When The Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain is both a mystery and a thriller all in one. It’s a magical and mythical read about a small town in the Ozarks, Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, that is haunted and hunted by a serial killer. The two main characters, Dove and Lowen are 2 young adults that are somewhat shunned by the other residents in town. Dove has the ability to sense where the buried remains are of the killers victims. Lo is haunted by their spirits. The two of them have grown up as friends but their connection is much stronger than that. Both of their mothers are deceased but when alive they were the best of friends. The bond between these families has been strong for generations. This was a story that really held my interest and kept me turning the pages. I really thought I had it all figured out twice as to who the killer was but both times I was completely wrong. It really keeps you guessing! I’d like to thank the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the arc. I really enjoyed this story, it’s one I would recommend to others and I’d love a chance to read more by this author in the future. I’m giving this book a 4.5 star rating!

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝-𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 ’𝐞𝐦.”

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: 3/4/25

Thank you @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, what a beautiful cover!

Ok, into the review…
I loved the premise of this YA fantasy/thriller.
This book starts off strong.. and continues that pace for about half the book. It starts to slow down a bit and pick up in the very end.

I think the author did a good job with the red herrings and the twists. The ending was a little much, and could have been simplified a bit.

Worthwhile read if you like YA content!
I LOVED the Appalachian Mountains setting, added to the mystery of the story.
#whenthebonessing

3.2 Stars
One Liner: Great atmosphere but... repetitive

Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas
A seventeen-year-old Dovie comes from a long line of women who could hear the dead bones sing. She doesn’t believe in magic until she begins to hear the songs. In the last three years, many people have gone missing from the trials in the Ozark Mountains.
Some think it’s the Ozark howler snatching people, though Dovie doesn’t agree. She doesn’t listen when her best friend Lo says he is haunted by shadows. Her only focus is on leading the local sheriff to the dead bones. However, Lo knows the shadows belong to the dead people, and they want justice. Can Dovie and Lo find the killer before more deaths occur?
The story comes in Dovie’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
The book starts with a bang. We see Dovie hearing the ‘song of the bones’ and follow her. Right away, we also see the superstition and bias against ‘witches’ though even the police seem to wait for the bones to sing to her instead of actually doing their job.
Dovie is your typical seventeen-year-old, meaning she thinks she knows the best, her emotions are intenseeeee, she is dramatic, and well… you get the gist. Despite the repetition, it wasn’t too bad being in her head. Though I initially sympathized with her, the constant ‘I don’t believe in magic’ got boring. After the initial quarter, I could increase my reading pace.That made the book quite enjoyable.
I admit I liked Lo a lot more, though we don’t get a lot about him. There are only a few things the FMC has to say about him and those tend to go on a loop. The other guy is… I don’t know. He’s just there.
The atmosphere is the biggest strength of the book. It is amazing! I could feel the dark forest, the stinky Lucifer Creek, the humidity, the weight of uncertainty and fear, and the presence of the howler. Still, I wish we got a wee bit more of the supernatural element. The setting is ripe for a proper horror mystery.
Coming to the mystery, it is okay. Rather strange that the most important question doesn’t even occur to the FMC until someone points it out. Or maybe it aligns with her teen personality where she is the center of the universe. Anyhoo!
The reveal is rather underwhelming. The topic is great. No doubts there. There’s even some foreshadowing but the focus is on the sub-mystery. The main one needs a bit more detailing and an extra touch of darkness to drive home the point.
However, I did like the execution of Brother T’s role. It is quite stereotypical what with the Christian brother intent on converting ‘witches’ and ‘hill people’ but given how extensively such events occurred (and occur) around the world, I don’t mind it being shown in books. That said, he gets a lot more limelight than necessary. Maybe he was used as a smoke screen but not really needed.
I would have rated this higher if not for the supposed ‘love triangle’ that had no place in the book. It is nothing more than exotification on one side and silly curiosity on the other. Imagine being surrounded by death and you prioritize kissing someone. How romantic (not)! Remove this attraction/ complication from the plot and nothing changes. My rating would have been higher.
There’s an epilogue which I do like. It ties up the loose ends. Since mine is an ARC, there wasn’t an author’s note. I’d have liked to know about the forest and its local lore.

To summarize, When the Bones Sing has a great premise and starts well but meanders into an average YA mystery with drama, romance, and a touch of supernatural.
Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book is captivating and suspenseful. I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the story as the mystery of what/who is killing the hikers comes to light. It was a pleasure getting to know Dovie and the Ozark folklore within this story. I also loved the unique idea of the bones singing. This book tackles grief in such a way that makes it slightly lighter than one might expect.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advance ebook. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5 stars, rounded down

“A feeling that feels like music.” That’s the way I described it to Nana when I was little. Like all my bones were humming. She nodded and kept wrestling my messy, dark hair into neat braids. “Like somebody’s playin’ a your bones like a flute. That’s the way it used to feel to me and your mama.”

When the Bones Sing is a young-adult paranormal thriller with a supernatural twist by the author of Dark and Shallow Lies,. Like her previous novel, our story is set in a small town in rural America – this time the aptly named Lucifers Creek in the Ozarks – where a series of disappearances has sparked rumors of something supernatural being afoot. We follow 17-year old Dove, blessed or cursed with the ability to physically hear the bones of the deceased. Alongside her best friend Lo, who’s plagued by hauntings of his own, she sets off in search of answers to the local mystery, guided by the singsong of the bones at the root of it.

What I Liked:
With her previous work, the author already showed off her talent of writing highly atmospheric rural towns, and that talent is on display here too. In terms of atmospheric and scenery: this was top-notch from the start. The mystery, mixed with the slight magical/paranormal elements provide an immediate hook and a constant incentive to continue the story. The ending had some problems (some elements felt a little rushed and underdeveloped), but the ride was enjoyable.
Overall, this felt very similar to Dark and Shallow Lies, so it’s an easy recommendation for fans of that book.

What I didn’t Like:
I didn’t have any major gripes with this book, and yet I was left feeling extremely underwhelmed throughout. This felt incredibly similar to the authors previous work, to the point where I felt it was written along the exact same beat-plot, and I felt I was reading a rehash of something I’d already read before. At the end of the day, this is a very middle-of-the-road YA paranormal mystery: it’s great if that’s the thing you’re looking for, but if you’ve already read a bunch, don’t expect this to rock your world.
Obligatory “I’m not the target audience”, as I’m not a 17-year old girl, but I still feel many YA books can translate well to adults. This might not be one of them. I cringed at some of the dialogue, the love-triangle and the all-too-present trope of every adult being an idiot so the teens can step in to save the day. Be aware if these tropes bother you.

Many thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you're looking for an atmospheric Southern gothic mystery with a generous helping of the supernatural, add this novel to your TBR immediately.

Despite the Ozark urban legends, old timers' beliefs, and the fact that she can hear the bones of the dead calling to her, Dovie doesn't believe in ghosts or magic. Her ability is just something she inherited from previous generations of women in her family. For the past three years, the sheriff has increasingly requested her help. Over twenty hikers have gone missing from local hiking trails and then turned up dead after Dovie followed the sound of their singing bones. Locals claim it's the Ozarks howler monster. Dovie thinks there's a logical explanation. When her best friend Lo says he's haunted by the ghosts of the dead hikers, she's sympathetic and wants to help him. But she still claims ghosts aren't real.

I've always been drawn to Southern gothic novels, and this author makes it very easy to immerse yourself into the setting - the dripping humidity, iced tea in jars, local superstitions and magic, eccentric characters with a strong sense of family and friendship. I guessed the identity of the culprit early, but there are plenty of red herrings and an atmosphere of doubt that made me wonder if I was correct. You can also expect surprising years old secrets that come to light. Several eerie scenes are sure to thrill paranormal/supernatural fans, and the nail-biter of an ending will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

There was the beginning of a love triangle that never completely played out, to my relief. I'm not a fan of that trope and didn't feel as if it was needed or added anything to the story.

This is the second novel I've read by this author, and I'm now a confirmed fan and will definitely pick up her future releases. Recommended for reader who enjoy mysteries with a strong sense of place, friends to lovers trope, and rich character development.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was gifted a copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Group and all following opinions are my own. This mysterious tale had me guessing through the entire book! The author weaves the fascinating Ozark Mountain lore of small towns along with the macabre of humanity at its darkest. For fans of murder mysteries with a touch of lore, this one’s for you!

Started somewhat slower. But really builds. This was such a unique world that was built. It kept me piqued and guessing.

what and intriguing murder story! i was certain i knew exactly where this was going and was SHOCKED when i found out how off i was. i enjoyed the writing and loved the relationship between Dovie and Lo.

A Southern Gothic supernatural thriller about a girl who can hear bones singing. The best parts of the book was character development, the relationship between Dovie and Lo invested me in the story . The storyline was well done and engaging. And the ending was absolutely chilling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This is one of few stories I've read in recent years with a strong FMC who doesn't want to make me pull my hair out from frustration. Sain steers away from the typical "stubborn FMC" trope. While the main character, Dove, is stubborn, she also communicates reasonably well for a teenager and mostly digs her heels in when it comes to magic or the paranormal, which seems pretty reasonable as the lives in the Ozarks—a very old and notoriously haunted mountain range in the US. .

The author drops just enough hints throughout the story to feed your uncertainty about the identity of the Ozark Howler, and I was actually surprised by a couple of the reveals toward the end of the book. The characters are complex, There's darkness, but there's also love. There's grief, but there's also closure. There are curses and magic and things that remind you why we're not scared of the dark itself but the things we can't see within it.

Sain is back at it again with another spooky, gothic, small town YA thriller & I am here for it! I read "Dark & Shallow Lies" when it first debuted years ago & absolutely loved it, so I was very excited to get my hands on her latest novel "When the Bones Sing."

So, my thoughts. I liked how gothic (no one does YA goth like Sain in my opinion) & how angsty & dark & just straight freaking creepy it was (especially with Lo & his "gift"). There were so many secrets that were unraveled & while some were predictable, the reveal of all of them were satisfying for me. I will say, I had a difficult time warming up to Dovie. I get that her beliefs-or lack thereof-was a way of coping with past pains but vehemently denying the existence of magic (or anything really) while literally performing magic just made her look really freaking stupid. I also did not like how she tried to impose her lack of beliefs on others just because her own traumas wouldn't allow for it. That being said, I did like her for the most part & I loved loved loved her friendship with Lo. Overall, pretty good read. Not as good as "Dark & Shallow Lies" but I don't think much can top that masterpiece.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahh this book!!! Was great, it felt like something straight out of my hometown area minus the murders. But the atmosphere and characters, the mystery and magic combined as perfect. Thank you so much to Net Galley and Penguin for this e-arc and the chance to read this amazing book!

This one just couldn't catch my attention. I think it just wasn't for me because I couldn't quite put my finger on what wasn't dragging me in. The mystery wasn't a forefront as I wanted, I was not vibing with any of the characters, and I just didn't have a pull to finish or find out what happened. I also didn't love how exaggerated the accents were written. I'm Southern myself with a thick accent but sometimes it's just distracting in reading. I chose to DNF this one.

The writing in this story was phenomenal! Gothic and magical with such interesting characters, I ate this book up!
I wouldn't labeled as a horror but more of a thriller instead, I did figured out pretty early on who the killer was but it did not take anything away from the ride that it was.

4/5

When the Bones Sing was the best ghost story I have ever read!

The atmosphere held within the pages of this book doesn't just pull you in, but surrounds and encompasses your soul. There were so many twists and big moments. It was creepy in the best of ways. Each character was richly developed. I felt like I was standing right next to the MCs experiencing it all with them.

Honestly, there is not much to dissuade you from reading this book. If you don't like creepy atmospheres or slightly gory murder, then you might want to skip this one. Otherwise, buckle up and dive in to this amazingly delightful thriller.

I love a book with good ambiance, and When the Bones Sing had a surplus of this. So many great literary and prose choices by the author! All of the things I love about mystical realism and thrillers are in this story and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read an ARC! I will be singing this one praise and shouting for readers to pick it up for a long time. Can't wait for more from this author, she is a true talent.

4.25 stars!

This book is truly one-of-a-kind, and its premise captivates you from the very first page. The author excels at crafting rich character development, ensuring that even the side stories feel fully fleshed out and engaging. As I delved into the narrative, my gut instantly became suspicious of who the 'guilty' party might be very early on. My hunch was correct; however, the intricate plot elements and connections that led to the climactic reveal kept me enthralled. The author masterfully weaves in surprising twists that add layers of complexity, skillfully building suspense and creating an atmosphere of doubt. I trust when others read this, they'll find themselves questioning their assumptions and shifting blame onto different characters, making for an exhilarating reading experience.

An interesting premise, and odd town, and people with strange abilities makes this a unique thriller.

All I can say right now is WOW! I haven't read a thriller this good in a long time. This book was definitely dark so if that is something you're not into I would skip it but if you can handle some dark themes then hurry up and buy this immediately!! Sain's writing was so atmospheric and I loved the paranormal aspects of this book. There were a few predictable parts but overall I had no idea what was going to happen next and I loved the wild ride. This was an easy 5 stars for me and now I'll be looking into Sain's backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam Press for the chance to read this early in exchange of an honest review.

Wow….

That’s all I truly want to say about this book because just wow. This one was a masterpiece. Dovie and Lo are the definition of infinity and beauty. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book that encapsulates yearning, grief, horror, myth and true, unconditional love in such a gorgeous way. This one keeps you guessing and wondering what is and is not true all the way to the final page. Wow… this was one hell of a ride and a damn good read.
5/5 stars