Reviews

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin

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naniwantstobeacat's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book spoke to me. It was lush and dark and uncertain, with the characters speaking honestly about the experience of trauma and grief and living anyway. I’ve seen others say that it seems that the book is the first in a series rather than a standalone, but I’ve seen no indication of that from the author— the main hint seems to be the ending, with its bit of uncertain conflict and the “happy for now” rather than “happily ever after.” To me, though, this reads as a characteristically Jewish take on life and storytelling, about the importance of living in the current moment while also understanding that the future will likely not always be as kind.

connora795's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

stormecho52's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

agravereader's review against another edition

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4.5

I think this could have been a five-star read for me had the end not been so rushed. That being said, I absolutely loved this. It was so dark and yet so wholesome. I loved the three perspectives we got, and I truly appreciate how different each voice was. The characters were believable, and I understood their motives, even if I didn't agree with them always.

The only parts that seemed out of character, were near the end,

after they stab Alexey, Vasily seems randomly concerned with Ivan? Like I know he liked him, but considering Dimitri was fading away, it made no sense for him to prioritize Ivan? I wish it had been swapped, and Dimitri was begging Vasily to save Ivan, so he did so against his better judgment or something. Same with killing him. I wish it had been Vasily to beg Dimitri to allow him to do it instead of Dimitri commanding him to.. I get that he saw Dimitri in Ivan, but Dimitri was right there to focus on..

Then following Dimitri's resurrection, I wish we had a passage of Vasily reuniting with him physically and not just a 3-week jump... I would have liked to hear what happened to Ayla? It would have been cool if he legitimately all his "bastard" siblings like he did Ivan.

I would have liked to see more of the fruition of Vasily and Dimitri's 400 pages of pining, as well.. instead of the rushed vignettes we got...

All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I found it compulsively readable, and I was excited to return to it every time I had to put it down. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of Samotin's work in the future.

katebsnelson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.75

msmac_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

The Sins on Their Bones is an enchanting adult fantasy. This dark, queer, fantasy follows ex-lovets Dimitri and Alexey, as well as a spy, on the aftermath of a catastrophic religious war. This war between ex-husband's brings tonight topics of: Jewish Folklore, Sexual Manipulation and Frankenstein-esque conflicts of science vs religion.

What I liked:
-I really loved the 3 POVs and felt they shifted at exactly the right moments.
-These characters *actually* felt like adults! This isn't 18 year olds with adult content. Their vocabulary, conversations, vices felt real.
-The magic system and Jewish folklore was refreshing and fun!
-The delicate balance of how Samotin approached religion. It was both respectful and cautious.

What was a miss:
-The middle of the book felt slower. There was some repetitive flash back scenes/ideas.
-The character Dimitri felt the most repetitive and in the middle I was getting sick of his melancholy.

Overall, I definitely would reccomend this book! And, always happy to review and check out Canadian Authors