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burntotears's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this book. The world is interesting, though you are kind of thrown in at a weird place where there's nothing going on but a lot of sitting around and whining.
The main character is, quite frankly, annoying. If we weren't given the POV of the main villain, then it might have actually worked, but we are and the guy is so "Capital E" Evil, that watching the main character pine over him feels outrageous.
Having this guy be a Tzar who supposedly cared a ton about his people, all he's doing is lounging around and complaining about losing his villain husband while his subordinates are ready to do something about it. It's hard to understand why they love this guy and wanna support him when that's all he does.
There was also a significant amount of sex scenes in just the first 40% that I read. I don't take issue with sex scenes, but one chapter ended with one and then the next started with another two characters going at it and I'm not entirely sure what it was adding to the plot (especially at a juncture where we barely know any of these characters and are meant to be getting invested in them). It just felt like it was thrown in there to be salacious and while it might work for some, it didn't work for me.
The main character is, quite frankly, annoying. If we weren't given the POV of the main villain, then it might have actually worked, but we are and the guy is so "Capital E" Evil, that watching the main character pine over him feels outrageous.
Having this guy be a Tzar who supposedly cared a ton about his people, all he's doing is lounging around and complaining about losing his villain husband while his subordinates are ready to do something about it. It's hard to understand why they love this guy and wanna support him when that's all he does.
There was also a significant amount of sex scenes in just the first 40% that I read. I don't take issue with sex scenes, but one chapter ended with one and then the next started with another two characters going at it and I'm not entirely sure what it was adding to the plot (especially at a juncture where we barely know any of these characters and are meant to be getting invested in them). It just felt like it was thrown in there to be salacious and while it might work for some, it didn't work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
distilledreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received an ARC of The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin through a giveaway. However, it has taken me awhile to sit down and compile my thoughts. I was so incredibly excited to receive this ARC, but I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the book/my reading experience.
Overall, I enjoyed The Sins on Their Bones, but there are a few things that impacted my enjoyment of the book. As well, while I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, I did want to see the final copy in store to see if any of my hesitations changed in the final edition. From what I could see, none did.
The biggest drawback for my reading experience is that I didn’t know it began as Grishaverse fanfiction. Since I didn’t know this, I spent a large chunk of the book finding those parallels and questioning if it was intentional or if I was reading too far into things. This kept disrupting the flow and throwing me from the narrative. Once I received confirmation that the book did begin as fanfiction, everything clicked into place. This also explains why so many reviewers are saying The Sins on Their Bones feels like the second book in a series, because it is a continuation/spin-off of a pre-existing work. However, reliance on that previous work for context does weaken TSoTB from standing on its own merits.
I think if I had known its origins before beginning the book, my enjoyment would’ve been a lot greater. It is very obvious who these characters originally were, and the foundation of their characters from Leigh Bardugo’s work is necessary information to fully understand their motivations.
TSoTB is a very slow-paced book told in multiple third person POVs. Dimitri Alexeyev is the main POV character and his perspective as a victim of horrific abuse is at times very difficult to read. The aftermath of sexual trauma and abuse is a very large component throughout the book, which — again — can be incredibly difficult to read. Another POV is Dimitri’s abuser, estranged husband, and current reigning Tzar: Alexey. The final perspective is of Dimitri’s right-hand man and spymaster: Vasily. Of all the POVs, I enjoyed Vasily’s the most. Even then, I would not say I particularly loved the character or was fully invested in his survival.
Readers are thrown into the book after the crippling and traumatic war with the usurper on the throne. As a result, the world- and character-building felt sparse with only what was on the page. An immediate connection is necessary to feel sympathy for the main cast of characters and to buy in to their fight, which unfortunately I did not feel. Once I learned this manuscript began as fanfiction, that abrupt beginning made sense. That pre-existing context of a debilitating war already existed in the Grishaverse. Unfortunately, I did not feel there was sufficient information added in when turning this into its own entity. Without knowing the parallels to SoC and S&B, the motivations of the characters felt abrupt and surface-level.
To be fair, Dimitri is literally described as sitting like a crow on the roof and Annika references the numerous knives she is carrying within the first chapter. It is not long after that when Vasily is described a bisexual with a gambling problem too. As well, the appearances of the characters do not change between the original source material and Samotin’s debut novel. So, I should have confidently assumed it was Grishaverse fanfiction right out of the gate rather than doubting myself.
Another element of the book that I was nervous about was the perspective of the abuser with Alexey’s POV chapters. I was fearful the chapters from his perspective would try to “explain away” his abuse, which thankfully was not the case at all. That did not make it easy to read his chapters since he continues his pattern of abuse/assault on someone else; however, I was relieved with how domestic and sexual abuse was treated on the page.
Finally, I found the introduction of sexual content to be gratuitous. If you know me, you know I love a bit of smut in my books. But the way sex was included at the beginning of the book, and at other moments throughout, felt like a box was being ticked. It is undeniable that explicit romantic fantasy is selling right now and the sex scenes felt a bit like trying to fit a brief rather than being about an attraction between two characters. I am thinking in particular about the masturbation scene near the beginning of the book. The fact that the abuser is part of many of those sex scenes may also be a contributing factor as to why they felt stilted and unnatural to me. This is not a queer romantic fantasy; therefore, I do not see the benefit of the sex scenes. This book was not “sexy” to me in any which way. Various forms of love are depicted and there are sexual scenes throughout the book, but it is not romantic. The relationships depicted are so nuanced and complex, that the explicit depiction of sex (and rape) over and over again felt befuddling. This is not a romance, and any description of it as such feels like a misnomer.
All that said, there were certain phrases that Samotin wrote describing abuse that felt like a sucker punch to the gut in the best possible way. She is undeniably a talented and emotive author. The door is left open for a sequel and while I’m not sure if I will be picking it up, I am excited to see how Samotin grows as an author. I would love to see her play within her own universe and experience her world- and character-building from the ground up.
Please read the full list of content warnings on Laura R. Samotin’s website before reading The Sins on Their Bones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Body horror, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Murder, and War
bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Once the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, Dimitri now suffers life in self-inflicted exile after losing the civil war against his now-estranged husband Alexey Balakin. Dimitri is grieving yes, but also plotting on how to stop the man he loves from using the sect of Holy Science to remake the world in dark and terrible ways. Alexey, power-hungry and furious over the betrayal, names himself acting Tzar and the chosen of the Lord.
All around him, Dimitri’s closest allies and friends watch him sink deeper into the muck of depression and heartbreak while they try to lift him back into the light of their love and support. This band of outcasts must craft an extraordinary plan to get close to the enemy in order to cause Alexey’s downfall. Vasily, Dimitri’s closest friend, must offer himself as the sacrifice. There is so much at stake in this book!
The Sins on Their Bones was given the label of a queer dark fantasy. It takes place in the fictional version of 19th-century Eastern Europe/Russia and has been seeped in East European Jewish mysticism, folklore, and traditions. It is a novel in three views, Dmitri, Alexey, and Vasily. A pair of ex-lovers, a set of closest friends, and the interactions between the three of them and their inner circles. It is a slow, creeping plot of deep dark desire and trauma shaping the world around them.
While there are plenty of things from the complex backstory and history of the world and characters, I didn’t find the starting point of the novel to be a problem. It is a very slow read, because the plot is moved forward in chinches, only to backtrack a bit on the next page. There are a number of sex scenes that don’t offer much to the storyline other than highlighting the fact that the main three characters are all twisted by their traumas and coping in unhealthy ways. But again, this didn’t detract from my liking of the book so much as it slowed the plot down. What I loved about this book was the immersion into the post-war world that Dimitri lives in. I could feel the swirling sadness and longing from him the moment he stepped onto the page. The distressing drive for power in Alexey was larger than life. The longing and courage of Vasily was a stab straight to the heart. The characters were so fully developed that I could easily fall in love or burn with hate for them.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGally, thank you! And this is my honest review. It is a four star rating for me, simply because the pacing is so slow and inconsistent that it took me too long to reach the end. It is a well-written, incredibly smutty, and highly funny book containing a world, magic system, villain, and hero, plus anti-hero that I could very well see myself reading another book about. The novel comes with major warning labels. It has a large portion told from the perspective of an abuser and it is not comfortable or easy to stomach. The violence and cruelty can be difficult to witness for others, so I do no recommend this book lightly. At the end though, this is a book of crawling out of the darkness and discovering the light, a book of hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
ofateaspoon's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! It’s a story of healing from trauma and abuse, healing from loss of loved ones and loss of self, and it’s a story about redemption, and love, and faith in oneself and a higher power. The treble POV made it particularly interesting because though the villain is undoubtedly villainous, you also see his motivations and how very clearly *wrong* he is in his beliefs while not apologizing for him at all. On its face, it’s a dark fantasy novel with an Excellent found family, but at its core, it’s a story of self-forgiveness and resilience.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
haylee_reads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- 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
I enjoyed how atmospheric this book was. I am confused as to how it was marketed as a romantasy, because it’s not that… This book is dark, political fantasy. I wish we weren’t dropped in right after a big conflict happened, because I was really confused as to how we got where we were when the book started. I thought the queer and Jewish representation was well done. I did struggle with the pacing of this book, I genuinely felt like nothing happened for the longest time. This also isn’t really a love story, it’s full of abuse and toxic relationships. The overall idea was really interesting but I feel like if we got more backstory and more plot I would have enjoyed it more. Please please check the CW’s before reading this one. It’s a lot.
CWs: sexual violence, abusive relationships, blood & gore, trauma, sexual content, injury, war, torture, death, human experimentation
Thank you to LibroFM for the ALC.
CWs: sexual violence, abusive relationships, blood & gore, trauma, sexual content, injury, war, torture, death, human experimentation
Thank you to LibroFM for the ALC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, War, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
frenchleigh's review against another edition
dark
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
2.0
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! CW: domestic and sexual violence, trauma, substance use, war.
This book had a really interesting concept, and I don't read or know much about Jewish lore so I was excited for that aspect. I thought it was important that the book showed an abusive relationship between two men, because this is not talked about much and men have unique experiences with DV. That said, I really wish that this part was own-voices and I thought the normalization of queerness in the book kind of prevented a deeper discussion of what that experience and healing means for a lot of people in real life. I also did not like the role of the "best friend" in repeating the sexual trauma of the MC because it was "what he needed." It just felt like trauma was a plot device.
Overall, the book felt repetitive and lacked depth in its characters, world-building and plot. It read like a sequel to a book that would have actually established deep relationships between the characters and relationships between the reader and the characters, but starting "in the aftermath" didn't work in this book in my opinion because the narration doesn't take the time to really show you why you should care. The first half of the book is just expository backstory and the political intrigue wasn't there for me. I didn't think there were enough visual details to feel engrossed in the actual plot whenever there was an actual scene written.
I also thought the relationships between a tsar and his political consort were very oddly intimate and tangled. It doesn't seem appropriate for the main relationship/emotions to be based on deep love and friendship with nothing else. The Jasmine Throne or Black Sun, for example, do a good job of exploring what love and friendships can look like in political alliances that are more nuanced and based on mutual respect and difficult choices--but this book seemed more like a group of teenage friends who we're supposed to believe are competent.
This book had a really interesting concept, and I don't read or know much about Jewish lore so I was excited for that aspect. I thought it was important that the book showed an abusive relationship between two men, because this is not talked about much and men have unique experiences with DV. That said, I really wish that this part was own-voices and I thought the normalization of queerness in the book kind of prevented a deeper discussion of what that experience and healing means for a lot of people in real life. I also did not like the role of the "best friend" in repeating the sexual trauma of the MC because it was "what he needed." It just felt like trauma was a plot device.
Overall, the book felt repetitive and lacked depth in its characters, world-building and plot. It read like a sequel to a book that would have actually established deep relationships between the characters and relationships between the reader and the characters, but starting "in the aftermath" didn't work in this book in my opinion because the narration doesn't take the time to really show you why you should care. The first half of the book is just expository backstory and the political intrigue wasn't there for me. I didn't think there were enough visual details to feel engrossed in the actual plot whenever there was an actual scene written.
I also thought the relationships between a tsar and his political consort were very oddly intimate and tangled. It doesn't seem appropriate for the main relationship/emotions to be based on deep love and friendship with nothing else. The Jasmine Throne or Black Sun, for example, do a good job of exploring what love and friendships can look like in political alliances that are more nuanced and based on mutual respect and difficult choices--but this book seemed more like a group of teenage friends who we're supposed to believe are competent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, War, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship
thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
When I received the notification about this book, I knew I was uniquely interested in reading it. I studied Judaism in graduate school ending with achieving my Masters in Second Temple Judaism. This book is so richly coated in the Ashkenazi traditions that I felt as though I was reading something familiar and known to me. The author did a fantastic job of blending real traditions and the ones written for the book in a way that was engaging.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Abandonment
shanajeanh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
4.0
This book will have you equal parts cringing at the supremely bad life choices and desperately turning pages to see what happens next. If you like dysfunctional queer relationships (fictional ones, that is) and Jewish magic, this book will be extremely your jam.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition
Just not for me- compelling characters and interesting plot, but since I’m not a romantasy fan this just wasn’t landing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Grief, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Grooming by an older partner (not adult/minor, but large age gap)