Reviews with content warning for Child death - Silver in the Bone

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

21 reviews

callistag1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.25

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manaledi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

While the names were Arthurian, the book overall wasn't particularly. Also definitely darker than I'd expected. A slow read for me as it's been a busy week. It felt good but not for me.

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pengustorm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

4.0

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h_scharff's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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mack_readz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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ramunepocky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

“Showing that you care about something or someone makes you vulnerable, because it gives the world another way to hurt you. But there comes a time when you have to decide if feeling empty is really any better than the risk of being broken.”

this review is not spoiler free

WOW. This book was an absolute rollercoaster. It took some time for me to get into the story and understand what was happening, partially because of having a new world with a particular magic system was one thing, but I always struggle with first person books in general as it takes me some time to get into them. But boy was it worth it when I actually got into this because bruh, it is a rollercoaster and a half, and I felt every single emotion possible. Sadness, happiness, anger, horror, betrayal, joy, devastation. Like seriously. I laughed, I cried, I was horrified. And it is worth it all.

I liked Tamsin a lot, she was very cool and there were so many times when she had me desperately trying not to cry. As the book is from her perspective, I feel like I understand her motives and emotions more than any other character, but it was a good insight to have as it really showed how she went from caring more about her own goals in Avalon to trusting and warming up to the others, how betrayed she felt as her opinion on Emrys shifted and then he did exactly what she had been expecting, and had then believed he wouldn’t do, all along. And ofc at the end when Cabell betrayed them all, I really felt Tamsin’s betrayal as she’d literally made protecting and looking after Cabell her reason in life and he’d essentially told her that it wasn’t enough, even though he’d tried to make a deal with Death to assure that she wouldn’t be hurt and that she could join them, he had clearly underestimated Tamsin’s sense of wrong and right and how she had grown to consider the other girls as family too.

Tamsin was a very strong leading character, like when she poured venom into her eyes to give herself the sight, like talk about reckless and badass bruh???? But she was very human in her emotions and how she tried to smother them and hide them with contempt and sarcasm despite being hurt or wanting to trust or falling in love. I’m also very intrigued to learn more about her “curse” and why she has the visions and dreams that she does. I have a feeling that she is either a descendant of the Lady of the Lake, or that the dead spirit of the Lady of the Lake was the one who put the death mark on her and that is why she has the connection to Avalon and the visions.

I am very torn on who my favourite character actually is because I adore both Neve and Cait. Neve always makes me laugh and she has the kindest heart, even when people are cruel to her, she never lets it taint her and she continues to follow her heart first. Even when the people of Avalon were mistrusting of her and were condemning her for being a sorceress, she never held it against them, she never let it hold her back and she never let it change her beliefs, she continued trying to help them and defending what she believed of her Sorceress and how they had been trying to save Avalon. I also admire the fact that she taught herself magic and yet she is still pretty strong, especially when she found her own unique outlet for using her magic. I also really love her dynamic with Cait and I absolutely shipped them from their first interaction. They make me laugh the way that they bicker and argue about the Sorceress and the High Priestess’ and how even when Cait is quite snappy with her, Neve never really lets it affect her. I feel like they definitely went from one-sided hatred and mistrust to reluctant friends, especially as Cait saved Neve’s life even when she wasn’t sure if she could trust her yet. And it’s very clear that they care about each other, and I’m really rooting for them, have been since their first interaction, but you can’t convince me that Cait doesn’t like Neve with the way she stopped breathing and her stern expression faded when Neve was lacing her gauntlets.

I also really really love Cait. She has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and she tries to take care of everyone and everything. She is a badass warrior and she always puts her people first, and it is clear how much of a strain that it has on her. It was absolutely fucking devastating to see her reaction towards the end when everyone else in the tower was brutally murdered, especially poor little Flea. My eyes were leaking. It was heartbreaking. And I know that Cait felt like she had failed them all and that it was her doing, but it wasn’t her fault. There was no way she could protect everyone and she tried her damn hardest.

I also have a massive soft spot for Emrys. Ngl, I always picture him in my head like old Emrys from BBC Merlin even tho I know for a fact that he looks nothing like that, but that is the image that always comes into my head whenever I read his name. I immediately called the fact that his scars were from his father, but it was still heartbreaking to have that confirmed. Even if Tamsin feels like he betrayed her by taking the ring and using the portal, even if he did it specifically to give to the Sorceress and get paid, he is still doing it to escape his father and give his mother a chance to leave too. He is not a bad person. And I feel like Tamsin does know that deep down even if she felt betrayed in that moment. And he had stayed with her when it mattered, he made sure she was alive and okay, and he only took the opportunity to leave later. I also think his magic is just so cool and unconventional for someone of his image.

I have very mixed feelings on Cabell; sometimes I would like him and sometimes, he would really frustrate me. I understand ofc that he’s living with his curse and it weighs negatively on him, but the way he treats, in particular, his sister who feels responsible for him and has essentially dedicated her life to keeping him safe and trying to break his curse, really pisses me off. I know it’s hard to keep getting your hopes up to be disappointed and it’s hard to be unintentionally hurting people and to be made to feel like a monster, but the way that he takes it out on her really pisses me off. She’s doing everything she can to try and help you Cabell and holy hell do you come off as super ungrateful. Like cmon dude. And then he went and betrayed her and got everyone else killed??? That absolutely crossed the line. I had called Bedivere being the bad guy, though I didn’t realise he was actually Lord Death, but hearing that Cabell had played a part in it and had taken his side and then walked away with him knowing everything that he had done just hurt me. That was the betrayal that hurt the most.

I found the worldbuilding in this book particularly interesting. I enjoyed learning about the Hollowers and their abilities and yet their mistrust in Sorceress’, I really enjoyed learning about the history of Avalon and why it was now cursed, I loved learning about the power of the nine and the history of Arthur (ngl I laughed sm when she just flung Arthur’s body to the Children, it shouldn’t have been funny, but it was) and how the Children came to be. They were absolutely horrifying ngl. Like every time they were in it and I was reading at night, I had to put the book down. They really freaked me out, and I can only imagine how horrifying it must have been for our characters to have faced them. No thank you.

In general, the characters in this book were all really well written and I loved learning how they fit into their roles in Avalon or the modern world(?) and the found family element was just *chefs kiss*

So yeah, very good book, very excited (and scared) for book 2!!!!

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

Based in Arthurian legend, Silver in the Bone is the story of Tamsin, who will do anything to break her brother’s curse, including going on a daring quest in search of a mythical ring.

I went into this one mostly blind, so I had very few expectations, but I can say this exceeded all of them and then some! The story kept me interested, engaged, and emotional throughout (including some sobbing in the final few chapters) and I loved the characters and the world that Bracken created. I read this one as a buddy read with a friend and she predicted a cliffhanger early on…and let me tell you she was correct. I truly cannot WAIT for book two!
 My one complaint (and it’s a small one since I gave this 5 stars!) is that I wanted slightly more world building and a fuller explanation of the magic system and related lore. That might be because I have no real background knowledge of Arthurian legend, so it’s possibly a me thing. Either way, a small quibble for what was ultimately a really fun and enjoyable read!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Arthurian fantasy; stories about sisterhood; mythical swords

CW: Blood/gore/violence/death; mentions of child abuse (including physical abuse and abandonment)

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bookmarklark's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

To clear up the rating right off the bat: the thing holding this book back the most is the character writing (especially in interactions where characters’ relationships are changing) and worldbuilding. The story really picks up in the last act.

I had an okay time reading this book. The premise was fun, and I thought it was a cool if rather Eurocentric twist on a contemporary magical setting. Alexandra Bracken’s experience comes through in her worldbuilding: the roles and goals of the characters in this magical system were easy to pick up, even though things were not explained as thoroughly as I find myself accustomed to. While it sometimes bothered me to not know the backstory and full details behind certain aspects — curses, the magic system, other magical beings, the interactions of the magical elements with non-magical people, etc. — Bracken writes with confidence, and that allowed me to just roll with it. I didn’t need to know those details to enjoy the story: they felt less like plot holes and more like plot hiccups, only a problem if I decided they were, as a reader trying to enjoy the book. That said, there were a lot of these little instances where I just had to assume the logic was sound and self-contained. If you are someone who needs a fully fleshed-out world, you may find yourself irritated while reading this.

On the other hand, there are very few exposition-heavy sections: the worldbuilding is very swift and very precise. Once I decided to just roll with it, I was enjoying the vibes of the worldbuilding very much. Did it make sense? I tried not to think about it too much. But the aesthetic was cool. It’s the first time I was able to enjoy a book based simply on the vibes and aesthetic, and I think that says something.

What I struggled with the most while reading Silver in the Bone were several character interactions, and to a lesser extent, character motivations. In multiple key places in the book, certain characters behaved so differently than their established character that it felt not like we were seeing new sides of them, or that they were undergoing change, but that they were simply out of character (or inconsistently characterized, if you prefer). These instances rubbed me the wrong way because I felt as though I could feel Bracken sitting there, plotting out the scenes and deciding that this character has to act this way now, because I need the plot to do this next.

I will say these two things: the above is not something I would say of the main character (her characterization was well done and I did like her as a character), and, thanks to the above (and to the precise worldbuilding), the book is rather fast-paced. Yes, it is nearly 500 pages, but the story moves along swiftly, especially in the first half, so long as you as the reader don’t linger over the places where reasoning seems thin.

Returning to the other point I mentioned above, about character motivations: I recall at least two important moments where characters acted in a way that, while still in character for them, went directly against motivations that were established for previous actions. While sometimes this is the recipe for a fun twist or betrayal, in this case it felt more like the hand of the author again, saying “I don’t want these guys in the way yet, so they’ll stay over here…but now I need them all over here, so let’s have them show up.” It got to the point where several times I was confused about what was going on or why somebody was doing something — both individuals and groups — so I got a lot of use out of a “just don’t worry about it and keep reading” mentality. This confusion was definitely also a product of the precise worldbuilding — more background details would have helped mitigate this.

In the end, all these little things built up: inconsistent characterization in at least two of the main supporting characters, underdeveloped worldbuilding, unaddressed worldbuilding consequences, beats of contrived plot, some descriptions and dialogue that just didn’t make sense, etc. The main romance, also, didn’t really feel like much of anything to me, but I am allowing that this is because it’s not finished yet; definitely something that will be expanded on in the second book.

And YET. All that being said, I was won over. There were stronger elements that I really enjoyed peeking through as the story entered the final act, especially Tamsin’s character development, and in the very last few chapters I was riveted. I was actually shocked when I turned the page and realized I was at the end. While the plot was not really a surprise (the main twist having been a bit too clearly hinted, for me), certain smaller details and twists were quite interesting. I was enjoying the development of the characters and certain relationships enough that I was thinking of rating this a 4/5, but then I remembered all the irritation and confusion of the earlier chapters — enough for almost a 2/5, or a 2.75/5 — so I’ve compromised with the 3/5.

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kirstenf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.25

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lillygabriella's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I should research books before I read them. This is a first in a series, be prepared to be cliffhangered. Dark, depressing, full of blood and gore. Body horror.

I did not see those twists coming, I have to say.

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