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musingswithmiranda's review
4.0
Happy release day!!
I received an eARC of this novella from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Look, I am a very easy person to please when it comes to marketing books. If you mention something being sapphic, I am in. Add to that a myth retelling, and I am beyond sold on picking up a copy. When I saw the publisher and author posting about requesting an arc, I honestly could not pass up that opportunity. I was so excited when I got the email with a copy!
The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill is inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but sapphic and with witches. The story starts with Teagan’s wife Cressidae going missing. She left Teagan to travel to the Shadow Realm where she is seeking a cure for a poison that has slowly been killing Teagan. Cressidae hopes to find the Shadow Princess who is rumored to help those who manage to find her after traveling through the dangerous realm. Teagan knows how perilous this is, so she leaves at once to find and help her wife. Being in the Shadow Realm forces Teagan to confront the danger she is in as well as her past.
I feel like I always gravitate toward stories based on mythology. It is something I find incredibly intriguing. I love when authors take a general idea from mythology, folklore, etc. but completely make it their own thing. I am a sucker for these books especially when they are sapphic.
Teagan and Cress were both well developed. I appreciate the time Underhill spent on this both for them as individual characters and in their relationship. They had an interesting dynamic, and their relationship seemed cute and sweet. It was also cool to see how they both had struggles and motivations that affected how the story played out.
Underhill’s writing is really something to admire. The novella is excellently written with rich worldbuilding. I appreciated how natural this setup and development was though. The magic, Shadow Realm, and the different creatures in this world were brought to life. I loved that the author implemented a nonlinear timeline as well. This is one of my favorite narrative structures, so it was a nice surprise here. This timeline allowed the story to weave together the past and present. Not only that, but it also provided more insight into Teagan and Cressidae’s relationship as well as stories about the Shadow Princess.
The Bone Way was exactly what I have been wanting to read! May was not my best reading month, so I felt a bit of a reading slump during that month and leading into June. I knew I wanted to read this book at the beginning of the month, and it seriously helped me so much! I felt motivated to read it and really ended up loving the story. Underhill does an amazing job with crafting this novella and creating an entertaining story. I highly recommend picking up a copy!
*Content warnings from the author: death of a parent (in the past), terminal fantasy illness, mention of fantasy incarceration, harm to fantasy animals*
Thank you to author and Nyx Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novella before its release on June 26, 2021.
I received an eARC of this novella from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Look, I am a very easy person to please when it comes to marketing books. If you mention something being sapphic, I am in. Add to that a myth retelling, and I am beyond sold on picking up a copy. When I saw the publisher and author posting about requesting an arc, I honestly could not pass up that opportunity. I was so excited when I got the email with a copy!
The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill is inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but sapphic and with witches. The story starts with Teagan’s wife Cressidae going missing. She left Teagan to travel to the Shadow Realm where she is seeking a cure for a poison that has slowly been killing Teagan. Cressidae hopes to find the Shadow Princess who is rumored to help those who manage to find her after traveling through the dangerous realm. Teagan knows how perilous this is, so she leaves at once to find and help her wife. Being in the Shadow Realm forces Teagan to confront the danger she is in as well as her past.
I feel like I always gravitate toward stories based on mythology. It is something I find incredibly intriguing. I love when authors take a general idea from mythology, folklore, etc. but completely make it their own thing. I am a sucker for these books especially when they are sapphic.
Teagan and Cress were both well developed. I appreciate the time Underhill spent on this both for them as individual characters and in their relationship. They had an interesting dynamic, and their relationship seemed cute and sweet. It was also cool to see how they both had struggles and motivations that affected how the story played out.
Underhill’s writing is really something to admire. The novella is excellently written with rich worldbuilding. I appreciated how natural this setup and development was though. The magic, Shadow Realm, and the different creatures in this world were brought to life. I loved that the author implemented a nonlinear timeline as well. This is one of my favorite narrative structures, so it was a nice surprise here. This timeline allowed the story to weave together the past and present. Not only that, but it also provided more insight into Teagan and Cressidae’s relationship as well as stories about the Shadow Princess.
The Bone Way was exactly what I have been wanting to read! May was not my best reading month, so I felt a bit of a reading slump during that month and leading into June. I knew I wanted to read this book at the beginning of the month, and it seriously helped me so much! I felt motivated to read it and really ended up loving the story. Underhill does an amazing job with crafting this novella and creating an entertaining story. I highly recommend picking up a copy!
*Content warnings from the author: death of a parent (in the past), terminal fantasy illness, mention of fantasy incarceration, harm to fantasy animals*
Thank you to author and Nyx Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novella before its release on June 26, 2021.
neverfruitt's review
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Xpresso book tours for sending me an eARC
The Bone Way is a wonderful novella. It follows Teagan as she follows her wife Cress into the shadow realm who is trying to find the cure to poison that is infecting Teagan. I loved the characters and their interactions with each other and wished there had been a little more of that.
I felt the writing was very nice and it seemed to flow from scene to scene without breaking its flow. The theme of grief and healing was throughout the book and I found it to be very comforting in he way it was talked about.
The villain, the shadow princess, was the weakest part of the book in my opinion. It felt like you never really got to know or understand her. She never felt threatening in anyway as well and just didn't work as the villain for me.
Overall a very enjoyable book to read 4/5
The Bone Way is a wonderful novella. It follows Teagan as she follows her wife Cress into the shadow realm who is trying to find the cure to poison that is infecting Teagan. I loved the characters and their interactions with each other and wished there had been a little more of that.
I felt the writing was very nice and it seemed to flow from scene to scene without breaking its flow. The theme of grief and healing was throughout the book and I found it to be very comforting in he way it was talked about.
The villain, the shadow princess, was the weakest part of the book in my opinion. It felt like you never really got to know or understand her. She never felt threatening in anyway as well and just didn't work as the villain for me.
Overall a very enjoyable book to read 4/5
daisysbookmusings's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Enjoyable read i think it could have done with being longer and more fleshed out. The best part was the dialogue, which really helped develop the plot; otherwise, it would have been too rushed without a real feeling of high stakes or intensity but otherwise a fun quick read
saki92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Really liked this. It's a great read.
ameserole's review
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bone Way was a good book. It was just a very short book. One that I wished was a lot longer than what I got. Mostly because I wanted more from the characters and the overall story. Which, again, don't get me wrong - I liked them. Probably more than liked. I just think things moved a bit quicker than they would have if the book was longer. It could just be me thinking this though.
In this, you will meet Cress and Teagan. We don't really know much about them in the beginning other than being married. When one goes missing, the other packs their belongings to go find them. Then there's talk about the Shadow Princess along the way. Other than that, we do get some drama and adventure with an interesting ending.
The reason why I wanted this book to be longer is because we really don't get to see what Cress and Teagan are like. I get that they love one another and would go through anyone and anything to get to the other. I just wanted to know more about them so that I could get fully invested in their love story. Besides that, we could also get more information or story for the Shadow Princess.
In the end, it was a good book and had potential to be something more (in my eyes). It was an interesting story with a romance that one could only hope to have one day. I'm very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and I'll definitely be on the lookout for Holly's next book.
The Bone Way was a good book. It was just a very short book. One that I wished was a lot longer than what I got. Mostly because I wanted more from the characters and the overall story. Which, again, don't get me wrong - I liked them. Probably more than liked. I just think things moved a bit quicker than they would have if the book was longer. It could just be me thinking this though.
In this, you will meet Cress and Teagan. We don't really know much about them in the beginning other than being married. When one goes missing, the other packs their belongings to go find them. Then there's talk about the Shadow Princess along the way. Other than that, we do get some drama and adventure with an interesting ending.
The reason why I wanted this book to be longer is because we really don't get to see what Cress and Teagan are like. I get that they love one another and would go through anyone and anything to get to the other. I just wanted to know more about them so that I could get fully invested in their love story. Besides that, we could also get more information or story for the Shadow Princess.
In the end, it was a good book and had potential to be something more (in my eyes). It was an interesting story with a romance that one could only hope to have one day. I'm very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and I'll definitely be on the lookout for Holly's next book.
alyssabookrecs's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first book Nyx Publishing published, so I thought I would read this one too. I found The Bone Way to be quite cinematic and whimsical, and I wished I could have watched it while I was reading it—the ethereal settings in the Shadow Realm would transfer well to the screen. Like others here, the flashbacks didn’t always work for me. I wonder if more of them had been in retrospect rather than in scene if I would have enjoyed them more. Overall, this was a good read, and I would recommend if you want a sapphic reimagining of the Orpheus/Eurydice myth as a novella!
dear_kitsune's review
5.0
I loved it, the relationship between them is wonderful, the story of the villain even makes you feel sorry for it, but everything in conclusion is so beautiful❤️
peachylauren's review against another edition
5.0
Okay - this was SO CUTE. I really, really enjoyed this. It's not an incredibly complex fantasy novel with a ton of world-building and a fully fleshed out cast of characters - but it IS a charming fantasy novella that will brighten up your afternoon. What we do get to see of the world is wonderful, and the MCs were relatable and compelling. I also always appreciate when a lesbian romance is stable and established, instead of yet another coming out or first-love story. This is definitely only inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice, so if you are looking for a strict retelling, you will not find it here. All in all, this was a really fun and cute read, and all the disappointment I've seen is from people who are expecting it to be something that it's not.
dearlilie's review
2.0
Het idee was super leuk maar ik denk dat het beter was uitgekomen als een echt lang boek ipv een novelle want het was heel erg ok nu zijn we hier. Nu hier. Oh trouwens. Nu hier. Dus dat was wel jammer
lightqueer's review
4.0
i'm usually not at all a fan of novellas, but this one was simply wonderful. i adored the messiness of both cress and teagan as they argued throughout their journey, and before. the worldbuilding was also shockingly well done for a novella, to the point where i almost forgot that i was reading one. moreover, teagan's bond with her deceased mother and the depiction of her grief were heartwrenching and well done. all in all, a great little read with more than enough sapphic love!