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ofateaspoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But all that said, definitely check your content warnings. This one is *dark* and could be very triggering to anyone who can’t (or shouldn’t) read about domestic violence, sexual assault, or body horror, among other things.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: War and Torture
snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Set during the turbulent times after a Tzar loses the civil war to his husband, The Sins on Their Bones is an emotional and unflinching exploration of love, loss, pain, belonging, fear and healing. The story is told primarily through the perspectives of three people:
1) Dimitri, the righteous Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo who exiled himself after failing to kill Alexey who has betrayed his love and trust in so many different ways.
2) Alexey, the immortal acting Tzar who’s set on ruling the world after uniting the middle world of demons and the lower world of men via the Holy Science.
3) Vasily, Dimitri’s spymaster who’s willing to do anything to save his country and provide Dimitri the happiness and freedom he deserves.
And, it’s a story that cuts deep and hard with its willingness to openly and deeply explore the effects of war, violence, death, abuse (emotional, physical and psychological), toxic relationships, trauma, human experimentation and more through life-like characters that will have you rooting or hating them. Every page is filled with emotion — the most vivid being desperation, grief, anger, greed and hope. The story is so alive, so dark and though I knew nothing about the Ashkenazi Jewish culture which inspired the world of the book, it didn’t hinder my understanding of it.
The Sins on Their Bones will sit in my mind for a long while. From the nuanced execution of the story and the complex characters to that painful yet realistic ending that has left me fervently hoping for the best despite knowing better, there is so much to ponder about here. If you’re a fan of Tokyo Ghoul and The Heroic Legend of Arslan , you’d love this book too.
Thank you so much Random House Canada and Wunderkind PR for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin is available at all good bookstores.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: War, Death of parent, Drug use, Body horror, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
basementofbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug use, Violence, Sexual content, Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, War, Murder, Rape, Vomit, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
haylee_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
CWs: sexual violence, abusive relationships, blood & gore, trauma, sexual content, injury, war, torture, death, human experimentation
Thank you to LibroFM for the ALC.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, War, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
mollyelyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Vomit, Gore, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent
atlastheninth's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, and War
Minor: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters are pretty well fleshed out and the author goes a decent way to make sure we understand the extent to which the characters have been damaged by their pasts. The story shows that while we have our traumas and things we have experienced, it doesn't make us any less valuable. The "bad guy" in the book gets detailed chapters as well so we get the unique perspective of seeing what caused him to behave in the way he did. I can't say I see very many books that do this as well as this one did.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was the amount of gore in the book. Now there wasn't much but it was graphic when it was included so be aware of that as I honestly went into this one blind. There is also a fairly detailed relationship of abuse including sexual, So be aware of these warnings if they are something you don't typically read.
In closing, this is a very well-written book, full of tradition and culture. I greatly appreciated the author's notes at the end of the book along with the additional reading which I will be checking out.
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Abandonment
mint_the_muffin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I want to like this book so much, but the truth is I only finished it out of sheer stubbornness (and maybe a sliver of hope that it will get better.)
This is a story of a tsar who gets overthrown by his own husband - even though his husband loves him so much - and has to go into hiding. His husband is a fan of black magic that goes against the tsar's religion, so he has to try and fight back - even though he also loves his husband so much. To this end, his spymaster, who is head over heels in love with him will find journey back to the palace alone under a disguise and try to find a way to kill the usurper - whom he hates so much he can't go one second without thinking about a thousand ways to kill him.
Let me talk about the things I like about this book first. It has a very beautiful prose. This is the book's main strength. It's very flowery and poetic. It's clear that the author puts in a lot of work into researching and crafting the Russian-inspired settings. And I can feel that the author really cares about the themes discussed in the book, like the struggle to love yourself after getting gaslighted for so long, finding a family that you belong, and overcoming your traumas. I can feel the beating heart through the letters of this book, and I really appreciate that.
Now, my problem, though, is that I didn't enjoy the story. And when I say it's my problem, I mean it's a matter of preferences. And there are two layers to this. Firstly, at the idea level, no one is competent at their jobs. Or if they're supposed to be, then I'm not convinced. It's awkward to be in the head of a spy who is constantly struggling to not be overwhelmed by his emotion and maintain his disguise. It's also hard to root for a man to reclaim his throne when you're not convinced he would make a good king. Like, he literally balks at making any decisions. Now, I know there's a point about anxiety and depression that come from domestic abuse, physically, emotionally, and sexually. As a person, he's a kind person who deserves all the nice and pretty things in the world. I root for him to heal, to take his time, to be surrounded by people he love and not have to stress about how his abusive husband is going to destroy the world. As a king, though, being nice is just not enough - I don't really trust the country in his hands.
The other level of my problem is how the idea is told. The story alternates between 3 POVs: the tsar, the usurper husband, and the spymaster. From the beginning, in each and every chapter, these characters never hold back on pouring all their thoughts and emotions onto the pages. This means, that, one, all their incompetency and foil are exposed to the readers very early on; and two, from the beginning, I know who they are. Maybe not all their histories exactly, but more than enough to predict what they're going to do in any situations. And then, the next time the character's chapter comes around, they are still wallowing in their emotions! Nothing happens until about 40% into the book because every chapter consists of a short dialogue that leads nowhere plus an endless turmoil of repetitive emotions. This style of writing makes me numb because when you start at maximum emotion - the grief, the anger, the fear, the yearning, and the yearning, and more yearning - there is just nowhere else to go. Not for the enmity nor the romance. So, the only thing left to keep me going was the plot which progresses at a snail pace and only picks up around the 70% mark, at which point the story does become significantly more entertaining.
I would still recommend this book if you're someone who enjoy characters with overflowing emotions and beautiful writing. I would also recommend it if you're looking books that explore the themes that I said I appreciated above. But if you're looking for court intrigue, complex schemes, or nuanced characters, I don't think you'll get that from here.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol
beforeviolets's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Our story takes place in a post-war world, scattered with hefty debris of trauma and scars.
Dimitri, the self-exiled Tsar, is struggling as he copes with the loss of his husband, Alexey, in more ways than one. He's surrounded by his friends who all want to support and love him the best they can, but his violent past with Alexey makes it hard for him to accept tenderness.
Alexey is now the acting Tsar, furious at his husband's betrayal and hungry for power. With the help of the Holy Science, he intends to remake the world as he remade himself, as the Chosen One of the Lord, a vessel between realms.
Vasily watches Dimitri ache, determined to take down Alexey and provide Dimitri with the happiness and freedom he deserves. But in order to make that happen, he'll have to craft an elaborate plan. One that involves risking his life and getting incredibly close to the enemy.
This violent yet resilient story wonderfully explores the effects of trauma, especially from abusive relationships, and how we write our scars deep into the bones of our identity, carrying the blame of a fault that was not our own.
My only critique of this book is less of a critique, but more something that if I was editing this book, I would suggest as a way to elevate the narrative. The story begins in the aftermath of a war, with most of the present stakes and circumstances informed by a complex backstory. With that in mind, I wish information about what exactly occurred in the past was divulged slowly in small, intentional moments. This post-war environment could have had a stronger impact and helped with pacing if the audience had been kept stewing in obscurity for longer, gathering up the shattered pieces bit by bit to make a full picture. Especially if Alexey had been kept vague, with only hints at his POV up until a certain point in the story. It definitely would have allowed for a stronger balance of intrigue and drama.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this story and found it full of such vivid and nuanced commentary about trauma and abuse.
I don't recommend this book lightly, as I found myself often nauseous from the violence and gore or deeply upset by the graphic sexual abuse. A third of the narration is told from the mind of an abuser, and witnessing his cruelty in high definition is not the easiest feat, nor is that of witnessing the other characters sacrifice their all in the name of their country's freedom and safety. But if these contents are something you're able to handle, it really is all worth it in the end. I can't wait to see how the story continues in the sequel.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: sexual violence, abusive relationship, blood & gore, violence, injury detail (graphic), body horror, human experimentation, trauma, sexual content, character death, gun violence, drug use, war (past), torture (mention), child death (mention), death of father (past), emesis, alcohol
Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Drug use, Torture, War, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Child death