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

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

6 reviews

lillygabriella's review

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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oscarewilde's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.25

When it takes 300 pages for me to become even vaguely interested in the plot or characters it’s really not a good sign.

Unsure where to begin with this review, as I found so many aspects of this book enormously frustrating. Spoiler alert for the whole thing, as I’m just talking about the issues I had with the characters/plot/writing:

My god the lack of explanation for the magic system and the world building! The librarian, as an example, was so confusing, and it took until around the fourth mention until we find out it’s a mechanical person and not a human/ghost/monster/animal. Author needs to keep in mind that we cannot see what’s going on inside her head, we need subtitles 😭 Still have no clue on the differences between sorceresses, cunningfolk, and druids, or how the magical system (if there is one) actually works.
Tamsin is not a good protagonist, she has a wealth of abandonment issues that are touched on but never fully addressed, and they also don’t seem to impact her actions in any meaningful way. How does she feel about Nash? Who knows! Her opinion on him seems to change with the wind. She’s also unbearably stubborn and cynical, which is fair enough in doses, but when she lashes out unnecessarily and without cause at the other characters constantly, it becomes very grating. She’s not pleasant (and not even unpleasant in a deliciously villainous way) she’s just annoying and mean.
Neve was an infinitely more interesting character than Tamsin, yet we still knew nothing about her besides the fact she’s kind and quirky.
Tamsin caring about Cabell isn’t enough to make him interesting or the reader invested in what happens to him. This isn’t a kid, it’s a grown ass man, stop babying him when you’re the one with the clear emotional issues!
Also, I had such a problem with trying to age these characters in my head as they were barely described before moving swiftly on with the plot. I’m still in the dark as to how old any of these characters were even after having read the entire book.
The last 70 or so pages are such an enormous departure from the rest of the story,
the ensuing violence and death is so wildly unnecessary.
The aforementioned violence would’ve been more impactful if I’d been able to identify the knights via more than just ‘doctor’, ‘cook’, or ‘gardener’, they weren’t fleshed out in the slightest so their primary occupations/hobbies had to be used as distinguishing features.
Realistically, Cabell had to survive the massacre to provide motivation for Tamsin, otherwise what reason would she have to continue fighting? It seems beyond the realm of possibility that a group of characters having witnessed such traumatising events just hours prior would be able to go on to defeat the villain, but obviously they will 😐 The whole setup for saving the world from the apocalypse means the book finished on one of my most loathed fantasy tropes, ‘magic in the modern human world’ which was the final nail in the coffin of my not reading the sequel.
Tamsin never using the sword (that only lit up with magic flames for her!!!) and instead letting Emrys use it whilst wielding an axe against monsters who were afraid of fire was bafflingly stupid on every occasion it occurred. It was obviously for a ‘reveal’ re the sword but was so mind bogglingly idiotic at the time it did not make the payoff worth it.
You’re telling me a kitten could hide from the Children/Death King but a wily and intelligent small child couldn’t? Alright. Tbf if the kitten died I would’ve stopped reading instantly.
The extra quarter star is for Emrys dipping at the end, it was so unexpected it actually made me laugh out loud. If we had literally the smallest glimpse into the motivations of the characters then maybe this decision would’ve felt more meaningful?
Calling this Arthurian was a real stretch. I was so excited to read it as it’s something I would’ve picked up had I not received it in a Fairyloot monthly box anyway. Ended up being very disappointed in it though, and almost DNF on multiple occasions throughout. Only finished as I was reading along with my friend who wanted to discuss the ending 🫡

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leedolee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book actually ripped my heart out.

And I loved every second of it.

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kassidyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.5

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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings: Death, gore, blood, violence, body horror, child death, and animal death. Mention of: abandonment, parental neglect, and child abuse.

***I received an ARC, through Netgalley, ahead of release.***

Wow. That was a ride. When I started the book I really didn't know where it was going to go or how it would need more than one book...well I still don't know exactly where the overall story will go [I'm so excited to see though!] but I definitely see why more books are needed.

It was easy to relate to Tamsin and her feelings of abandonment, lacking, and her fierce drive to do whatever it takes to protect and save her brother. Growing up Tamsin was shown time and again that the only people she could truly rely on was herself and her brother. Knowing that connections to people just delays the inevitable pain when they abandon her, like so many have done before, she actively prevents connections from occurring.

This was such a fantastic read, I loved the lore and storytelling aspect, and I cannot wait for the next installment so I can see where Tamsin's journey takes her!

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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