✨ARC Review✨

Wow. I freakin’ love this book. Fantastic story.

Dove Warner is seventeen and has been called to find human bones since she was four-years-old. She has the same gift (but don’t tell her it’s a gift) that her mother and grandmother before her has. They say bones sing to the women and lead them to their resting place.
This is a particularly valuable skill in her tiny Ozark town where hikers frequently vanish off the Aux-Arc Trail.

Her best friend, Lowan Wilder, has had Ozark mountain witchcraft passed down to him from his grandmother, Granny Pearl. Not only that, but he sees spirits or shadows. He took off two months ago, but now he’s back. He couldn’t outrun the ghosts. He’s back and asking Dove for help to figure out who is killing these hikers. And Dove loves him more than anything, sees he’s fading fast, and agrees to help.

Y’all. This story is fast-paced (my heart was racing in the face ball 20%), well-written, and just wonderful. I can’t express to you the depth of love that I have for magical realism and this author delivered beautifully. Her Southern turns of phrase, the mountain lore, the mystery. Ahhh! Prepare yourselves. I’m going to talk about this book a lot.

Highly recommended! Especially if you love magical realism, ghosts, storytelling, and the American South.

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @PenguinTeen. All thoughts are mine alone.

#yamystery #yabooks #youngadultbooks #booksbooksbooks #bookrecs #bookreview #whenthebonessing #ginnymyerssain #bookstagram

Rating: 1.5

I really liked Dark and Shallow lies, so I was looking forward to this one. But it was shockingly terrible. The premise was really the only good thing about it. The main character had the ability to find dead bodies, but for some reason still didn't believe in magic or anything spiritual. And her friend could see ghosts, but she didn't believe him, to the point where it felt like she was being condescending about it. And, for some reason, a love triangle popped up at around 70% into the story. With a guy who was supposed to be there because he wanted to find out what happened to his brother. But it seemed like he was mostly focused on obsessing over the main character. Everything about this book was ridiculous.

This is a southern gothic type of book. I enjoyed Dovie and Lo that no matter what happened to them they stuck together. 🥰😍 As the plot progresses you see that their current situation is because of past events. 🧐🤔 This author’s writing style is unique, and somethings may appear one thing but are another. 🤯😲 There are melancholy and old town myths. 👻💀 It was interesting to read how Dovie can hear the bones of those that have passed. 👍📖 I enjoyed it. Seventeen-year-old Dove Warner hears the songs of the dead, a deep hum guiding her to bodies. It's handy in Lucifer's Creek, where the sheriff uses her to find hikers. Locals don't care about the rising death toll, except Dove's friend Lowan, who thinks he's haunted. 😨😰 Dove's a skeptic, but Lowan's scared, and thinks stopping the killings will help. Folk magic, a family curse, and a cryptid make this Ozark story creepy. The mystery's twisty, like the creek, with a chilling end. 😱 #Mystery #Thriller #Ozark #Horror #Cryptid #Suspense #Family #Secrets 🎉🎊

Ginny Myers Sain is an author I adore and I will forever read anything she writes! She always has such wonderful and spooky worlds with mysterious and interesting characters and this was no different for When the Bones Sing! I absolutely adored the idea of the bones singing and holding secrets and it was a unique concept I have never read before! When the Bones Sing was a beautiful and haunting southern gothic. I think my only complaint was how heavy it was on family aspects and emotions and I would have liked more spooky but it was still a great read!

3.5 ⭐️ Southern gothic supernatural thrillers are definitely my go to type of reads, so I was super excited to be approved to read an arc of this book! I personally would not say the label of horror fits at all though which was a bit of a bummer, but overall the story was good. The premise sounded right up my alley (haha) and it started off strong.

This one ended up being pretty predictable and after a little bit it felt more YA romance family drama heavy which is my only complaint. I read a lot of thrillers and it may not work for people who do read a lot of thrillers and can easily guess things but again the premise was great and you add a murder mystery into it? I was totally on board even if it was predictable and a tad slow. I never wanted to put it down, I wanted to know what would happen.

I recommend for sure, it wrapped up well with all my questions answered. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review 🖤

When the Bones Sing has a great premise and a good main character. Dovie is stubborn and tough and has weathered a number of tragedies. In any other kind of novel, one might call it an absurd amount of tragedy, but it's a gothic horror, so I'll take it. I liked the odd little town, and its odd inhabitance, although the Sheriff's easy acceptance of Dove and her unlikely skill, as well as the vast number of dead bodies in town does stretch credibility some. It was a fun read.

3.5 stars
——————

Ginny Myers Sain writes a wonderful tale that blurs fiction with reality in this YA horror novel. Covering friendship to family ties, this book was wonderful, but missed the full mark for me.

The plot of this one was really interesting. I loved the magic system and how it played into the reality of the world it describes. Sain does a really good job of covering the magic, while setting it against the reality of Arkansas. The downfall for me was I guessed the villain quite early on. There were a lot of context clues, despite the authors attempt to throw the reader off track. It made me lose interest about halfway into the book and I struggled to watch it play out.

I enjoyed the characters, but they didn’t stand out to me. While well written, I just wasn’t vested in them. Dove’s struggle with losing her mom was well highlighted, but over explained and focused on. I know it’s an important aspect of who she is as a character, but it was too much. Lowan was interesting and complex, but too complex at times? I wish we had gotten more of him, maybe a dual POV. Xander didn’t add much to the story at all for me. He could have been left out and the plot would have still carried on.

While I enjoyed the book, I just wouldn’t read it again.

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain has created a gripping and well-written YA mystery/thriller, and I loved it.
It is very atmospheric, compelling and do intriguing.
A contemporary YA novel that blends fantasy with mystery.
The characters are so incredibly unique and so very real.
I had the best time reading this story.

Everything I've read by Ginny Meyers Sain has me invested in the characters and plot and brings the folk horror vibes perfectly every time.
In When The Bones Sing I felt like I was in the story with Dovie and Lo as they try and figure out what is happening to the hikers and if they can stop it.
The story is haunting and emotional, and I love the relationship between Dovie and Lo and their relationship with the land itself. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down until I reached the end.

"I will tell you a story of a pretty white rose, it is true but oh how sad, of a poor young woman whose heart was pure as gold, but cruel she was treated by her lad." I was so excited to read this book and was not disappointed! Incredible! This story had me hooked from the beginning, and I could not put it down. For anyone who loves a good mystery, ghost story, supernatural thriller this is for you. I loved the southern gothic aspect as well. There were at least three times when I was convinced that I knew what was happening, and then the story would take a turn. I loved the descriptions throughout the story, and could picture it like I was there. Great read!

I want to thank PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book, When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain. I thought this was a very interesting, haunting novel about a young girl who can hear the bones of those buried in her town of Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, a small town in the Ozark mountains. She's often been enlisted to0 help find the bodies of missing hikers, something that has been happening more and more. Little does she know there is more to this than she could possibly believe.

I thought this was a very well written book. I found the supernatural elements of this book very interesting and eerie. I felt like I did have an idea of the end of mystery way before the reveal, but overall it was a decent YA mystery.

📖✨ Book Review: When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain ✨📖

⭐ 2/5 | 🕵️‍♂️ Mystery Level: 2/5

Unfortunately, this novel just did not work for me. After weeks of trying to get into it, I ended up skimming to the end—which was so disappointing. A Southern Gothic featuring a girl who can hear the bones of the dead? That concept alone had me hooked. But a fantastic premise can only carry a book so far.

The mystery and eerie atmosphere were promising, but once the story shifted focus to the romantic plotline, I lost interest. And from there, it just dragged on. I found myself re-reading chapters, hoping to connect more, but it never fully clicked.

That being said, if you enjoy murder, spirituality, and an eerie mystery, this might be the book for you! It’s well-developed, just not my cup of tea. ☕

🔪👻 Have you read this one? Let’s discuss! #Bookstagram #WhenTheBonesSing #BookReview #MysteryReads #SpookyVibes

I really don’t know how to explain how this book made me feel without screaming into the abyss for a solid 5 minutes.

This is dark, gothic, atmospheric, magical. It twines together the supernatural, the real, and everything in between to deliver a heartbreaking story about grief, love, and loss. Dovie’s ability to hear bones sing is what starts this whole mess, but ultimately finishes it.

Dovie is forever going to be one of my favorite FMCs. Even through her doubt, she believed in Lowan and that was everything in the end.

Lo and Xan are both angels. I wasn’t expecting half of what happened, but the dynamic between these three was enough to have me kicking my feet and wishing it was longer.

Easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given. A perfect blend of thriller and romance. Big thank you to the publisher for the arc!

I went through a phase in my young adult years when I wanted to live in the woods and practice some sort of magic and ignore most (read: almost all) people. When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain delivered on those vibes that I craved back then (and still crave today, let’s be real), but it also added to that my adult love of dark mysteries and complex human relationships.

We follow Dove throughout in this novel. She, like her mother and grandmother before her, has the ability to sense the bones of the dead. This gift (or talent, as she likes to say) makes her invaluable to the local police as she tracks down missing murder victims, but it also isolates her from her religious small town. When tourists begin vanishing in increasing numbers, Dove is called upon to locate their remains.

Then there’s Lo—Dove’s best friend and soul mate—who returns to town after a failed attempt to escape (no one truly leaves their Ozark town, after all). But Lo is now haunted, literally, by the ghosts of the recent murder victims. Dove doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she believes in Lo. So determined to free Lo from his torments and stop the killings, Dove and Lo dive headfirst into trying to figure out who the killer is. But is the killer a person? Or is it the Howler, the legendary town monster?

This book hooked me from the very first scene. We’re immediately thrown into Dove experiencing the pull of the bones of the most recent murder victim. And we’re immediately immersed in the setting—sweltering summer nights, dense and claustrophobic woods, steep Ozark hills, and a dangerous sulfuric river. The setting isn’t just background; it’s a character of its own, rife with atmosphere.

Needless to say, that atmosphere was a major draw for me, but the mystery kept the tension high throughout. Who is the killer? Could it be someone Dove knows? Or is it not a person after all and the Howler actually exists?

The danger feels immediate and relentless. A serial killer is on the loose. A possible monster lurks in the shadows. And worst of all, whoever—or whatever—is responsible is likely someone from town. As the story unfolds, we’re hit with building questions that deepened the characters and the plot: Lo’s mother died when he was one year old, and Dove’s mother disappeared when she was three years old, but what actually happened to the both of them? Why does Dove’s father keep disappearing into the woods at night? What’s up with the fire-and-brimstone preacher? And will the town turn against Dove and Lo before they can figure out who’s committing all the murders?

I found myself constantly guessing, and having fun trying to piece together the puzzle pieces. I was right about some things, and wrong about others, but had fun throughout. It was like playing a game of Clue (without feeling like anything was a trick).

Beyond the mystery, I also really liked the characters. Dove and Lo’s relationship felt raw and real, making the emotional stakes just as compelling (and stressful!) as the mystery. Their families share a history, and it’s said there’s a curse in the relationships between the family: Their grandmothers were best friends but had a falling out, their mothers were best friends but had a falling out. And I kept wondering (and fearing!) Dove and Lo would be next. That tension kept me on edge and hoping that history wouldn’t repeat itself.

That said, my biggest frustration with the book was the classic YA trope of sidelining adults when it’s easier for the action. Despite a serial killer (and possibly a monster) on the loose, Dove and Lo are running around in the dangerous woods at all hours of the night (sometimes all night) without interference from their well-meaning but oddly uninvolved parent figures. They also tamper with crime scenes without any second guesses or consequences. While this trope is common in YA to help further the plot or action, I did start to become frustrated near the end. It didn’t ultimately ruin my love of this book, but if that’s a pet peeve of yours, you might want to know that before going into this.

In all, this was a really fun book that kept the tension up throughout. If you’re drawn to to mysterious disappearances in the vast wilderness, possible monsters, and stories that blend witchy hill magic vibes with modern day mysteries, you’ll want to read this ASAP.

Read if you like:
- Soul mate bonds
- Dark woods, the vast wilderness
- Mysteries (disappearances, serial killers)
- Hill magic (think mountain healers and diviners)
- The possibility monsters, ghosts
- The clash of magic, religion, and secular views

Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book pretty blind (picked it up because of the gorgeous cover!) and now I am hooked on this author’s writing. This is marketed as YA which sometimes doesn’t work for me as an older reader, but you would never know reading this story other than the ages of the MCs. I thoroughly enjoyed the MCs, the descriptiveness of the landscape, and the plot which kept me guessing until the last page. Definitely recommend giving this unique story a read even if you don’t typically read the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book 😊. I was interested by the premise of this one and thought the storyline was interesting. I felt like the pacing dragged a bit and I was lost to boredom at times. I needed more of the mystery.. and the love triangle was a bit unnecessary to me.

This was a great read to dive into! It’s magical yet also twisty.. honestly a bit or a weird combination.. but it works!

The first half of this book is definitely story building, so you have to stick with it. But the second half, as the secrets and lies unravel.. it blows you away every single time. I swear the last half of the book I was just staring at the pages in shock! And just when you think you have it all figured out, you’re wrong. 😑

This one had me hooked. I loved the magical concept in it that said little phrases that I’ve heard before, or how each story/legend comes from a bit of truth.. that’s always something I’ve believed. I enjoyed this one to the very end!

This is a haunting story about a girl who can hear the bones of the dead.

Dovie is from a small Ozark town with an extraordinary amount of dead hikers. The local sheriff uses Dovie’s gift to locate the victim’s bones. While she’s able to help the victim’s be found and laid to rest, no one seems to be looking into why so many hikers meet a grisly end. When Dovie’s best friend tells her that he’s being haunted by the dead hikers, they decide to find out who is responsible for all the bloodshed and put an end to it once and for all.

I found this story to be completely captivating. Author @ginnymyerssain has a way of slowly pulling you in and not letting go. Her descriptions of the Ozark have you feeling as if you’re standing right there, seeing everything just as the characters are, and feeling a constant sense of dread about what is happening in the town.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

🪦 YA Folk Horror
🌸 Southern Charm
🪦 Misfit FMC
🌸 Pinch of Romance
🪦 Hauntings and Monsters

I really enjoyed this one, but I also felt like it was lacking a little bit as well.

Dovie is a 17-year-old girl who is a bit of a misfit with a special talent. She can locate people who have died easily because their bones call out and *sing* to her. After an uptick in murders surrounding her small Ozark community - where hikers frequently pass through - this skill definitely comes in handy.

I thought this was really well written. It's a neat concept. The book has a lot of charm and an overall sense of foreboding throughout with its gothic horror roots. I also found it was pretty unpredictable, but I was also able to guess portions of the conclusion early on.

The adults were all idiotic, though, especially the police who waited for the bones to sing for Dovie instead of launching their own investigation. There is a little bit of a love triangle, and I didn't feel it really added anything to the story. The story behind the murders felt very... unhinged and also unbelievable, to be honest. It also felt like Dovie should have been aware of some of the background information in this story before the first page. We kind of just fall directly into her life and story after there have been multiple murders already that she hasn't really questioned.

Pushing aside the logistical issues, it was still fun, and I was captivated throughout. It was a binge-able story. The scene setting, characters, and concepts were phenomenal, but the plot execution held the story back for me.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓲𝓷 𝓣𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓭𝓪 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷.

To begin this review, I would like to thank Penguin Young Readers Group|G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and author, Ginny Myers Sain, for allowing me to read this book, When the Bones Sing, via #Netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

This novel follows Dovie, who literally hears bones of deceased people singing to her until she finds their bodies for their loved ones. It's a gift that started with her grandmother and passed to her mother, and now her. She's been busy recently, though, because 24 hikers have been murdered in the past three years in the Ozarks, where she lives with her grandmother and father. They all called to her, and she worked with the sheriff to bring them all home. However, no one knows who is murdering all the hikers.

Well, no one knows but her best friend, Lo. He and his grandmother believe it's the Ozark Howler. They're "Hill People," and have been taking care of their town surreptitiously for generations, but that doesn't mean they're accepted. Dovie doesn't care, though, because their families have been connected for generations, and she loves Lo more than anyone in the world, even if he now claims that the spirits of the murdered hikers are torturing him. Dovie doesn't believe in spirits, magic, or religion since her mom abandoned her and her father when she was a young girl, but she does believe in Lo. Therefore, she will do anything to help him.

I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. At points, it was a little far-fetched for me and even predictable. However, I really liked the characters and their development. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys paranormal thrillers. This book is hot off the press, too! It just hit the shelves yesterday, March 04, 2025!

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