding the town of Lucifer's Creek. The secrets they unearth may be the key to stopping all the death, or it could lead to their own.

This was a read that I couldn't put down! I loved the gothic, mountain dweller feel of this tale. I've been very much into that dark, folksy vibe lately and this perfectly hit the spot! Dovie was an intriguing character. She possesses a supernatural gift but doesn't believe in the supernatural. Her best friend Lo is folk healer and magician who is both spiritual and a believer. The dichotomy between the two of them is intriguing. They're yin and yang, two halves of the same whole.

I really enjoyed the blend of real life murder mystery with the supernatural that Ms. Sain gives us in this story. At every turn, this novel leaves you wondering who done it? A man, or something else? Are there ghosts, spirits, or is there a logical explanation? I did find some of the twists predictable, but not all of them. Overall, the story was compelling and really grabs the reader and holds them tight until every loose end is tied. I'd happily read more from Ginny Myers Sain.

I was so excited to get my hands on this one!!

The premise is absolutely fascinating and so fun to read a book about a girl who can hear when bones are singing to her! But, what we got instead was a bit of a potty mouth teenager that starts to have a romantic interest. I was wondering where the supernatural went?!

I don't really feel like this was a horror or supernatural story at all. I was left confused and annoyed that it was marketed as a horror. Maybe my expectations were too high going in? But, def not marketed right.

Overall, bit disappointed and wasn't a fan.

2.5/5 stars

This is my second book by Ginny! Her ability to craft a magical paranormal thriller is stunning! Her characters all grip your heart and you can’t wait to find out who done it!

This book is definitely dark in nature but so good! I was rooting for Dovie and hoping she would find herself in her journey. Lo I questioned if he was sane or was he loosing it just as Dovie did!

For the most part I didn’t see the end coming and while it was gut reaching it was SO GOOD!

Any book that starts with “the first time I pulled a skeleton from the ground, I wasn’t even four years old”is going to have me hooked.
Dovie had me wanting more just from that first line. There were a couple times where I thought I figured out who was killing the hikers, but then there were explanations provided. I did guess who it was in the end, but I was close enough to the end of the book that I wasn’t bothered that I had figured it out.
There were times I forgot it was a YA novel until the friends to lovers trope would be spoken about. That didn’t matter to me though because I was so invested in trying to figure out whodunnit.
It was a quick read and definitely a recommended read of mine. Thanks NetGalley for trusting me with this ARC in exchange for my review.

Sooo many great vibes. I had a blast reading WHEN THE BONES SING. (Bone magic, you say?) I can not recommend enough.

3.25 Stars

Dovie is a 17 year old who comes from a long line of women with a unique talent. They can find the bones of dead people. But these bones have to call to them in order to be found. For the past three years, in her small town in Arkansas, 24 hikers have gone missing, and Dovie has found their bones. There are no leads on who the killer is, and it has been kept quiet so that they do not lost the tourism money the town relies on. She doesn't believe what she can do is magic, and in fact doesn't believe in magic, at all. Her childhood best friend and soulmate, Lo, is being haunted by the dead hikers' ghosts and is nearing breakdown. The two of them decide that in order for Lo to stop seeing the dead, they need to solve the murders.

I absolutely love this author's book "One Last Breath." So I was excited to see she had a new book out. This author has such a way of writing the settings that let the reader see, feel and smell everything she is describing. She works hard to bring her locations to life in a way that really stands out, That being said, I was not as entranced with her characters in this book. I realize these are teens, but even so, some of their choices were not realistic. I will continue to read this author's books, though, because her writing is so wonderful!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review..

In a Nutshell: A YA Paranormal-Fantasy-Mystery about a teen girl who can hear the bones of the dead. Amazing atmosphere, great use of the setting (The Ozarks), interesting characters, average mystery, simplistic plotting. Recommended to YA readers.

Plot Preview:
In the last three years, more than two dozen people have disappeared in the hiking trails of Lucifer’s Creek, a small town in the Ozark mountains. There’s never any clue about what happened to these hikers, until seventeen-year-old Dovie hears the bones singing, calling her to dig them up. Dovie’s special skill is the only way the sheriff can discover the location of the dead.
Several people believe that it is the Ozark Howler, the mythical monster, who is doing away with the visiting hikers. But despite her skill, Dovie doesn’t believe in magic, or in the Howler, or in her best friend Lo’s claim that he is being haunted by dark shadows. However, when the murders don’t stop and Lo’s mental state worsens, Dovie knows she needs to do something before another hiker is killed.
The story comes to us in Dovie’s first person perspective.

Bookish Yays:
☠ Fabulous description of the Ozarks. It’s very clear that the author loves and respects the mountains. Her words bring the location to life.
☠ The atmosphere, whether in the dark mountains or the murder scenes or the mysterious howls or the supernatural shadows. Brilliant and vivid!
☠ The small-town vibes of Lucifer’s creek, and its myriad denizens with their varying attitudes towards superstitions and religion and xenophobic attitude towards hill people. Added well to the claustrophobic feel of the book.
☠ Dovie as a character is perfect for her age. Strongwilled, brave, and impulsive. I love how she has her head on her shoulders for the most way and considers her talent a natural skill than magic.
☠ The two grandmas in the story: Dovie’s Grandma Fern and Lo’s Grandma Pearl. Both so unlike each other in beliefs and yet such interesting characters who could do anything for their grandchildren.
☠ Lyrical writing that made me pause and ponder many times, especially in the first half.
☠ Decent pacing despite the descriptive prose.
☠ The concept of the magical humming of the bones of the dead. I wish this had been explored more, but like all good fictional magic, it stays unexplained and intriguing.
☠ The Ozark Howler! Hadn’t heard of him before, so it was great to learn about the mythical cryptid.
☠ That fabulous title and the cover art!

Bookish Mixed Bags:
👻 I was worried that the book would turn into a typical YA Romance the minute Lo came on the picture. Well, it does happen but not for a long while. However, there is a hint of a love triangle. This development bugged me as there was absolutely no need for it. YAs might feel differently about this inclusion.
👻 While most of the conversations in the book are quite well-written, there is a good deal of secret-keeping in the second half. This gets a bit annoying after a point.
👻 The ending was okay in terms of its reveal (I guessed the guilty party even before the halfway mark), and with an extended infodump confession, a bit tedious. However, I did like the revelations and was also surprised by a couple of details.

Bookish Nays:
👺 In certain scenes it's tough to understand why the youngsters do dangerous things on their own instead of asking reliable adults for help. Yeah, I know… Typical of a YA book! But these events should have been penned in a more convincing manner.
👺 It was quite easy for me to figure out the identity of the villain as the overall approach is a bit too straightforward. I wish there had been multiple suspects in parallel instead of having the light shine on the characters one at a time.


All in all, this is quite a good atmospheric read. Had the mystery been handled more cleverly, I would have rated it higher. But the book might work better for the right age group. The murders and the spooky vibes make this a good fit for older YAs, aged 15+.
Recommended to lovers of YA mysteries with mild fantasy and paranormal vibes.
3.75 stars.

My thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for providing the DRC of “When the Bones Sing” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This was an OK read for me, solidly 3 stars, but my least favorite of this author's work so far. I am always very excited to read Ginny Myers Sain's novels so I suppose it was a minor letdown in that way (but only because my expectations are high). It was still a good read and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read an early copy!

This was more than about hearing the Bones of the dead sing, it was also about the love of Lo and Dovie. She may hear the bones of the dead hikers, however Lo sees/ feels their splits/ ghost all reaching out due Lo to find the killer. What You think, may not be it at all.

My only issue is that I felt as if the pace of the book did not flow; starting out it was a struggle to get into it. I am glad that I finished. I look forward to reading Dark and Shallow Lies.

When the Bones Sing had that eerie, Southern gothic vibe I usually eat up, and the concept of hearing the dead through their bones? So cool. But the execution didn’t fully hit for me—it was moody and atmospheric, sure, but I found myself drifting a bit, wishing for more urgency or emotional depth. Dovie was an interesting character, but I never felt fully in it with her, and the pacing felt more slow-burn than suspenseful. Not a bad read by any means—if you like your thrillers ghostly, folklore-laced, and dripping in Ozark mystique, it might totally be your thing—but it didn’t quite crawl under my skin the way I hoped it would.