I just couldn't get into it so I can't really review.

The Bone Witch is a magical tale beautifully steeped in culture with stunning descriptions. Rin Chupeco’s built a world with hills worth climbing and valleys that invite you to linger while traveling through.



This is a dark fantasy like no other; a coming of age story with more than a hint of destiny lingering in the air. Chupeco’s created a land of dark mysticism and beautiful complicated relationships that takes witchery and the paranormal to a whole other place where choices are never easy and the future has yet to be written. Her writing choices evoke images of the oral history keepers and provokes questions about not only the objectivity of her narrator but the struggle to understand the motives of the one sharing their story.

The Bone Witch captures your attention with an opening scene that invokes a visceral reaction and peaks your curiosity. Tea is simultaneously coquettish and cavalier as she shares her story. You’ll quickly find yourself fully invested in the complicated hierarchy of this society and intrigued to discover how not only Tea fits in but what could she possibly have done to end up exiled on a desolate beach surrounded by sand and bones…

You’ll hold your breath as her story unfolds and you gain insight into her growth, her relationships with those around her, and the stark choices Tea’s eventually driven to make. As she comes into her own, her startling fierceness will have you rooting even as you wish she’d be more cautious and have greater care as she learns to navigate a world drowning in intrigue and machinations that carry often fatal consequences.

Rin Chupeco’s storytelling is immediately rich and her characters’ voices engrossing. Her protagonist and narrator are each written with such distinctive voices that navigating a tale told in shifts between the present and the past is an immersive pleasure. Her use of the unexpected is striking and her character development masterful. Tea is on a journey of self-discovery fraught with (mis)adventure, mystery, and guided by fate’s heavy hand. This is a dark fairy tale epic and unpredictable in nature, full of suspense and intrigue. The Bone Witch not only creates a world worth (re)reading about; Chupeco fulfills her own prediction, its strength lies in exceeding all expectation.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Bone Witch didn’t disappoint in any way. This is a land like no other I’ve read about – and can I say it being a very non-western world makes me gleeful. I’m excited to see where this series leads; so much so I’m headed out to buy the hardback and harass my favorite independent bookstore about inviting this author out for a book signing.

While this book reminded me of other fantasy sagas like "Shadow and Bone" it had its own unique world with a great main character. I loved digging into this story and can't wait for the next book.

I’ve been mad crushing on this book cover alone! Its freaking gorgeous!!! Its eye catching with its somber but intricate design. Delicate but powerful in its simplistic imagery. It fit the Bone Witch perfectly.

The story of Tea was a thrill ride, full of magic, danger, adventure and discovery. It was beautiful in its own right, with its simple love and tragic end. I won’t spoil it because it deserves a read but just be warned this is not a black and white world. There are many points of view and many different twists and turns that shape the path of this story.

I loved the world building, the writing style was exceptional and intriguing. I literally felt my heart race right alongside Tea and the time lapse of the storytelling had me reading this in one sitting. I was blown away by the picture the author painted.

And it was easy to find myself emotionally attached to not only Tea, but quiet Fox, endearing Likh, and brooding and stoic Kalen. I did not expect that big reveal to leave me so heartbroken but I am and the cliffhanger ending has left me reeling!

As awesome as I found the overall story, I did find parts of the journey weighed down by too much daunting information and detail. That being said I still got sucked into the story and I loved it. Can’t wait to see what is in store for Tea and her daevas in the next installment. I’m hoping for a major surprise twist that can turn this back around for me *fingers crossed* I can't handle a bad ending!!! I need a happy/hopeful ending! Pleeeaassee!!!

Great power needs control, and Tea, a young bone witch, must develop strength in order to control the huge gift she has. In this make-believe kingdom, author Rin Chupeco has created a mystic book and I will be looking for the next volume. Recommended reading.

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Tea’s beloved brother Fox dies, killed by a demon like creature called a daeva, she discovers she’s a bone witch when she literally raises him from the dead. Now Tea has to learn how to be a proper asha (witch) and learn about her new skills which involve singing, dancing, runes and even necromancy.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s really unique and I don’t think I have read anything much like it before. I really love that Tea was so young when we meet her and start following her journey. She’s only thirteen so as a reader, we really get to see her develop into a scared young girl into a confident young woman. Saying that, she is still only 15 when the book ends so there’s still a long way to go which is exciting.

I loved the world and the world building. There was a lot of kingdoms, eight to be exact, and we do learn gradually about most of them and the rulers, as well as the Faceless - rebels who can use dark magic, much like the magic Tea has, to do terrible things. I found the world itself to be very multi-cultrured in how its described and the different people and where they all come from.

I thought the back and forth between each chapter was very interesting as we are seeing Tea starting out and then an older Tea who has done something wrong, been cast out but is obviously still extremely strong. So even though we see her struggle, we know she gets there in the to become one of the best asha’s ever.

I loved her relationship between her brother Fox. i had a total crush on him - I loved that he was able to take part in some of her lessons and the link they had. There was a lovely closeness between them that was also a nice teasing relationship the way you’d expect a brother to be with his little sister.

Tea’s constant references to her ‘dead love; got a bit annoying in the future parts of the book. While I understood her fury, I felt like we as readers didn’t need the constant reminder and learning more about Tea she would be doing what she was doing for more than just revenge. I also wasn’t surprised at the little twist when it came to that love - I was actually expecting it.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series, as it left off at a point where a lot of stuff was about to go down and i can’t wait to read all about it. This definitely has a lot of potential for a strong, unique YA fantasy series with a cast of great characters. Definitely worth a read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review. I tried reading this book two times and I just couldn't read it. There's nothing going on. World building is good but it doesn't need to be all upfront. I prefer it to spread out throughout the book instead. I like happenings to occur. I need actions. Why synopsis misleads so bad.

2.5 Stars I had very high hopes for this book as the concept was new and different. I found that the author introduced way to many characters yet only developed a fraction of them. There were way too many story lines started and honestly, none of them really progressed. I feel like I read 400 pages of babble. Very disappointed. Usually, even if I am not a huge fan of the book, the cliff hanger at the end is enough to make me want to read the next book. I always need to know what happens next. This book didn't even do that for me.

The writing in this book most definitely lives up to the stunning cover of The Bone Witch. I had a bit of apprehension prior to beginning this story because I saw a lot of DNFs due to slow pacing. And the pace is slow at times… but so what? This is a book that is well worth the effort put in by the reader.

In the present, a bard requests Tea’s story and the reason for her exile. Tea’s story takes the reader into the past, to the day she accidentally raised her brother from the dead, setting her on her path to become a dark asha. Told in both past and present narratives, there might not be a heap of action and adrenaline rushes; but there is a unique and magic-filled plot.

I love a book that I can consume in one sitting, but there’s a lot to be said for a book you read in small increments. Tea’s story is richly detailed; and yes, sometimes that much detail can be overwhelming, but I can’t say it was all unnecessary. It painted a picture that was captivating and beautiful. This book may not be for everyone, but I’m happy I read it. It’s a unique story with solid world building and gorgeous writing. I’m definitely curious to see what comes next. While The Bone Witch is not a thrill ride or a book to be devoured in just a few hours… it is an intriguing story and one to be savored.

To be quite honest, there wasn't much about The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco that I didn't enjoy. She manages to weave this story that is so enthralling that I couldn't put it down. This novel follows Tea, an aspiring bone witch, through the first few years of her training. We as readers get to see a lot of this training, but we also see what becomes of Tea later on in life because of the way Chupeco formatted this story.

Because this is the first book in a series, it does focus primarily on world building and character development. I felt that a lot of the more mundane aspects of the book could have been left out in order to have more "exciting" scenes, but the mundane scenes are what help to move the story along at times because we see the development of Tea's relationships with those around her. It's because of this that the story is a very character driven book, which isn't something I see every day. It was wonderful to see relationships, primarily the platonic kind, take a front seat instead of more romantic relationships.

The best thing about this novel is the diversity, not only with the characters, but also in the mythology that we encounter throughout the story. It appears that the cultures and creatures that Tea encounters are a mixture (or what I took to be a mixture) of many Asian cultures which was refreshing to see in a young adult fantasy novel. Chupeco describes the Asha as geisha like individuals that entertain at parties and also fight monsters.

Above all, this novel is beautifully written. It was hard to put into words how the author describes Tea's future. There's a subtle mixture of hope amongst the tragedy that this protagonist discusses with the Bard. To fully understand readers would have to experience the story for themselves. Chupeco has certainly created a wonderfully dark novel that I cannot wait to see where this story goes.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha, The Tiger's Curse series, interesting mythology, and overall badass female characters.

THIS BOOK IS MY FAVORITE OF THE YEAR SO FAR. OH. MY. GOD. This was amazing. *hyperventilates*

I got an ARC of The Bone Witch earlier this year through NetGalley and finally got the time in my busy schedule to sit down with it--and I ended up getting a print copy because my local Barnes & Noble broke the release date. How lucky was I? So, I sat down with my shiny new copy and blazed through the first half in a day. I was up in my reading chair till late at night with it; I was up in bed after that reading it. I couldn't put it down.

Chupeco has a rare talent for creating interesting, vivid, and immersive worlds, and The Bone Witch is one of the best I've seen since Sarah J. Maas. The world and its cultures in this book are incredibly unique. Both are a mixture of what we would recognize as Middle-Eastern and East-Asian. Particularly, the world of the Asha--the wielders of magic--are reminiscent of traditional Geisha culture from Japan. Asha wear elaborate and expensive silk "hua" that are given to them by the "mother" or mistress of their house in which they live and that provides for them when they become novices in the art of magic. These hua are unique to each Asha, and the debt that incurs from the cost of these items plus any instruction and so forth must be paid back by the Asha. This is on par with traditional Geisha culture--Geisha, when they have debuted and are earning money, must pay back the debt incurred for their care and instruction to their house and its "mother." And again, the Asha's "hua" described are very similar in appearance to kimono. This cultural detail added a unique dimension to this story, and I haven't really seen this done elsewhere.

What further adds to the immersive and colorful world within The Bone Witch, is its mixing of Middle-Eastern culture into the Japanese-inspired elements. There are cultures that cover their heads (the women do anyway), observe social customs regarding the separation of the sexes--we see this with a maid working in the Velarian where Tea (our main character) lives and is apprenticing as an Asha. The maid does not view being around Tea's brother as appropriate because he is not family, so she separates herself. A lot of the otherworldly creatures that readers will encounter in this book are also reminiscent of demons and other mythical beasts found in Middle-Eastern and Asian mysticism. In a nutshell, I appreciate and love that this novel didn't take the usual route with building a fantasy world that is reminiscent of the English middle-ages. That gets so boring--not so with The Bone Witch. And can I just say that the atmosphere in this novel is so dark it is scintillating? I love dark stories.

I also really like the plotting and structure of Chupeco's novel. Sections alternate between brief narratives happening "now" in which Tea and a bard discuss her past, and then the actual chapter that follows will dive into the actual story. When taken holistically, this shows how Tea grows and develops as a person and Asha, and it allows readers an interesting to see just how much she changes through her triumphs and struggles. Tea is very three-dimensional, interesting, and sympathetic. She walks a moral grey area and is dark in personality in her world, and this makes her unique in comparison with other characters from the same genre.

Finally, Chupeco's writing style overall is beautiful, descriptive, and lyrical. Descriptions are vivid, colorful, and the pacing of this story will suck readers in from the first chapters. Before I knew it, I was turning the final pages. I want to go back and read this book all over again--I can't express enough how fantastic and well-done this book is. Five out of five stars is just not good enough!

If you're a fan of fantasy fiction, magic, NECROMANCY, and immersive, well-developed characters and worlds that you could live in, pick The Bone Witch up. It deserves all the buzz it's getting and more. This is my #1 pick of the year.

The Bone Witch has such an intriguing fantasy world – it is a bit odd and dark (at times confusing!), but the cool thing is it’s not like anything I’ve ever read! I think what makes The Bone Witch stand out is the unique plot and magic system. It is seriously so intricate and unique! The plot is really complex and can get quite confusing sometimes, but hey it leaves some mystery for the sequel! And I can’t wait for the sequel after the ending. And that cover is seriously perfection! I did have a couple of issues with the story, but overall it was a pretty good start to a new ya series.

So Tea (Tay-uh) is a bone witch who can gasp resurrect the dead. If that isn’t a creepy ability I don’t know what is! Anyway, she finds this out when she brings her brother Fox back to life. There aren’t a lot of bone witches in this world who’s power is to summon the dead. Tea can also “read” people through a heartsglass necklace that can tell her what people are feeling and it is so fascinating. Anyway, the story follows Tea as she trains to be an asha when she is taken away for training. But it also follows a second POV from a bard who’s looking for a bone witch, and their stories intertwine.

I do have a couple gripes as to why this book isn’t quite a 5 star for me. Number one, I love detailed descriptions as much as the next guy but I think the descriptions were a bit much. Let me rephrase that – it was wayyyy too much. It really slowed down the plot which goes into my next issue. Number two, the pacing of the book really goes downhill after about a third of the book. There were times, and I hate to say it, I was bored and struggled to continue. At least for me personally, good pacing keeps boredom at bay. I wanted to see more of her abilities in the real world as opposed to a play by play of her training, you know? It ends up picking up toward the end with the daevas, but until then it was kinda boring during parts of it.

Even though I have a few issues, it is still has cool necromancy set in a dark fantasy world that I can’t wait to see develop more in the sequel!

Am I the one who is in love with this book?

When I read a story slowly that means, I don't like it, but this is the first novel that I have stopped myself from finishing it quickly because I have to digest everything. Everything was amazing to me. The imagination of Rin Chupeco is spectacular. I felt that I was in another world, another time and another dimension. It was surreal!

Tea was not your typical protagonist. She is a Bone Witch/Dark Asha, one that people are afraid to encounter with because she is just so powerful. There is something so mysterious, and at the same time, intriguing with Tea Pahlavi.

Fox, Tea's dead brother or so called familiar is loyal and protective of her. I actually like Fox and I'm glad that Tea returned him from the grave.

Lady Mykaela is a wonderful Dark Asha that truly sees potential with Tea. I'm very curious with The Oracle and I hope that I learn more about her.

Tea's THREE K: Kance, the prince whom she is infatuated to, Khalad, the heartforger/prince who might secretly like Tea and Kalen, the duke/prince's royal guard who hates Tea.

I was jumping in joy when I found out who Tea truly loves because my guess was correct! I couldn't wait for the second book on how their love to each other blooms.

I didn't expect the Faceless/antagonist, I really thought it was Zoya or Farhi. Great job Rin!

What I'm looking forward to book two: Tea's power over the monsters, Tea's Asha sisters, including Mistress Parmina, the Bard and Tea's exile and of course, Tea's revenge.

The Bone Witch is a fantasy about a world where witches called asha are trained to be refined women, and the society is threatened by a league of dark ones called the Faceless that seek to control the demons called daeva and wreak havoc. Tea is a Dark asha, a bone witch in less-than-nice terms, who can raise creatures and people from the dead, and whose duty it is to periodically kill the seven daeva so as to protect the general populace. The book begins with her on a distant beach, getting interviewed by an as of yet unnamed Bard and from this flows the story of her life until that point. The prose style is much like a biography, told in retrospect, and lush with details about her life as a novitiate, an apprentice asha and then when she finally defeats her first enemy. But coming back to the present (the one with the bard) we also learn that she defected from her sister-witches and is now seeking vengeance. The slow developing of the story gets us from her coming into her powers to that moment where she is in exile, but not quite - there is still a gap from the last moment of the past (in this book) to the present, which I suppose will come in future books.

The world of The Bone Witch is created splendidly with details - a continent of 8 kingdoms, each with distinct cultures, most of which resemble Asian cultures, but still have a diverse array of characters of color. The author goes onto describe clothes, customs, food, appearances - all of which show an eye for detail, but also to show the readers that it is a vastly dreamed world. However, this extreme level of elaboration also means that we get a lot of information into what they are wearing and eating on a nearly daily basis, which often makes the plot drag. The pace suffers because we are lost learning about their foods, and their customs, and I feel a better balance between the two could have struck. I loved the level of detail but wished it didn't make this book feel like it took eons to read.

The magic of the world is, I feel, an excellently based one, but I don't see what it has got to do with training the asha in a manner similar to geishas - particularly because the abilities to draw runes (reminded me so much of onmyoudou, that one) is not limited to women. Even men can have powers in this world, but they are relegated to being soldiers. In the form of Likh, this notion is being challenged but it remains to see where this notion of patriarchy will be taken in future books. As for the romance, I was constantly on the look out for who was going to be the love interest, but the author delivers a nice surprise at the end. I was delighted, and very interested in how he came to be the one she loved, but that mystery is not solved in this book.

Overall, it is a well-constructed book but I wish it were better edited to balance out the meticulous details with progression in the plot. 3.5 stars for this book, and high hopes for the sequel.

The Bone Witch's world is incredibly intricate and spell-binding. I can only describe it as Tim Burton meets Memoirs of a Geisha with its horror and its beauty. Its originality is stunning, and it's one of my favourite high fantasy reads. It follows the story of an undiscovered witch, Tea, who accidentally raises her beloved elder brother, Fox, from the dead at his own funeral. Immediately afterwards, she is whisked away to be trained as a proper witch--called asha in this story. Her rise through the ranks of witches, and all the lessons that come with that, isn't a smooth road.
If you're a reader who doesn't like books centered solely on character growth with a vague plot, this may not be the book for you. However, I'm one of those people, and I absolutely loved this book.

I really loved Tea's relationship with her brother, and how the difference between the different bonds they have--familial, as well as witch and her familiar--are explained as the story goes on without getting too confusing. To my surprise and absolute delight, Fox maintains a sense of humour about his demise and resurrection.

In this book, there are two POV: Tea's, and a bard who seeks out a bone witch and plans to sing about her life. The styles are extremely different; the bard's is heavy while Tea's is happy-go-lucky. In her POV, we see the world in a light but haunting manner, and it makes you want to find out how Tea ended up in the place where the bard found her.

People literally wear their hearts around their neck, in what's called a 'heartsglass', which displays their feelings. Accompanied with its own original folklore and mythology about monstrous beasts called daeva, the horror and beauty mesh so well in Chupeco's The Bone Witch.
This book also confronts toxic masculinity and how it prevents people from reaching their full potential. Asha--what witches are called in this book--are not only sword-wielders and weavers of magic; they must abide by their traditions. Most of them undergo training to make them more refined, and skilled singing, dancing, mastering flower arrangement, and more. This is because, though they're powerful on their own, they must learn how to coax a patronizing man in order to put him in his place without using their power--which could make the kingdoms turn on them.
There's such amazing description throughout the book, painting every second of it in your mind's eye. The different diverse characters and their struggles are all very compelling.

A few negative things: the love triangle that's hinted at in the second half of the book, and there's the occasional information dump.

This book drew me in from the first page and I can't wait to read the sequel.

I grabbed this book since they were giving it away as a free ARC. I enjoyed the book but did find it a bit confusing. I would let that deter anyone from picking it up because it was quite interesting but it isn't my normal read so maybe that's way I couldn't fully get it.

I was very excited when I first received the ARC for this book, but was a little let down.

The story flips back and forth between the viewpoint of the Bard, a man who has found Tea in the present tense and talks to her about how she became a dark asha, or bone witch. The other view is Tea’s from the past – essentially as she tells her tale to the Bard. As the story unfolds you know that eventually Tea is somewhat banished to where she is telling him her story, her viewpoint is meant to bring you full circle I suppose to how she got there. Except obviously, since it is only book one, you only get a portion of that part.

I love world building. It is one of my favorite parts of reading. Diving into a new world while I get to know my characters. Chupeco did a beautiful job of reinventing geishas and merging them with this dark magical power. Along with the role the geishas play, it was wonderful to see a male counterpart with the Deathseekers. I loved the idea of the heartstones and the role they play with each person. My only criticism to the world building was that it was a little excessive. There was a lot of details that made the story almost draw out a little too much. However, all the history and culture has set up a wonderful base for the rest of the series.A majority of the book was spent describing her everyday life, duties, and what she was wearing. Think Memoirs of a Geisha with a small splash of Middle Eastern and magic.

The actual story was very slow to unravel. I blame all the details. I found myself, quite honestly, falling asleep while I was reading the book. There were quite a few times that I wanted to give up and DNF, but I feel a little too obligated to finish since I had received an ARC. Even as the story did progress, I found it to be quite dull. The challenges that Tea had to overcome were drowned out by the tediousness of the surrounding details. There was never a moment that I found myself flipping through the pages to see what happens next.

There was a slight romantic aspect in the book. But it is such a small detail throughout the book that it is hardly worth mentioning. As it turns out, I have a feeling that the role of the love interest for Tea will play a slightly bigger role in the sequel. In this portion of the story they seem to be supporting characters.

All in all, as much as I love the idea of using geisha roles in a magical book, I found that it was poorly executed by drowning it in detail. A little more excitement could have gone a long way, especially earlier on to catch the readers before they give up at 25%.

The Bone Witch starts of with a gatherer of stories finding the asha who is known as the Bone Witch. The unknown storyteller manages to wrangle how the Bone Witch came to be despite her young age and so the tale starts.

The Bone Witch's strong point is the world building and the character development of the main protagonist Tea. This is a fantasy adventure story which spans a few storylines. The wording and description is definitely great, very detailed and it does capture the readers imagination. The pacing tends to be a little slow sometimes but it definitely has a nice adventure thing going on.

Overall its an enjoyable read for fans of intricate world building and main characters who does develop as the story evolves.