Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Sins on Their Bones

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The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin

5 reviews

firefly99's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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distilledreads's review against another edition

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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

bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition

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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.

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tonyaf's review

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dark emotional tense medium-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

3.75

I had no idea what to expect when I started The Sins On Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin. I saw that it was blurbed by several queer romantasy authors that I like, so I requested it from NetGalley on a whim and was happy to dive in. I’m so glad I did. It was not what I was expecting but it is an interesting and dark fantasy that I enjoyed discovering.

First of all, if there are things that could trigger you, be sure to read the content warnings before you start this book! This novel deals with some very heavy topics!

The Sins On Their Bones is inspired by Jewish mysticism and folklore and is a high fantasy set in a world similar to Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Dimitri Alexeyev, one of the main POV characters and a former Tszar, has recently lost a brutal civil war to his vicious and newly immortal ex-husband, Alexey Balakin.

At the story’s start, Dimitri is in hiding in the Free States with his closest friends and former members of his royal court: Vasily, his most trusted spy; Annika, who once led his army; Ladushka, his political advisor, and Mischa, his royal physician. Dimitri still harbors a lot of guilt (and other complicated feelings) about Alexey, the war, and the consequences of it. When Vasily brings word that Alexey is building an army to invade the Free States the group hatches a dangerous plan to finally defeat Dimitri’s monstrous ex.

The novel cycles through three POVs. Along with Dimitri, we also get chapters from Alexey and Vasily. All three POVs are engaging and each adds different things to the story. Jumping back and forth through their parts of the story moved the plot along steadily while also filling in the needed backstory. Vasily’s chapters, in particular, give a lot of clarity to the backstory which was one of the many reasons that his chapters quickly became my favorite.

The plot of this is fast-paced, dark, and full of religious and political themes. I also found it surprising and not predictable at all. Multiple moments shocked me and had me frantically flipping pages to see what would happen next.

The characters are also likable. Vasily, as I’ve already mentioned, is a fantastic character. Dimitri is sympathetic and has a nice arc of growth and healing. Alexey is a terrifying and well-written villain. Annika, Ladushka, and Mischa round out the main cast as dynamic characters with a lovely “found family” relationship (together with Dimitri and Vasily).

The Sins On Their Bones is a unique and very queer dark fantasy. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic tales of good versus evil in their fantasy!

OTHER POINTS:

Alexey reminds me of The Darkling from the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
There may be a Doctor Who reference.
There is an asexual character and a non-binary character along with the many same-sex relationships that the book features.
The whole book is delightfully queer normative with most of the main characters and several side characters being casually queer. There’s no drama or trauma around their identities.
I also liked how the author wove Judaism into the world.
Did I mention how much I love Vasily?
The last 25% of the book is tense, action-packed, emotional, and surprising. It is almost impossible to put down!
The ending is satisfying while also setting up issues for a future sequel.

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kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition

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Just not for me- compelling characters and interesting plot, but since I’m not a romantasy fan this just wasn’t landing

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