Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Bones of Ruin

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley

13 reviews

littlebluenaiad's review against another edition

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arsenelouppain's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I wanted to like this book so bad! It's got a great premise, and I loved the writing style. I also think the author is really cool!

My main complaint is about the protagonist, Iris. I found her largely unlikeable and her behavior was downright erratic at times. I lost it when

she decided to make out with a dude in the middle of a mission where lives hung in the balance.

It took me five months to get through this just because I hated Iris so, so much.

I was also not a fan of the love triangle (love square? Love pentagon? Maybe even a hexagon.) It was unnecessary and annoying to read through. Perhaps just Jinn and Adam would have been fine. But

Max?

They barely even knew each other! I understand that it's possible to fall in love at first sight, but there was way too much going on

between all the fighting and mysteries and drama for them to form any kind of connection. Especially after he abandonned her and Jinn in the first round of the tournament.

One thing that also bothered me was when

all of the Fanciful Freaks acted like the apocalypse was somehow impossible. Like, you went to a fair in South Kensington and can now breathe fire, but you don't think it's possible that the world might end one day?

Seriously?

I liked the ending. I was actually surprised when

Max was revealed to have betrayed them. In hindsight, it's painfully obvious, but please remember that I read this book over the course of five months.

It was a nice set up for the sequel.

I also approve of the way Raughley addressed the issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

In the end, this book was not for me, but if you're interested, I recommend giving it a go!

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gillianalice's review

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 because I liked the premise a lot, but the execution was...lacking somehow. The romance felt really forced and was not at all relevant to the plot. It was distracting and more than a little frustrating. And can we please stop having love interests that get all weird and jealous when the main character doesn't pay enough attention to them, even though there is no established relationship yet?

Jinn almost sabotaged a mission in progress because he walked in on Iris, who is not his partner, making out with another guy, and I think we were supposed to feel sorry for him? I definitely did not. He acted like he was entitled to her and I hate it.

The tournament of freaks was a cool idea, but I think there were too many players in the game. I had a really hard time keeping track of who was on what team and who was on whose side.

That being said, I would like to read the next book and see where the story goes.

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clhtdr's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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I wanted this to work for me, but I just found myself avoiding it. Nothing really worked for me. Nothing was particularly bad, but it also wasn't particularly good either.

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leahjanespeare's review

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4.0

A fun historical novel with a paranormal twist! Had some x-men vibes, a dash of romance, and felt fresh for the genre. I can't wait for the next one. It's quite a slow burn but worth the wait and I liked taking the time to really get to know the characters and this unusual world.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read with the B2 Weird book club on Discord as our February book pick!

This was amazing!! Also so bloody and violent, lived for it all.

Rep: African cishet female MC, BIPOC cishet male side character, BIPOC female side character, MLM side pairing.

CWs: Violence, murder, death, racism, mentions of eugenics, torture, non-consensual medical experimentation, cannibalism, blood, gore, gun violence, injury/injury detail, fire, medical trauma. Moderate: sexism, misogyny, slavery, trafficking, mentions of sex work. Minor: suicide attempt, xenophobia, sexual harassment.

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