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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first read this on webtoon and was very excited to see this at my schools library. I very much enjoyed this book
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took forever to get into because of how basically medical it was. I promise it doesn’t remain that way, though some scenes seemed to default to this writing style. I didn’t think I was going to continue the series, but then Kovit came into the picture and honestly, that may be the only reason I do pick the second book up. If you’re looking for morally gray characters you can’t seem to get away from loving and wanting them to have a happy ending by the last chapter, boy do I have the perfect book for you.
This was such a unique, brilliantly written story! We follow our main character, Nita, who some would call a villain while others a hero. It all depends on whose point of view you look at her from. She's a character with a lot of depth and huge growth throughout this first book. I love morally grey characters so I was very excited going into it. And it didn't disappoint me one bit. It's a story that makes you think about what's good and what's evil and where every person's morals lie. It's very gory and dark. Usually when I go into a story expecting gore, it ends up being underwhelming. But this wasn't the case with this one. If you're squeamish and not a fan of reading violent scenes, then I think you should go into this knowing that what's waiting for you will be painted quite vividly for you. I loved the world and the lore behind this story. We meet several creatures that I haven't seen before in other novels. It was very fast paced with lots of twists and turns and I found myself turning the pages so fast just wanting to know what would happen next. I'm really excited to jump into the sequel because I have so many questions and that ending was just amazing! The only reason it's getting 4 stars from me is because the beginning was a bit slow but it picked up quite fast. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes reading dark stories about monsters, or at least what society deems monstrous.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Gruesome, interesting story but got a little tedious from middle to end and I wasn’t invested anymore. I liked the gore, the lack of morals, and the just rawness of it all. But it wasn’t really a good story….
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Are you tired of dark, horror-inspired novels that pull their punches when it matters most? Not Even Bones should cure readers of their skepticism and lingering disappointment. Brimming with monsters and centered around the business of buying and selling their bits and pieces on the black market, it never shies away from the shadowy facets of human nature that allow such an enterprise to continue. Blood-spattered and tense, what it lacks in surprises it makes up for with a colorful world, frightening villains, and two protagonists with personality and spark.
Some main characters find their conscience tested during a narrative; organ-harvesting teenager Nita finds herself developing one instead. In order to help her mother with the business of parceling out supernatural creatures, she's learned to shut off the troublesome voice reminding her that their victims were once real people too, detaching herself from relationships with anyone outside her parents. This lack of empathy may cause problems for some readers, yet it was ultimately refreshing to watch a young woman cultivating a sympathetic nature while remaining true to her snarky, intellectual roots.
Nita has an entertaining foil in Kovit, a supernatural being that feeds off the pain of others, commonly called a zannie. The frighting nature of his kind naturally lends Kovit a fearsome reputation, although he's less inclined to indiscriminate cruelty than his biological demands might imply. Although Not Even Bones moves too quickly to concern itself with romance, the pair has an immediate chemistry that should play out well, regardless of its direction, in future installments.
Learning the bounds and terminology of Schaeffer's alternate reality has a bit of a steep learning curve. Some creatures have familiar names and abilities that match closely with the mythology we already know, while others require a little more explanation. After a brief introductory period, however, everything hums along quite nicely. Not Even Bones never excuses the darkness inherent to its world or plot, embracing the horror of its creations and the actions required to stay alive in their presence. The most squeamish of readers may want to give some thought to exploring further, but most of those intrigued by the premise should find themselves satisfied that it follows through on the tone promised by the synopsis.
Although Not Even Bones' greatest strengths lie in its atmosphere and central characters, it makes use of a couple of respectable twists in order to maintain interest in a series-spanning story. Its only weakness comes from the prose, often too simplistic to hold my attention for long periods of time. I would frequently find myself skimming paragraphs or chapters simply because the language and style couldn't hold my attention. This mismatch kept the book from becoming a runaway success, although Schaeffer's excellent character development and world-building already have me anxious for the sequel. Horror fans hungering for darkness without incessant bleakness will find their tastes amply satisfied in this confident debut.
I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher for review purposes. This did not inform or influence my opinion in any way.
Are you tired of dark, horror-inspired novels that pull their punches when it matters most? Not Even Bones should cure readers of their skepticism and lingering disappointment. Brimming with monsters and centered around the business of buying and selling their bits and pieces on the black market, it never shies away from the shadowy facets of human nature that allow such an enterprise to continue. Blood-spattered and tense, what it lacks in surprises it makes up for with a colorful world, frightening villains, and two protagonists with personality and spark.
Some main characters find their conscience tested during a narrative; organ-harvesting teenager Nita finds herself developing one instead. In order to help her mother with the business of parceling out supernatural creatures, she's learned to shut off the troublesome voice reminding her that their victims were once real people too, detaching herself from relationships with anyone outside her parents. This lack of empathy may cause problems for some readers, yet it was ultimately refreshing to watch a young woman cultivating a sympathetic nature while remaining true to her snarky, intellectual roots.
Nita has an entertaining foil in Kovit, a supernatural being that feeds off the pain of others, commonly called a zannie. The frighting nature of his kind naturally lends Kovit a fearsome reputation, although he's less inclined to indiscriminate cruelty than his biological demands might imply. Although Not Even Bones moves too quickly to concern itself with romance, the pair has an immediate chemistry that should play out well, regardless of its direction, in future installments.
Learning the bounds and terminology of Schaeffer's alternate reality has a bit of a steep learning curve. Some creatures have familiar names and abilities that match closely with the mythology we already know, while others require a little more explanation. After a brief introductory period, however, everything hums along quite nicely. Not Even Bones never excuses the darkness inherent to its world or plot, embracing the horror of its creations and the actions required to stay alive in their presence. The most squeamish of readers may want to give some thought to exploring further, but most of those intrigued by the premise should find themselves satisfied that it follows through on the tone promised by the synopsis.
Although Not Even Bones' greatest strengths lie in its atmosphere and central characters, it makes use of a couple of respectable twists in order to maintain interest in a series-spanning story. Its only weakness comes from the prose, often too simplistic to hold my attention for long periods of time. I would frequently find myself skimming paragraphs or chapters simply because the language and style couldn't hold my attention. This mismatch kept the book from becoming a runaway success, although Schaeffer's excellent character development and world-building already have me anxious for the sequel. Horror fans hungering for darkness without incessant bleakness will find their tastes amply satisfied in this confident debut.
I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher for review purposes. This did not inform or influence my opinion in any way.
in spite of having a juvenile writing style that wasn't the best, this book was such a morbid page turner. the plot was fast paced, the characters were consistently morally grey, and every time I thought it couldn't make me feel queasier and more grossed out, it did. and honestly? I was all for it