Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

the bone witch (Rin Chupeco)

Title: the bone witch

Author: Rin Chupeco

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: TODAY!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1492635826

Source: NetGalley

This novel be pure magic. I read it in one sitting and fell in love with the author's writing and the world she created. The main character, Tea, learns that she is a bone witch when she instinctively raises her brother from the dead in her grief. Because of the rarity of her powers and the fact that bone witches be hated and feared, Tea leaves her family to train and learn to control her powers.

The novel is told from two perspectives - Tea in the past and a bard in the present. I loved the juxtaposition of witnessing Tea's thoughts about training and the bard's views of what she looks like to an "outsider" in her full strength and poise.

This novel is slow paced but filled with glorious details. It was the details that made the world and story come vividly to life. Things like the descriptions of magic woven into clothing, the elaborate training of the witches (known as asha). the different ethnicities of people, or even types food, made me feel that the author was describing a real place. Or at least a place well known to her.

Add in fantastical creatures called the daeva and I was mesmerized. What are daeva? Well according to the author's website they are "Deadly creatures that roam the land . . . To defeat these beasts, one must find and rip their bezoar from their bodies – although such an action is only a temporary respite, as they are capable of resurrection." They are all different shapes and sizes. How Tea deals with these monsters is at the heart of the story and one of the main reasons I loved it.

This book was a lovely set-up. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series when it comes out and while impatiently waiting, I will try and get me grubby mitts on her debut novel, the girl from the well.

Side note: the author's about me page is awesome! In fact, I rather enjoyed pursuing the whole site. Check it out.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire!

Netgalley's website has this to say about the novel:

Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Rin Chupeco – Author

To buy the novel go to:

the bone witch - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Keep a Weathered Eye Out for Sourcebook Fire's Other Offerings Like:

labyrinth lost (Zoraida Cordova)

there was so much potential for this book. honestly, the summary and everything i’d heard about online painted this book in a positive light. sadly, this book was a lot less than what i’d hoped for. the writing style was beautiful. some reviews i’ve seen say it’s too descriptive, but i really enjoyed it in this book. even though it’s so poetic, i felt confused a lot of the time. i had no idea what was going on or why.

this could also be due to the lack of actual plot. it felt as if nothing was actually happening. i didn’t particularly mind this, but it did make the book very slow to get through and to understand what’s going on. i feel like this is a good setup for the next few books, and could’ve been a novella rather than a full-length novel. there is definitely potential here.

The two timelines thing was very confusing. I honestly had no idea what was going on and skim read it as I was so lost. According to some reviews I’ve looked at, it’s like a flash forward type thing(??). it didn’t add anything to the story and it would’ve been better had it been cut out.

the beginning/first 50% of this book was very good. i was hooked. i loved the world, the characters and nearly everything. unfortunately, the second half of this book was totally different. there’s hardly any action (when i thought there’d be quite a lot). i wish there was more dealings with the necromancy stuff. i found that really interesting. pretty much all that happens is a whole bunch of tea party stuff and socialization. and her training consisted of dancing and singing, which made no sense to me and wasn’t really explained. like, how is dancing or singing going to help her use her dark magic?

on a good note, i really liked tea. although her name is very strange. i liked fox, her brother, and their relationship. i wish there was more development with these characters (as well as their relationship, especially since fox is dead). i absolutely loved likh, and how he wanted to do something even though it was looked down upon as a “woman’s thing”.

overall, yes this book is fairly boring and confusing, i still really enjoyed it. i think it sets up everything well for the sequel, and i can’t wait to read it. (i certainly hope there’s more use of magic and action).

DNF at 22%

I'm sorry but I'm just so bored. I'm literally dozing off reading this.

From the first glance at the delicate scrollwork on the cover, I was drawn into this story. The story follows a young girl telling her own story, starting with being rescued from sure ostracization following the discovery of a strong and unusual power. However it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as she becomes a house servant rather than immediately receiving the training she thought she would. She does eventually receive training and has a chance to prove her worth and her talent, but the mystery is what happens between the past and present. Longing to belong, to help, to do what is asked and be recognized as part of something are themes that run through the story, but so are taking ownership, becoming powerful, doing what is right. This story is poised to join the fantasy YA pantheon, and readers will be clamoring for the followup as soon as they close the cover.

Besides the gorgeous cover, what's inside is worth your time as well! This novel is engrossing, I love the world building and the alternating timelines. Chupeco doles out details as though you are already familiar with the history of this world, which usually frustrates me, but works in this case. The protagonist is a young girl that exhibits powers that are rare, despised, and desperately needed all at the same time. You know from the beginning that something happens to cast her out of society, I never lost interest in finding out what exactly happened. I can't wait for the next book, definitely on my watch list for release!

With plenty of world-building and description, "The Bone Witch" would be a good recommendation for those YA readers who enjoyed "The Lord of the Rings" books. An intriguing and exciting story begins to unfold, and there's a rumor floating around that there will be a book 2. I hope that means all the action is packed into book 2 because "The Bone Witch" was simply not for me.

I am a reader who craves action. While this book had plenty of character developing events, they lacked the bite that I was seeking. All of the elements are there; they just don't quite come together to make this a compelling read. For example:

Tea (pronounced Tay-uh for those like me who read it as 'tee' at first) has insane amounts of power and unbelievable things happen around her, but she is... egads!... boring. I feel like she's the Twilight movie version of Bella. "Yeah, I have tons of power, but I'm really not into it. I'm shy, and everything's like whatever." I hope that the events of this book make her into the badass I know she can be!

Early-on Fox (Tea's brother) is raised from the dead, and it doesn't seem to have as horrifying repercussions as I would have hoped. As a matter of fact, he's polite, well-reasoned, and just an all around nice guy. Usually magic has unintended consequences, but we don't see much of that here.

The creatures - when present they are breath-taking! My favorite portions of the book were about these guys. However, their appearances are few and far between.

The description. Whoever wrote it did a fantastic job!

Amazing concept! The details of this world are clearly thought out and often explained. I mean, heartglasses? Manufacturing hearts? How cool is that?! Colors of hearts change but you can only see it if you're magical? Yes, please! Three different kinds of witches? Totally on board. Turn it into a saga and make books about each kind. I'd be down for that.

The dual narration. Loved knowing that what I was reading was important later on.

So with all of this amazing stuff going for it, this book should have had me staying up until 2 am to finish it. Why didn't it? I can only think of one thing and that's pacing. It felt so slow.

Will I come back for book 2? You bet your sweet bippy I will! I am hoping that's where all the action is, and I really do like the world that Rin Chupeco has created. I have faith in this author and publisher to take all of this potential and make the next book something to remember!

DNF - 15% I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. All of the descriptions were SO LONG and the "plot" was moving at a snail's pace. I was so bored reading this book and when I saw that other reviewers thought the second half of the book was even slower, I decided to cut my losses. This one is just not for me.

I am so, so disappointed in this book, which started out so strong.

The first few chapters of this novel set you up for a fantastic story: set in a world where people literally wear their hearts around their necks (the emotional heart, their soul, not the actual organ), Tea is discovered to be a dark Asha, or bone witch, when she raises her brother from the dead at 12 years old. Bone witches are rare, and she's taken away from her family, across the land, to learn to fight demonic creature to protect the world.

I finished the book feeling angry, and it took me quite a while to realize why. But it hit me - this book was leading me on. You see, between each chapter is a short segment that takes place when Tea is 17. She now has a black heartstone, is exiled to the ends of the earth, and is raising demons of her own. It teases how she will do a terrible, despicable thing, that will kill "the one she loves" as well as her mentor. All the while, the novel teases this insane act: what did Tea do to deserve banishment?

Spoiler alert - we never know.

After the brilliant beginning, the story quickly becomes really dull. We follow Tea as she grows from a 12 to 15 year old. We follow her year as an indentured servant. She then follow her classes as an Asha novice. All the while, she grows in age, but I don't think she grew as a person. She still is stubborn yet goes with the flow of things. There's a subplot about her friend who must dress as a girl to avoid getting recruited as a soldier (that's not really developed, then then left hanging). It's just... dull. Nothing that happens seems to alter Tea as a person, or stick to the story. Things. Just. Happen.

So I kept reading this book, to see what she does that is so terrible to send her to this exile, and... nope, that's for the next book! I feel betrayed. Authors don't owe anything to their readers, but I feel like they broke the unwritten pact between author and reader. They led us on with the promise of conclusion and finality, only to tell us to get the next installment. I don't TRUST that the author can or will deliver.

Even the big twist at the end of the novel was actually a small twist. It's sudden, unexpected, and felt hashed.

I did quite like the world building in this novel, but there was too much description, not enough plot, and got dull, fast. I'm sorry I hung on until the end, and I should have put it down when I started getting bored.

I could not get into this book. It just didn't hold my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for the ARC, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. I enjoyed the sweeping fantasy world Tea grew up in with her parents, brothers, and sisters (all witches). When 11 year old Tea brings her dead brother back to life on the day of his funeral, her world dramatically changes and rather than being respected, she is now an object of scorn and fear as one who can raise the dead. Tea is nursed back to health and quickly taken with her brother, Fox, to train as an asha by a bone witch, Mylaeka. The story is told in the past and the present (kind of had some confusion there). I loved the witches, the heartglass, and the many other scary demonic beasts and dragons. I will definitely be reading this series because there are still so many questions that I need answers to and am rooting for Tea and Fox’s bond to become even stronger. As a bone witch, I want to see Tea be a force and learn/explore more about who she is and those she must serve with lots of suspense and action.

5 Asha Approved Stars

I'm absolutely in love with this book! The intricate details the author put into The Bone Witch is flawless. She opens up a whole different world of witches, humans and the creatures that live amongst them. I have never read a book quite like this one.


The Bone Witch is about a young girl named Tea who just found out that she's a dark asha or a Bone Witch. Lady Mykaela took her under her wings to teach her how to harness her dark power before it consumes her. Also to protect her as people look down on Bone Witches as they think they are evil.

Even though Tea is young starting out in the book I never really got the sense I was reading from a young girl's perspective. She seemed much older and wiser beyond her years and I think that's another reason why I enjoyed this book so much. There was some acting out like you have from any young girl but it wasn't annoying and didn't make you want to put the book down.

In fact I couldn't put it down. I read it every free chance I had and dreamt about it when I wasn't reading it. That's the amazing world and storyline Rin created. You could close your eyes and see the landscape, the Asha'ka, all the different hues, the oracle and her home, the Asha, and even the daeva.

The Bone Witch is an intriguing tale of beauty,love, deception and what one would do at no costs to avenge the love she lost.

This book ends on a giant cliff hanger. That took a star away for me.

Folks who enjoy the "frame story" narrative used in Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles may enjoy this, as a similar technique is used in this book, even down to a bard being the one who is hearing the story.

I like the magic system in this book, and I'm very interested in the main character. I feel like this is a book that's going to be marketed to the YA audience, but I think there's plenty of crossover appeal to adult fantasy fans as well, Tea may be young, but she's pretty ruthless. I also very much enjoyed all of the non-Western influences in the story, from the food to the clothing to things I probably can't recall right now.

Okay, I give this more of a 3.5 stars rather than a 4 but since that isn't an option I've rounded it up. But sake for review its a solid 3.5. I really, really loved the beginning. It hooked me from the start. I found the writing to be beautiful and simple, yet very compelling. It reminded me in style a bit like The Bear and the Nightingale-although I liked that book much more over all. But the sense of reading an other world story and a very old timey, interesting fairy tale is here with this book too. I felt like the story started so strong that it started to fall a bit flat and not as interesting as it went on and in some cases started to feel like other fantasy YA that I've read in the past year. I really liked this story overall and I found the world this author is writing about to be so interesting that I definitely want to continue on with it. I'm looking forward to more-I felt the ending was too abrupt and open ended.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Like a well-crafted chocolate truffle, melting in one’s mouth, some stories are just as beautifully created. The Bone Witch is a wonderful story about magic, betrayal, love and fate. I have to warn any reader, though, this book starts out very slow, which can be a bit of a turn off for most since it takes about 20% for the story to fully begin and capture the reader.
The plot is intriguing. As slow as it begins, the plot is mysterious enough to keep me motivated to continue, mostly because of the prologues that accompany each chapter. The slow narration of the protagonist’s life and her metamorphosis from a simple village girl into the bone witch, and the political and social implications as well as the burdens that come with becoming what she was meant to be are a great foundation for beautiful storytelling.
The narration was well chosen for this type of story. Written in the first person point of view, it provides the reader with a level of insight and knowledge into the protagonist’s life that was extremely beneficial to the overall beauty of the story.
The characters were created very well, with great depths and multidimensional personalities that enriched the story tremendously. I enjoyed both the main and secondary characters equally. The dry humour and wit shown by all and the mysterious male interest make for a great mix.
The writing was captivating. Before I knew it, I was flying through half the book without knowing it. It flowed effortlessly.
Overall, I read a few reviews that voiced their displeasure about this story, which I could not really see while reading it myself. It was a great story, great world building and a perfect set up for the second installment, which cannot come soon enough. I would recommend it to anyone, who enjoys mystery, magic, fantasy and a strong female lead.

This was a very unusual book. The timeline moves back and forth a bit from the present day from the Bard's point of view to Tea's past in her point of view.

There are dragons or dragon-like creatures (not quite sure on that) that rise up and terrorize cities. The "Asha" have magical abilities and especially dark "Asha" have the ability to put them back down to keep the towns safe. The book seems like it is set in a cross between China, Japan and India. The "Asha" seem to be similar to the Japanese Geisha to me. They are taught to dance, sing and entertain the nobles when they come to town. But they are also taught to fight and use Runes.

Tea is discovered to be a dark Asha when she accidentally raises her brother. The end of the story has a bit of a cliffhanger and now I have to see what happens in the next book.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for providing me a ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I DNF'd this book at 43%. I may revisit this book over the summer when I have more time.

I loved the premise of this book and the cover is absolutely stunning.. However, it just fell short of what I think the author had hoped to portray to readers. When I first started this book, it felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on me. The imagery was stunning, but I had no idea what was going on. Words were being thrown around casually that had yet to be explained, and I was a little hesitant on if I should continue. I knew those questions would be answered at some point, but I really dislike that initial feeling of utter chaos and confusion.

Tea also is special. Snowflake special. I just couldn't relate, and I found it extremely hard to understand that while she's becoming the most powerful Asha ever....she doesn't do much to influence the plot. Again, since I DNF'd this book, I don't know exactly what she did beyond that point, so perhaps I am mistaken. I also struggled to understand the magic system, and I feel like by the halfway mark I should be able to understand the basic rules of the world's magic as well as see some definable plot.

Just because this wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours. I'm positive that this will be liked by many. I really enjoyed the emphasis on the sibling bond, the Asha, intriguing premise, and I think the way the story switched from present to past frequently worked out wonderfully. The writing was beautiful and descriptive, but I just struggled to related to the main character and wasn't really grasping what the plot was by the time I was nearly halfway through the book.

I was really looking forward to reading this one. The cover is amazing (so much so that I promised myself to get the hardback version after reading it through). The surmise promised so many awesome things - hints of the Asian culture, myths, a character's struggles, and magic.

The writing itself was lovely. The world comes to life on so many levels. The society, the inner struggles and daily life are easy to sink into. There were times when I'd hit a phrase, and it'd make me pause because it described things in such a beautiful and perfect way. This isn't something I've run into often and was surprised to find myself stopping just to repeat such perfect phrases.

The book is written as a flip-flop between two settings/times. The first is set in the future, when the Bone Witch (Tea) is with the bard, who is recording her tale. These sections were usually only a few pages as a sprinkle between the heart of the book-Tea's story. Still, these were the settings I enjoyed the most, since they were the ones which radiated the most personality, emotions and sympathy.

The second setting/time is Tea's story itself. This is narrated from Tea's stand point and begins with her not knowing of her powers until her brother dies, and she accidentally raises him from the dead. Although this is the pulp of the book, the characters remained at an arm-length away, making it very hard to connect with them. This was especially disappointing in several of the relationships (Tea to her brother), where the emotional bond was told to be strong and could have been beautiful, but was never given a chance to leave the typed word.

The plot itself promised much but didn't hold pace. The descriptions and explanations of the society take over. Although they are masterfully done, the plot is left in the shadows making especially the second of the of the book fall into a slow pace.

There is a romantic triangle, which is a thing of personal taste. With a better character connection and emotions, this could have offered more.

Summed up, this simply wasn't what I'd been hoping for. The writing is beautiful, and I'm sure others might enjoy the tale simply for this lovely depth. However, without a tighter connection to the characters, and a more distinct and quicker paced plot, it wasn't a read for me.

I will be honest, I struggled with this book. Even though I found the main character, Tea, and her brother, Fox, to be very interesting, the story dragged. I liked the two different points of view that take place, one in the present and one in the past. There were too many details and which caused me to lose interest. I did like the premise of this book, I just wish it kept my attention better. It sounds as if there will be a sequel. I will give it a try because I think story still has lots of potential.

The Bone Witch
by Rin Chupeco

Book has a lovely cover which catches the eye with it's haunting design. The lonely girl on the cliff edge and the skull a hint at things inside.

I suggest you read this novel instead of using the audio version. The story goes back and forth between past and present. It can be confusing to listen to.

I had trouble with this story. The beginning was interesting but I just couldn't get into the plot. The second part was too much information about the "training" and costumes of the asha. It was not as interesting as the first part.

Sorry, but this is just not my kind of novel.

I received this novel from NetGalley for an honest review.

DNF @ 46%

I'm trying so hard to like this, I promise, but it's just really boring. Nothing is happening, and from all the reviews I'm seeing, unfortunately nothing does happen. There is so much potential for a great story here with interesting magic and being able to bring people back from the dead. It is very well written, but it's all bogged down by too much description (every dress had a full paragraph describing it!) and just not enough excitement.

At times I actually was getting pulled into the story, but then the chapter would end and the story would jump over to the future where Tea was telling her story and it just pulled me back out of the story. I'm sure that was going somewhere, but it was more jarring and kept making me pause my reading to do something else.

I always feel so guilty putting a book down, especially a review copy but I don't want to force myself to read something that I'm not enjoying.