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.

This book was so creepy but such a great read that I couldn’t put it down. I love the mix of supernatural elements and the dash of romance along with suspicious characters and all that made it hauntingly delicious book that I had a hard time putting it down. Might have stayed up past my bedtime reading this!!

I don’t typically read this genre, but I really enjoyed this book. An unputdownable story that pulled me in right away! With plenty of twists and intriguing details, I couldn’t bring myself to put it down.

** Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Ginny Myers Sain for an eARC copy of When the Bones Sing.

When the Bone Sing is an Ozarks tale where ghosts creep and a teenage girl is the only one who can find their lonely bones.
In the last three years, more than two dozen people have disappeared on a hiking trail in the Ozarks near a small town named Lucifer’s Creek. The only way the bodies are found is by the special gift of 17-year-old Dovie. The bones sing to her, and they lead her to their resting place. Whenever a new person disappears the sheriff comes to her to help unite the body with the family in order to provide some peace.
But Dovie’s best friend is haunted by the ghosts of the hikers. Lo is the son is a long line of mountain healer, and he believes that magic and hauntings. Despite her special skill. Dovie does not believe in magic, the afterlife or anything supernatural. But if Lo doesn’t convince her to help him find out who is killing these hikers, the ghosts will drive him to ruin. Will they find out who the killer is? Are these ghosts real?
Ginny Myers Sain builds a beautiful but creepy environment. While I don’t live in that region, I do live in the rural South, and I could see most everything she was showing me intimately. I know those sandy rural roads and those shacks where people live. I know those little cemeteries with their broken fences. So, I can tell you, this world is real even in this day and age. And we all have our stories and legends. And I love the legend created for Lucifer’s Creek. It’s creepy and keeps nosey neighbors out of people’s business.
There were a few answers that didn’t tie nicely and left me questioning and I was hoping for a bit more supernatural, but overall When the Bones Sing is a solid YA horror.

Phenomenal! I absolutely loved Dark and Shallow Lies so I was really looking forward to this read and it did not disappoint. This book is dark, suspenseful and has a great supernatural/paranormal feel. It is dark, but not too dark and the story had me fully on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Can a paranormal thriller be adorable? Because this was adorable.

I loved all the guess work involved in the journey this story took me on. I fell for almost all of the false leads, and was pleased to be wrong a lot of the time. Small town backwoods is one of the best microtropes IMO.

The young romance of the two main characters is very will-they-wont-they, and also very true to all the new experiences involved in young love - the hurt, the yearning, the indecision.

This was great!

Thank you to Penguin Group for sending me a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley.

This book had me hooked with its twists and turns, keeping me guessing until nearly the very end. While the pacing started off a bit slow, it gradually picked up, making for an engaging read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

When the Bones Sing has a great eerie atmosphere and some beautifully written moments, but it didn’t fully deliver for me. The mystery was intriguing, and I liked the Southern Gothic vibes, but the pacing dragged in places, and some plot points felt predictable. The romance was decent but not super memorable. Overall, it was an okay read, good for the vibes, but not a standout.

Love me some southern gothic especially that this author writes. She writes the best atmospheric YA dark gothic reads around!

Dovie can feel the bones of the dead sing and then she can find the missing for their families. It’s a blessing and a curse but now she’s found over 20 dead hikers. Lo has his own demons and the dead chasing him. He just can’t find peace till Dovie and him figure out who is killing all these hikers in their small Ozark town.

What they don’t plan on is it being someone local and that they will solve their own family secrets also and quiet their own demons too.

Such a great layered read filled with magic, potions and family nostalgia.

Wonderfully written and filled with wonderful details. this book takes the reader on a dark but emotional journey and I adored it and Dovie and fam. 4.5⭐️

This murder mystery had me on the edge of my seat I could not read it fast enough it was that good.

Usually I’m really good at predicting who the killer is early on but this book had me guessing through the whole thing and I never truly guessed who the killer was until it was revealed.

I can’t begin to explain how much I adore this book, and how much I recommend picking up a copy of this book and reading it. The moment I finished reading this book I bought a copy for my girlfriend and have already recommended it to several people.

Thank you Netgalley PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the arc

I just love this author. Sain writes the most vivid settings, with characters that jump off the page, romantic tension that breaks your heart, and a twisty speculative plot that makes the book hard to put down. When the Bones Sing is no exception. Dovie and Lo live in a small mountain town in the Ozarks, where everyone makes their living from tourists coming through on a famous hiking trail. But since the tourists have started going missing, Dovie has been busy finding their bones, which sing out to her. She decides to investigate who's killing them, with the help of her best friend Lo, a troubled boy from up on the mountain, and maybe find out why her mother left her many years ago. I loved the twists and turns in this book, the Ozark mountain lore, the tension between Dovie and Lo, and the mystery--while I had a hunch I knew who the villain was, I did NOT see the motive coming, it was WILD, and made for the best ending. Can't wait for her next one!

I absolutely loved this dark, eerie and atmospheric story! The plot and characters were so unique and intriguing. Dovie, who is able to hear bones sing, teams up with Lo, who has some haunting shadows, in order to solve a string of murders. I was rooting for them until the very (twisty) end!!

Ginny’s writing is always a win for me, and i’m looking forward to reading more of her books! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was one of my favorite books I have read so far! I loved the creativity of the idea behind Dovie's ability. one of a kind story, I felt like this was very different than everything else I have read this year, not the same old. I really enjoyed the writing style, and she had me turning the pages until I was at the end. I would def reccomend this book to anyone who loves a thriller/horror novel.