Dove is known for finding the bones of the dead, and she sets out to try to understand why exactly there are so many of them in her small Ozark town, hoping to put an end to it.

I love magic, supernatural, atmospheric stuff so this one was a win for me. The descriptive writing helped me feel the frantic energy and stress that the characters were experiencing. There aren’t that many characters introduced, so I started off thinking it was obvious who the murderer was, but I ended up being surprised and the twist was pretty wild. I finished the whole thing in one night, so it clearly held my attention and kept me wanting to see what happened next. And I thought the connection between Dove and Lo was really sweet.

17 year old Dovie continues her family’s legacy of feeling the bones of the dead when they sing. This power has come in handy for the past 3 years with the influx of the missing/murdered hikers visiting their small Ozark town. Enough is enough and Dovie and her friends embark on a journey to find who is responsible.
This was my first book by Ginny Myers Sain and I am hooked! Filled with drama, mystery, suspense and horror When the Bones Sing was impossible to put down. I loved the Ozark mountain town setting it enhanced the suffocating feeling throughout the book. I will say that this did feel more intense and scary than I was expecting with a YA book but overall I loved it. I think fans of Kate Pearsall, Erin A Craig and the Stalking Jack the Ripper series will love this book too!
Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me an ARC for an honest review!

My thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Random House for the ARC of "When the Bones Sing" in exchange for an honest review.
Take my word for it, when these bones sing, they're louder than the Crawdads and the Herald Angels combined. And these skeletal leftovers are only one of the many scary supernatural elements that haunt this chilling, yet heartfelt thriller. Rich in atmosphere, it can raise your goosebumps even as your feel terribly worried and protective about the two main characters.
The bones belong to the bodies of dozens of brutally murdered and buried hikers who took to the woodsy trails among the Ozark mountains. In the nearby small Arkansas town, the only person who hears the plaintive insistent vibration of the bones is 17 year old Dovie. For the last few years, she's s taken up the gruesome task of following the sounds to lead the sheriff to the burial spots.
Though her community's filled to the brim with ancient superstitions and ghostly lore, Dovie doesn't think of her otherworldly talent as magic in any way, but merely an acquired trait handed down to her by her grandmother and mother. But among the suspicious townsfolk , she's an outcast they're wary of.......especially since she'll have nothing to do with the town's fire-and-brimstone preacher, Brother Turley.
What weighs even heavier on Dovie's mind is the delicate mental state of Lowan, her lifelong friend since childhood. Also steeped in uncanny local traditions from his grandmother Lo sees the restless, vengeful spirits of the murdered hikers, demanding he find their killer.
As Dovie and Lo's deep friendship develops into something more, they put themselves at terrible risk in hunting whatever fiend stalks the Ozark trails. Shocking twists erupt as these two young people, attuned to ghosts and monsters, face a climactic reckoning with the evil they've searched for. (And you won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. )
Had a wonderful time immersed in this book, which reads like an alternate Halloween version of 'Where The Crawdads Sing' . Suspense, chills, surprises.......and a boy and girl whom you want to envelop with huge caring hug. What's not to like? (Unless you're easily spooked......)

March 3 update: TikTok post for release
A teenage girl can ‘hear’ bones and lead the sheriff to bodies. Lately, there are a lot of bodies. The novel's strong voice drew me in immediately and kept me immersed in this unusual, dark world.

When the Bones Sing took me by surprise. It's much darker than I expected, in really good ways, and it's a rare book that acknowledges the aftereffects of trauma. The strong yet vulnerable main character, her tormented best friend, their outcast families, the generational burdens, and local lore brought to life in the vivid Ozarks setting made this a standout reading experience.

There's good depth and characterization here. The romance bits are sensual and sensitive, and don't overwhelm the plot .I enjoyed the suspense, thoughtful exploration of old beliefs, ghosts, friendship, and love. Honoring elders and the victims and their families made this a particularly moving read. I liked the depictions of hypocrisy toward pracictioners of herbal healing, spellcasting, divination, and dowsing.

Highly recommended for horror and supernatural thriller readers comfortable with crime scene details, danger, and disturbing material, and themes. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions. 

I'll post on TickTock closer to the release and add the link.

Twisty and suspenseful, this book gripped me with its plot twists. A murder mystery wrapped in folklore magic and generations of secrets. The ability to have so much history between characters with out revealing anything too early is beautiful, also the little bit of romance thrown in there is perfect. 100% recommended for anyone who likes spooky stories

Everything Ginny Myers Sain writes is an auto-read for me, and this book was another example of why! I didn't even read the description, my confidence in this author is 100%. I have every book she has written, and I was #blessed when I was approved for an ARC of her newest book, #WhenTheBonesSing 😍😍😍 For two days, I lived in the Ozark Mountains with Dovie and Lo; fully consumed into their lives, and emotionally tied to their souls. It was that deep. Magical realism × thriller, this book is perfect for absolutely everyone who wants to extend the reality of the world just that little bit, for the sake of an absolutely breathtaking experience. You will feel all of the feels. This book was everything I was looking for and more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you #PenguinTeen and #netgalley for blessing me with the ARC of this amazing novel! 😘

Thank you to Ginny Myers Sain, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars

Tropes:

"But sometimes you have to bleed.
Sometimes it's the only way to heal."

First, the cover of this book is so pretty. I know they say don't judge a book by its cover but I did with this one and knew I needed to read it based on its cover.

I liked Dovie. She didn't care what others thought. Even though they treated her like trash, she still kept her head held high. I have mixed feelings about Lo. I liked Nana and Pearl and how much they cared for both Dovie and Lo.

While I was able to figure out the whole "Howler" situation and identity, there was something else that I didn't see coming. However, I still have some questions regarding that.

I liked the whole premise of this book. I couldn't imagine having the same ability as Dovie. I also liked the writing. It kept me engaged and I found it hard to put down.

'When the Bones Sing' is about Dove, who can feel bones of the dead, and Lowan, who practices hill magic, trying to solve the mystery of the murdered hikers in their Ozark town.

This was an interesting story, mixing folklore and magical realism. The whole tone of the novel was very creepy and atmospheric, and the relationship between Lo and Dovie was at once both innocent and established.

I was immediately intrigued when I read the description of this book since it seemed so different from what I’ve been reading lately. I thought the mystery and paranormal aspects of this book were well done. I do feel like it lagged a little in the middle and I expected it to be more of a thriller. I was thrown off by the love story since it wasn’t marketed as a YA romance from what I saw, but overall I thought the main characters were endearing and I enjoyed their journey together as they worked to solve the mystery.

When the bones sing was a dark, poetic tale of magic, love and grief, shrouded in mystery and family secrets -and every minute of it was nothing short of perfect.

I can’t say much without giving something away but from the very first page, the story hooked me with its writing, its atmosphere and its beautiful plot.

Looking for a haunting young adult novel? This is for you.

Thank you to Penguin Group & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me!

Ginny has such a unique sense of writing and storytelling that I always enjoy, it just sucks you right in. I was captivated from the beginning of the book where Dovie starts digging for bones, and we spend the rest of the story following her and her best friend Lo try to solve the mystery of the Ozark Howler. Ginny did such a good job of building such a vivid setting for the book, I truly felt like I was in the Ozarks while reading it!

And while the story did hold my attention and I felt invested in it, it still didn’t check all the boxes for me. What I didn’t like was while reading I was trying to figure out if I was reading a romance book (Lo and Doves friends to lovers), a thriller (they’re trying to solve the mystery of the dead hikers) or a fantasy book (the Ozark howler was a cryptoid hunting down people). I also would have liked to see the ending not have been as rushed, it happened so quickly and then abruptly just ended.

Overall I definitely enjoyed this book!

Title: When the Bones Sing
Series: n/a
Author(s): Ginny Myers Sain
Genre: YA Thriller/Paranormal
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Publishing Co.: Putnam’s Sons
Length: 352 pages/ 29 chapters
Rating: 4 ⭐️ / 🌶️

Trigger Warning/ Tropes:

*Ya Thriller
*Paranormal/Supernatural
*Murder/Death
*Mental Health

When the Bones Sing by Ms. Sain is a gripping and unique read, blending suspense, paranormal elements, and a chilling atmosphere. The protagonist, Dovie "Bird" Warner, is a fascinating character with her eerie ability to hear and feel the bones of the deceased. The setting in Lucifer Creek adds a layer of intrigue too, a place with its own dark secrets. The combination of a fast-paced plot and a spine-chilling ending certainly will be appealing for fans of thrillers with a supernatural twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though it's outside of my typical genre—absolutely a great recommendation for anyone looking to dive into something a little different!

Pre-order your copy now or pick up a copy Tuesday, March 4th!

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy of When the Bones Sing in exchang for an honest review.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Ginny Myers Sain sure knows how to write hauntingly beautiful stories.

When the Bones Sing is a southern gothic tale and it tugged at my heartstrings a few times.

I was able to picture the little Ozarks town so perfectly.

I found this story very unique and it kept me guessing. I did guess part of the big reveal at one point but most of it still took me by surprise.

17 year old Dovie has a supernatural ability where she can hear the bones of the dead sing. This ability leads her to find the bones of murdered hikers in her small Ozark town. In the past three years, many hikers have been murdered. With the help of her best friend, Lo, Dovie hopes to find the killer before she ends up the next victim.

This is the 2nd book that I’ve read by this author and I liked this one much more than the first book that I read by her. I thought this book was very atmospheric and engrossing. I loved the murder mystery and the supernatural elements. There were some predictable moments and I wasn’t a fan of the romance. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read.

I think fans of YA supernatural mysteries will really enjoy this book.

3.5⭐️

This was a captivating story. The book is a Southern gothic mystery set in the Ozark Mountains, where 17-year-old Dovie navigates a world steeped in folklore and danger. Gifted with the unsettling ability to hear the bones of the dead sing, Dovie becomes entangled in a series of disappearances and murders of hikers along the Aux Arc Trail. The central mystery of it all twists and turns unexpectedly, building up to a chilling reveal that skirts the edge of horror.

Just like Ginny Myers Sain's first book, Dark and Shallow Lies, this is an excellent young adult mystery with a touch of the paranormal to spice things up. The atmosphere of Lucifer's Creek is so good. There are several potential murder suspects set up early on if you're reading closely, and while I had the correct one picked out from his first appearance (all of the suspects are men, so no spoilers there) I was still surprised by several of the turns and reveals along the way to the conclusion. This is a good mix--it means the story is written well enough that you can figure it out, but there are still surprises along the way! I really HATE a mystery where there is no way you could have guessed who the killer is; that's just not writing well, and this book does not fall into that trap. I was also worried that it was going to be a bit too like Dark and Shallow Lies in the reveal and resolution, and while there were a few similarities, it definitely wasn't the same story written again in a different spot, so kudos on that. I do think the love triangle was pretty much completely unnecessary, though.

Dovie can hear bones sing, after death the bones lead her to find them buried in the woods in the Ozarks. She inherited this ability from her mother and her grandmother. In town, she is shunned, along with her family because they do not attend church, having stopped after her mother left. Her best friend, Lo, returns to town. He left because he is haunted by the ghosts of those bones that Dovie finds. Together, they decide they need to solve the mystery of these bodies. Twenty-four missing hikers, twenty-four bodies, in just three years. But there is more to disappearances than meets the eye.

I often read novels that are trying to be atmospheric but often I find the descriptions cloying and distracting. Ginny Myers Sain is an exceptional writer. The atmosphere of Lucifer's Creek hangs over the novel, sucking the reader into the stinking, sweltering, country town in the Ozarks.

I also have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of thrillers but sometimes I find some that are just SO good that I want to keep trying the genre. This is one of those rare thrillers that I just loved. While I had my suspicions from pretty early on in the story, there were so many possibilities that it kept my interest and I was unsure throughout.

There is a bit of a love triangle, which seems to always happen in YA but it is not a main focus and does not detract from the rest of the story.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. I think it is a great addition to high school and public libraries.

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

What a good YA mystery! I felt the premise was great and immediately had me hooked. Set in the Ozarks, we are met with characters who experience supernatural phenomenons and a forest that is haunting and scary. Missing hikers have Dove in a chokehold - who is taking them, why are the cops not doing anything, and why does Dove hear their bones and find them? This story gives very similar vibes to Appalachian horror stories where the forest is a character itself. While I did figure out the culprit very early on in this story, I still enjoyed seeing the characters figure it out, develop a love triangle, and there were twists that raised the stakes that I definitely was not expecting. The imagery in the third act was great as it really felt like our characters were on a descension into hell. And ultimately who is scarier - supernatural elements or people?

The world is full of magic, even if Dovie (FMC) doesn’t believe it…I enjoyed this book, the overall concept was different from anything that I’ve read before. Having a character that could hear bones was a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed that this book had elements of suspense, romance, and thrill. I thought I knew “whodunnit” but I was so wrong. Overall, this book was well written and kept my full attention.

When the Bones Sing is a YA thriller with a Southern gothic atmosphere that gave me all the moody vibes I wanted and a chilling mystery to solve. It has touches of the paranormal and romance.

I was completely captivated by Dovie’s ability to hear the bones sing of the recently deceased. They seem to call out to her asking for peace and the building mystery behind the murders had plenty of red herrings to keep things interesting.

This story is such a captivating read blending a haunting, Southern setting with a chilling murder mystery whiling infusing it with spine-tingling paranormal elements!

Pub date is on Mar 04 2025