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mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
The opening of The Bone Maker is such a poignant scene of Gothic sorrow, one that's verging on Shakespearean levels of madness, I was immediately intrigued. By the end of the fourth chapter, with its painfully awkward reunion between Kreya and Zera, tragically estranged heroes, and embittered friends, I was hooked.
At that point, I was only expecting a sort of quest adventure to recover the forbidden bones and resurrect Jentt - fallen hero, husband, and friend - but what Sarah Beth Durst has so deftly crafted is the epilogue to an epic adventure. It's a story about what happens after the climax, when the heroes are left to pick up the pieces of their ordinary lives. In many ways, it's a story of friendships and second chances, but it's also a story about the end of a legacy, the acceptance of one's own mortality, and the pursuit of immortality.
The characters are as much the body of the story as the soul. They're fantastic personalities who get inside our head, making us care (deeply) for their sacrifices, their fears, and their futures. At the same time, they represent a cross-section of retired heroism. Kreya, their leader, has retreated into seclusion and neglect, and become entirely consumed with her dead husband. Zera, her best friend, has gone the other way, embracing her legacy to become the vain, shallow, wealthy celebrity she always despised. Marso has fallen into dirty, hermit-like madness, unable to cope with the frayed, dangling threads of their victory, while Stran is the only one to have found a comfortable retirement, living quite happily with his new family on a farm. Jentt, of course, is dead, which leaves him sort of frozen in time, a hero still in his prime and at the height of his purpose.
Then, of course, there are Kreya's rag doll constructs, which are a welcome (if surprising) source of humor and empathy. They're small things with a small role, but I guarantee you'll stand up and take notice every time they appear on the page. It's not steampunk but bonepunk, and the contraptions that Kreya crafts throughout are a welcomes source of wonder and delight.
While plenty of books (and movies) have explored the cliché of getting the old team back together for one last mission, Durst makes it compelling by putting the doubts, fears, and uncertainties of it all front-and-center. These characters are older, they're damaged, and the trust they once had in one another isn't quickly restored. For that matter, the world isn't even convinced it needs them anymore, which is all tied up in a theme of redemption that raises questions of just what horrors we're willing to forgive for the right price.
There are three narrative arcs to The Bone Maker, with the transitions between them transforming the story, keeping the reader wondering where it's all headed. There were genuine surprises here, twists and reveals I didn't see coming, but which are completely in line with the themes being explored. How you build a satisfying climax to a story that's all about what happens after the climax is a challenge, but Durst does a stellar job of navigating all the action, bone-magic, death, and undeath to find a new path to resolution. Highly recommended.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2021/02/fantasy-book-review-bone-maker-by-sarah.html
At that point, I was only expecting a sort of quest adventure to recover the forbidden bones and resurrect Jentt - fallen hero, husband, and friend - but what Sarah Beth Durst has so deftly crafted is the epilogue to an epic adventure. It's a story about what happens after the climax, when the heroes are left to pick up the pieces of their ordinary lives. In many ways, it's a story of friendships and second chances, but it's also a story about the end of a legacy, the acceptance of one's own mortality, and the pursuit of immortality.
The characters are as much the body of the story as the soul. They're fantastic personalities who get inside our head, making us care (deeply) for their sacrifices, their fears, and their futures. At the same time, they represent a cross-section of retired heroism. Kreya, their leader, has retreated into seclusion and neglect, and become entirely consumed with her dead husband. Zera, her best friend, has gone the other way, embracing her legacy to become the vain, shallow, wealthy celebrity she always despised. Marso has fallen into dirty, hermit-like madness, unable to cope with the frayed, dangling threads of their victory, while Stran is the only one to have found a comfortable retirement, living quite happily with his new family on a farm. Jentt, of course, is dead, which leaves him sort of frozen in time, a hero still in his prime and at the height of his purpose.
Then, of course, there are Kreya's rag doll constructs, which are a welcome (if surprising) source of humor and empathy. They're small things with a small role, but I guarantee you'll stand up and take notice every time they appear on the page. It's not steampunk but bonepunk, and the contraptions that Kreya crafts throughout are a welcomes source of wonder and delight.
While plenty of books (and movies) have explored the cliché of getting the old team back together for one last mission, Durst makes it compelling by putting the doubts, fears, and uncertainties of it all front-and-center. These characters are older, they're damaged, and the trust they once had in one another isn't quickly restored. For that matter, the world isn't even convinced it needs them anymore, which is all tied up in a theme of redemption that raises questions of just what horrors we're willing to forgive for the right price.
There are three narrative arcs to The Bone Maker, with the transitions between them transforming the story, keeping the reader wondering where it's all headed. There were genuine surprises here, twists and reveals I didn't see coming, but which are completely in line with the themes being explored. How you build a satisfying climax to a story that's all about what happens after the climax is a challenge, but Durst does a stellar job of navigating all the action, bone-magic, death, and undeath to find a new path to resolution. Highly recommended.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2021/02/fantasy-book-review-bone-maker-by-sarah.html
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this. It was a what happens after the big battle, what happens to heroes when their work is done?
Well they disband their group. And the leader becomes a hermit and resurrects her dead husband time and time again. Even though it really is against the law. That was a bit of a dilemma, I mean yes she steals bones from dead people so he can live, but I mean they are dead! They do not need them. But then every time she uses that magic she looses time of her own life. Soon she will be dead because she has given him too much.
25 years later and Kreya is the hermit, her husband lives from time to time. And she sets out to seek her former companions because she needs help. I'd like to say what her friends are up too, but isn't that spoiling it? They have all gone on with their lives...
I liked the magic. Using animal bones for bursts of speed, for making a wagon run, for so much! They can read the future in bones, and Kreya for example can make contraptions from bones, and the things sort of live then.
And there will be a new adventure, and new fights. Our heroes must be 45-55 by now. I do wish it was felt more. Like they, they got a lot older. Like this is a fantasy world, shouldn't they be senior citizens by now. But yes, yay older heroes.
I enjoyed the book. She writes good fantasy. Always new interesting worlds and magic systems.
Soneela is a great narrator! If I have to say something bad then it is that her voice is almost too soothing, lol. But I always like her narrations, she is great with voices and she does fantasy so well
Well they disband their group. And the leader becomes a hermit and resurrects her dead husband time and time again. Even though it really is against the law. That was a bit of a dilemma, I mean yes she steals bones from dead people so he can live, but I mean they are dead! They do not need them. But then every time she uses that magic she looses time of her own life. Soon she will be dead because she has given him too much.
25 years later and Kreya is the hermit, her husband lives from time to time. And she sets out to seek her former companions because she needs help. I'd like to say what her friends are up too, but isn't that spoiling it? They have all gone on with their lives...
I liked the magic. Using animal bones for bursts of speed, for making a wagon run, for so much! They can read the future in bones, and Kreya for example can make contraptions from bones, and the things sort of live then.
And there will be a new adventure, and new fights. Our heroes must be 45-55 by now. I do wish it was felt more. Like they, they got a lot older. Like this is a fantasy world, shouldn't they be senior citizens by now. But yes, yay older heroes.
I enjoyed the book. She writes good fantasy. Always new interesting worlds and magic systems.
Soneela is a great narrator! If I have to say something bad then it is that her voice is almost too soothing, lol. But I always like her narrations, she is great with voices and she does fantasy so well
onmyreadar's review against another edition
5.0
Went in blind with this one and it did not disappoint. I loved it soooo much. Action-packed, no slow parts. I love their chemistry as a team. Uuuugh!!
uadjet's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
2.75
pahinik's review against another edition
5.0
This was so, so, so good!!! I LOVED the magic system, loved the banter, loved the friendship, and everyone’s character arcs!!! Kreya and Zera’s to be specific.
The Bone Maker was such a fun, fast-paced, exhilarating read with just the right amount of light hearted moments that saved it from becoming too intense. LOVED this book. My second book of 2022, and I already knew it’s one of my best reads of the year.
The Bone Maker was such a fun, fast-paced, exhilarating read with just the right amount of light hearted moments that saved it from becoming too intense. LOVED this book. My second book of 2022, and I already knew it’s one of my best reads of the year.
forfictionssake's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I loved this so much. I love a good happily ever after story as much as the next person.. but there is always that thought of “what happened after that war?”. How do characters deal with the aftermath of winning one but it costing the lives of friends and family?
The Bone Maker explores 5 heroes lives after their group “wins” the war. Dealing with grief, PTSD, and regret we get to see the other side of what happens in a fantasy world after “happily ever after”.
I loved the magic system and the pretty much non-stop action of this book. All the characters were amazing and I really enjoyed each of their POVs. Zera was always there with a witty line to help during the darker moments.
I would love to see a prequel or even a spin off of this world!
The Bone Maker explores 5 heroes lives after their group “wins” the war. Dealing with grief, PTSD, and regret we get to see the other side of what happens in a fantasy world after “happily ever after”.
I loved the magic system and the pretty much non-stop action of this book. All the characters were amazing and I really enjoyed each of their POVs. Zera was always there with a witty line to help during the darker moments.
I would love to see a prequel or even a spin off of this world!
spriggana's review against another edition
4.0
I think I fell in love with the rag doll constructs. ♥
meg02's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0