Reviews

I know this book had some mixed reviews (like most books), but let me just tell you about the absolute chokehold AB had me in while reading her book. I don't usually love retellings (Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur and the Round Table, etc). So I didn't have super high expectations for this book. But boy was I wrong about everything this book has to offer (thankfully)!

AB weaves the old tales of Arthur and his knights together with magic and sorcery, and created a world that I was happy to be sucked into. The world-building was detailed enough for me to picture exactly where our main characters were pretty much at all times. There were a few more characters for me to memorize than in other books, but I love the relationships that were built and torn apart, the drama that ensued, and the danger and battles that don't always have a victorious or happy ending - it all came together to create a compelling story.

There were some parts in the story that felt a little drawn out to me, but they are details that become important later as the past and present come together piece by piece. I also found Tamsin to be a fairly relatable character as I'm certain that everyone at some point in their life has felt unwanted or unseen and put up a wall because of it. As with any "scarred" character, she did become too closed off at points and left me as the reader yelling at her to just tell someone about her findings, but alas, the drawn-out pieces did serve a purpose in the long game of the plot.

I absolutely would recommend this book to anyone looking for potential enemies to lovers, the strength of family given or chosen, mysterious riddles, nail-biting battles, and an FMC that grows beyond her learned coping mechanisms.

Thank you to Alex Bracken, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

bethanyyoung86's review against another edition

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4.0

Tamsin Lark is on the hunt to save her brother from a terrible curse in the first installment of the Silver in the Bone Series. After being left behind by their caretaker/father during one of their missions we meet Tamsin & Cabell 7 years later as they decide to go on a journey to find a relic with potential to heal Cabell from a curse that is getting worse every day. They escape to the fabled Avalon of King Arthur lore with their sort of friend turned real friend Neve and rival Emrys. As the stakes rise and time runs out and betrayal and twists arrive at every turn they must ultimately decide who and what they want to fight for.

This book is for fans of magical creatures and King Arthur. While not heavy in the mythology in book one I think all storyline cliffhangers set up book two nicely to incorporate more of the legend we love. The first half of the book seems a little slow at first but I absolutely flew through the last 60%.

Thanks to the publisher and author for an ARC. It was a delight to read!

lynnette1990's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

5.0

maddiemoiselle's review against another edition

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4.0

I need to preface this review by saying I am a hoe for anything mythology based, ESPECIALLY Arthurian mythology. I picked up this book because it is blurbed by Stephanie Garber and because I was excited to read an Arthurian mythology YA book, because that really hasn’t been a thing up till now.

There were so many things I loved about the book. Tamsin and Emrys’s relationship was so darn good. I forgot how innocent YA can be

tealattes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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