Hello everyone! I finished Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie yesterday and immediately had to write a review for this breathtaking start of a new duology! Keep reading if you want to learn more about what may very well be my favorite read of 2020!
About the Book
Title: Bone Crier’s Moon
Author: Kathryn Purdie
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 1st Person (from 3 different points of view)
Page Count: 480 Pages
Release Date: 3/3/20
Synopsis: 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.
Review
Pros
- Absolutely stunning cover!
- CHARACTER GROWTH (We really get to see Sabine grow from a sidekick character to a character with her own agency and strength)
- Unique Magic System, with a rich mythology to support it.
- Twists and Turns everywhere
- The side characters felt like actual characters as well
- Strong Friendships (I enjoyed this more than the actual romance)
- Pacing (there were no lulls in the story, which is amazing for a book that’s nearly 500 pages long.
Cons
- The romance seemed a little unnatural (I would have liked to see more of a slow burn in this enemies-to-lovers romance)
- One symbol in the novel, a silver owl, seemed to be a deus ex machina, which slightly bothered me at times. (Imagine having the hints on in a video game so that you can’t lose. That’s the owl for me.)
- THE CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!! (I need the sequel right now)
I am so pleased that this book had far more Pros than Cons. Bone Criers Moon was a breathtaking read that had me flipping pages quite literally until the sun came up. It was paced perfectly, and between the 3 points of view, something was always happening. There were definitely times when I wished that I could skip a few chapters and continue on from a certain characters POV, because all three storylines were so compelling, and so were the voices of each of our main characters. I honestly can’t tell you who I liked best, but it was great to be in their heads while reading this book.
As I mentioned in the Cons, one issue that I had was with the romance. It seemed like it went from -100 to 0 to 10 to 1000 way to quickly for my liking. I think that a slower burn, built up more on the page and over long periods of time might have been more realistic. I definitely like the pairing of Bastien and Ailesse, but I didn’t find myself swooning at their interactions. I hope that this gets built up more in the next book of the duology.
There’s so much that I could say about this book! The settings are all gorgeous and felt very vivid in my mind. I probably would have liked to see more of the world, but the locations that were important were fleshed out well. I loved how certain details about the magic system, certain characters, and the world itself were slowly unveiled over time. There were very few info dumps, and they never felt like proper info dumps, but just information being relayed in a natural way. The author truly has a gift for writing.
I wholeheartedly give this book 5/5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone! Fans of Serpent and Dove or anyone searching for a YA fantasy novel steeped in french folklore will likely love Bone Criers Moon as much as I did!
Thank you for reading!
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I’m so happy you enjoyed this one, it’s high on my TBR!
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