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keirahelena_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Alcoholism
classicluce's review
3.75
Whilst reading Tall Bones I found it really difficult to figure out if I liked it or not. The characters and setting are well developed and intriguing and the plot points are interesting enough. The book is written like a literary thriller, which sometimes works for its themes but at points can feel overworked and overdone. I found this to be very much a slow burn book for me, only after about 30% did I feel invested in it, and that waned again throughout the book.
Overall though this book was hard hitting and uncomfortable in the right places, and the characters of Noah and Rat were particularly engaging. This was not an easy going thriller, but well worth the read.
Overall though this book was hard hitting and uncomfortable in the right places, and the characters of Noah and Rat were particularly engaging. This was not an easy going thriller, but well worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Ableism, Alcoholism, Incest, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship
librariangeorgia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am generally quite a quick reader but this one took me so long to read! I think I just didn’t enjoy it enough to want to pick it up.
It felt quite mundane but also very messed up. I thought it was quite long and it felt like not a lot was happening. My favourite bit was about 45 chapters in where you got the reveal on what happened and Dolly’s reaction to it. The ending was quite bittersweet - but I liked that everyone got an ending they deserved and something that they wanted.
It was an okay book, just not for me.
It felt quite mundane but also very messed up. I thought it was quite long and it felt like not a lot was happening. My favourite bit was about 45 chapters in where you got the reveal on what happened and Dolly’s reaction to it. The ending was quite bittersweet - but I liked that everyone got an ending they deserved and something that they wanted.
It was an okay book, just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Incest
mushimushi's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
The beginning was really strong but at 50% I started to feel like I was dragging myself towards the end. I didn’t find the ending satisfying or much of a surprise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment
definebookish's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Part thriller, part grim portrait of life in an insular community, Tall Bones is bleak but compulsive reading. Published in other territories as Where the Truth Lies, its hook is the promise of finding out what happened to missing teenager Abi, last seen headed towards a party in the woods outside the fictional mill town of Whistling Ridge, Colorado.
The answer to that question turns out to be less crime procedural, more community post-mortem. Who could be hiding the truth in a town where the pastor preaches fire and brimstone and the cops are part of his congregation? Who should Abi’s best friend Emma, wracked with guilt, be more afraid of – the older boy who lives in the trailer park and offers to buy her booze, or the upstanding citizens who treat them both like dirt?
It’s interesting to me that debut novelist Anna Bailey is actually a Brit, though she has lived in Colorado. Perhaps Whistling Ridge has more skeletons per closet than your average small town, but certainly no more than Mare of Easttown or Twin Peaks – though it has echoes of both.
Tall Bones is difficult reading. The answers, when they do come, are deeply disturbing and desperately sad. Racism and homophobia are rife in the community, and Abi’s story made me think hard about the way that fiction so often kidnaps and murders girls for entertainment. While this one is a pageturner, it’s also so much more than that – nuanced, thought-provoking, and ultimately hopeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, and Drug use
whatellisreadnext's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
'𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦.' 𝘋𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦. '𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.'
Emma leaves her best friend Abigail at a party by the Tall Bones. Not knowing that she will never see her again. Abi's disappearance sends ripples through the small town of Whistling Ridge. Where is she?
Tall Bones absolutely took me by surprise, I was just expecting a normal thriller/mystery novel, but it was so much more than that. I am an absolute sucker for a small town, that is full to the brim with horrible people. Saying that there are a few characters you will be rooting for, just know that the majority of them are awful people 💁🏻♀️
I am absolutely shooketh that this is Anna Bailey's debut, the writing is incredible, the characters feel so real. She effortlessly juggles all of the intertwining narratives; there are so many characters in this book, but not once was I lost. They all felt like real people, with such individual personalities.
The writing style reminded me so much of Miracle Creek by Angie Kim or The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, so if you loved either of those, you need to grab a copy of this book immediately. I mean I think every mystery lover should read it, but I am totally bias, because I loved every second of it.
Emma leaves her best friend Abigail at a party by the Tall Bones. Not knowing that she will never see her again. Abi's disappearance sends ripples through the small town of Whistling Ridge. Where is she?
Tall Bones absolutely took me by surprise, I was just expecting a normal thriller/mystery novel, but it was so much more than that. I am an absolute sucker for a small town, that is full to the brim with horrible people. Saying that there are a few characters you will be rooting for, just know that the majority of them are awful people 💁🏻♀️
I am absolutely shooketh that this is Anna Bailey's debut, the writing is incredible, the characters feel so real. She effortlessly juggles all of the intertwining narratives; there are so many characters in this book, but not once was I lost. They all felt like real people, with such individual personalities.
The writing style reminded me so much of Miracle Creek by Angie Kim or The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, so if you loved either of those, you need to grab a copy of this book immediately. I mean I think every mystery lover should read it, but I am totally bias, because I loved every second of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
ladyr's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
What an absolutely brilliant debut!
This book carries some very heavy themes & lots of them - but it does so in a page turning yet sensitive way.
The prose is absolutely stunning and more like poetry at times.
I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
This book carries some very heavy themes & lots of them - but it does so in a page turning yet sensitive way.
The prose is absolutely stunning and more like poetry at times.
I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, and Religious bigotry
shitbookreviews's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Copy via Netgalley.
I think I’m probably in the minority here but this book wasn’t massively for me. THAT BEING SAID – it’s one of those books that will make you massively uncomfortable to read because this shit still goes on. On that note, I’d be an ass if I didn’t pop out a few trigger warnings for Tall Bones. In this book you’ll find:
Alcoholism & drug abuse
Homophobia oozing out every pore
Incest
Racism
Abuse (child, domestic and everything in between)
This is a dark, claustrophobic and utterly depressing story of a Whistling Ridge – a small town (with an even smaller town mentality) where religion comes first. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ One girl who disappeared during a party
✨ Her BFF trying everything within her power to figure out what happened to her
✨ A family torn apart and living in fear of their father/husband
✨ A small town laced with secrets and whispers around every corner
I grew up in a small town. Nothing (and I mean N O T H I N G) was ever a secret. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to grab this one in the first place to see how other places fared when it came to gossip and insanity? Who knows. What I do know is that this is a book you have to concentrate on as it flips from past to present. This and the fact there’s a LOT going on, meant my poor brain went into meltdown.
Enough waffle.
Abigail Blake is a typical small-town gal (livin’ in a lonely worlddddd) – rebellious and looking for adventure outside of their home which is slowly killing them. In an attempt to have a bit of a normal life, Abi and Emma head to a party in the shadow of the Tall Bones; only one of them makes it back home.
Abi’s disappearance not only tore apart Emma’s life but also shone a massive spotlight on the Blake family and the number of bruises that littered Noah and Jude’s bodies. You’d perhaps think that that would make them the centre point for an investigation but a bigoted town’s gotta bigot and before long, Rat (a Romanian immigrant teenager who lived alone in a trailer) became the focal point of the town’s manic anger.
I liked this book. I didn’t love it but I liked it. It’s a slow read so, if you’re anything like me and desires intense shit from the get-go, then you might struggle with this. If anything, it should be mandatory reading for anyone who lives in a small town in the hopes that it helps them realise what goes on behind closed doors.
Challenge racism, misogyny and homophobia, please.
I think I’m probably in the minority here but this book wasn’t massively for me. THAT BEING SAID – it’s one of those books that will make you massively uncomfortable to read because this shit still goes on. On that note, I’d be an ass if I didn’t pop out a few trigger warnings for Tall Bones. In this book you’ll find:
Alcoholism & drug abuse
Homophobia oozing out every pore
Incest
Racism
Abuse (child, domestic and everything in between)
This is a dark, claustrophobic and utterly depressing story of a Whistling Ridge – a small town (with an even smaller town mentality) where religion comes first. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ One girl who disappeared during a party
✨ Her BFF trying everything within her power to figure out what happened to her
✨ A family torn apart and living in fear of their father/husband
✨ A small town laced with secrets and whispers around every corner
I grew up in a small town. Nothing (and I mean N O T H I N G) was ever a secret. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to grab this one in the first place to see how other places fared when it came to gossip and insanity? Who knows. What I do know is that this is a book you have to concentrate on as it flips from past to present. This and the fact there’s a LOT going on, meant my poor brain went into meltdown.
Enough waffle.
Abigail Blake is a typical small-town gal (livin’ in a lonely worlddddd) – rebellious and looking for adventure outside of their home which is slowly killing them. In an attempt to have a bit of a normal life, Abi and Emma head to a party in the shadow of the Tall Bones; only one of them makes it back home.
Abi’s disappearance not only tore apart Emma’s life but also shone a massive spotlight on the Blake family and the number of bruises that littered Noah and Jude’s bodies. You’d perhaps think that that would make them the centre point for an investigation but a bigoted town’s gotta bigot and before long, Rat (a Romanian immigrant teenager who lived alone in a trailer) became the focal point of the town’s manic anger.
I liked this book. I didn’t love it but I liked it. It’s a slow read so, if you’re anything like me and desires intense shit from the get-go, then you might struggle with this. If anything, it should be mandatory reading for anyone who lives in a small town in the hopes that it helps them realise what goes on behind closed doors.
Challenge racism, misogyny and homophobia, please.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Incest
momentsofmine's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
bookishbecky's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I read this book in 3 sittings spread out over a number of days and between sittings I could not stop thinking of this town and these characters.
Anna Bailey evokes such a clear image of setting and characters and weaves several heartbreaking storylines in and around the story of a missing 17 year old girl. I imagine this is what small towns can be like with 'outsiders' and people who are different being viewed with violence and suspicion.
There are some tough subjects and extreme violence explored in this book but it is done with such sensitivity to each character and their reasoning is explored to a large extent.
I felt so sorry for the Blake family for so many reasons and their story, misunderstandings and ultimate changes will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Hate crime, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Drug use
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