*Spoiler free*
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love. Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love. Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death. Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
I wasn’t sure about this book for awhile. Soul mate books are always hit or miss for me and books about the dead are also always hit or miss for me. It didn’t sound like something I would normally read and I wasn’t sure I would like it. But, I had seen so many people be excited about and I kind of wanted to give it a try. So, I decided to just give it a try to give it a try.
Dang, I ended up absolutely loving this book. It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s an amazing fantasy, with spectacular characters, a mind blowing world, and a plot filled with so much of the best kind of tension.
Alright, I guess I’ll start off with the world, because I seriously, seriously fell in love with. I’m such a huge fan of fantasy worlds and this one was spectacularly done. I loved the bone graces, I loved the catacombs, I loved the gods, I loved rituals, I just loved everything about. It’s just packed full of so many amazing thing, and I loved how they all worked together. And I loved finding out new things along with Sabine, Ailesse, or Bastien as they try to puzzle things out. Just, there’s so many cool things. There’s a freaking shark fight in the first chapter. There’s women who lure men on bridges to kill them. There’s dead souls who have to be ferried into the underworld. And even more than that and then on top of that there are secrets being kept and new things that come to light. I could go on and on. It was so fasnicating.
I also really, really loved the characters. I’m a bit bitter that only Bastien and Ailesse are on the cover, since Sabine is just a big of a part of the story. Even the side characters, Jules and Marcel, seemed like main characters. (I kind of hope they get a POV somewhere, I liked them so much!) Bastein is filled with anger and a thirst for revenge. Ailesse is fierce and will never back down from a fight. Sabine is softer, she doesn’t want to hurt anybody. But she is just as fierce, just in her own way. They were all such great characters, and I loved them all.
The plot was absolutely brilliant. It’s filled with tension and heart pounding moments because you know things, but certain characters don’t and you just want everybody know everything so they can make the informed decisions and your heart can’t stop pounding. It’s amazing. Plus, there’s secrets being kept. I’m not sure how some things work in this world, but I’m really, really eager to find out. Plus, there’s so much sword, staff, and knife fighting and it’s amazing.
The one thing I’m not too sure of it the development and how everything ties together. I’m not quite sure where the characters are going. It became a little clearer throughout the book, but I’m still not quite sure. I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes in the second book, but I would have liked all three POVs to intersect more and for their development to have been a bit more clear. But, that’s just me and so much other stuff was happening that I can’t complain too much.
Seriously, this book is incredible. It has really, really fantastic characters, who feel so real and so full of feeling. The world is brilliant, with so many amazing things packed into it. It’s filled with tension and an ending that made me want to have the second book in my hands right this very second (I am holding back spoilers but ahhhh). Ah, it’s so good.
Bone Crier’s Moon comes out March 10, 2020! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!
Thank you for reading!
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