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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Sabine and her perspective much more than Ailesse or Bastien but overall I enjoyed all of the characters. Enemies to lovers is my jam and throw in a doomed to fail aspect? Mm. Chefs kiss. But Sabine is my GIRL. I love her and her growth and determination!!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
Finally finished!!!
Ok so I don’t frequently read YA or fantasy and obviously not YA fantasy but something about this book just drew me towards it.
This was very fun and atmospheric I really enjoyed the world and the magic system it was something that I had never read before. It was a little slow to start but then started to pick up its pace around the 50 page mark. That being said I didn’t love this one. The book was perfectly fine it just didn’t click with me. I think if YA fantasy is your typical genre then probably you will really enjoy this one! Especially if you love a sprinkle of romance within your fantasy books.
Ok so I don’t frequently read YA or fantasy and obviously not YA fantasy but something about this book just drew me towards it.
This was very fun and atmospheric I really enjoyed the world and the magic system it was something that I had never read before. It was a little slow to start but then started to pick up its pace around the 50 page mark. That being said I didn’t love this one. The book was perfectly fine it just didn’t click with me. I think if YA fantasy is your typical genre then probably you will really enjoy this one! Especially if you love a sprinkle of romance within your fantasy books.
I don’t tend to enjoy YA books as much anymore, but I was pleasantly surprised by Bone Crier’s Moon! The magic system felt fresh and unique, with plenty of depth beyond the romance. While a large focus remained on Ailesse’s relationship with her Amorie, the story still gave attention to other relationships and the lore of the Bone Criers. The worldbuilding blended seamlessly with the plot, and the latter half of the book delivered some truly shocking reveals that kept me hooked. Overall, this was an engaging and unexpected read that reignited my enjoyment for YA fantasy.
Rating: 3.5/5
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More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
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Review:
I unintentionally read two French-inspired YA fantasy back to back and I really didn’t like the first one (full review here!), so what did I think of the second one? I was actually pleasantly surprised!
Bone Crier’s Moon is a super captivating story about women tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead, though they’re only able to do this after they kill their soulmate.
—>characters<—
Ailesse – The daughter of the matriarch. Prepared since birth to ferry the dead and eagerly is trying to please her mother. Best friend to Sabine.
Sabine – Ailesse’s best friend and witness to her rite of passage. Unsure if she wants to complete her rite.
Bastien – Lost his father to the Bone Crier’s when he was a boy. Has spent his life preparing for revenge.
—>magic system<—
The magic system in this book was super interesting. Bone Criers appear to have magic due to their connection to the divine. They’re granted their ability to ferry souls due to the gods and their main source of magic comes from animals. Bone Criers are able to take on key attributes of animals (speed, sight, etc.), by hunting the animal and using their “grace.” Bone Criers are careful to limit the number of graces they have and are careful to fully honor the animal after death.
If you’re sensitive to animal death/hunting, I would pass on this book as there are many depictions of hunting.
—>plot<—
So this book jumps right into the inciting event.
Ailesse and Sabine are preparing for Ailesse’s rite of passage as Bastian is preparing to trap a Bone Crier and kill her as revenge for a Bone Crier killing his father. Ailesse performs her rite and Bastian is the person that the gods present to her, though her rite is not completed as Bastian’s friends intervene and Ailesse is kidnapped.
Sabine goes back to the matriarchy and tries to help Ailesse. However, Sabine learns that Ailesse’s mother may have other motives for rescuing Ailesse and having her complete her rite. This plot was definitely the part I found way more interesting.
Ailesse and Bastian have a pretty typical ya enemies-to-lovers path. While I did like how they were able to communicate and learn from each other, they were also apprehensive due to their upbringings. I did grow to enjoy their relationship, but it wasn’t anything that different from other ya romances.
Sabine’s plot, however, was so interesting. She actively ignores the orders of the matriarch and aims to acquire her two remaining graces so she can help her friend. Friendship is a huge part of Sabine’s arc, as many of her actions are done so she can help her friend. Sabine’s arc is also steeped in the mythology in this world, as she becomes witness to a more sinister plot revolving around the matriarch.
Spoiler Corner:
Bastian was not Ailesse’s soul mate.
We find out that there was another person who was supposed to meet Ailesse on the bridge and Sabine brings him to Ailesse, hoping to help Ailesse and Bastian. Unfortunately, this backfires (and gives us the main cliffhanger for book 2), as we find out that Ailesse’s true soul mate is the Prince.
This opened up a really interesting conflict and suggested a potential love triangle for the second book. This also brings up the question is the gods really send the Bone Criers the right soul mate as this is now the second wrong soul mate presented in this world.
Final Thoughts:
While this book was a bit forgettable at times, I had a ton of fun reading this one. I can see why a lot of people hyped this book up pre-release. This a fun, lore-rich fantasy story with super memorable characters. Though part of this story felt pretty cliche as far as ya fantasy books go, the ending really set it apart and created some pretty compelling conflicts for the sequel. This book was surprisingly dark and was not afraid to up the stakes. I will probably be continuing with the sequel.
If you liked House of Salt and Sorrow, you’ll probably really enjoy this one!
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More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
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TW/CW: hunting/on-page animal death, self-harm (for use of blood magic)
Review:
I unintentionally read two French-inspired YA fantasy back to back and I really didn’t like the first one (full review here!), so what did I think of the second one? I was actually pleasantly surprised!
Bone Crier’s Moon is a super captivating story about women tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead, though they’re only able to do this after they kill their soulmate.
—>characters<—
Ailesse – The daughter of the matriarch. Prepared since birth to ferry the dead and eagerly is trying to please her mother. Best friend to Sabine.
Sabine – Ailesse’s best friend and witness to her rite of passage. Unsure if she wants to complete her rite.
Bastien – Lost his father to the Bone Crier’s when he was a boy. Has spent his life preparing for revenge.
—>magic system<—
The magic system in this book was super interesting. Bone Criers appear to have magic due to their connection to the divine. They’re granted their ability to ferry souls due to the gods and their main source of magic comes from animals. Bone Criers are able to take on key attributes of animals (speed, sight, etc.), by hunting the animal and using their “grace.” Bone Criers are careful to limit the number of graces they have and are careful to fully honor the animal after death.
If you’re sensitive to animal death/hunting, I would pass on this book as there are many depictions of hunting.
—>plot<—
So this book jumps right into the inciting event.
Ailesse and Sabine are preparing for Ailesse’s rite of passage as Bastian is preparing to trap a Bone Crier and kill her as revenge for a Bone Crier killing his father. Ailesse performs her rite and Bastian is the person that the gods present to her, though her rite is not completed as Bastian’s friends intervene and Ailesse is kidnapped.
Sabine goes back to the matriarchy and tries to help Ailesse. However, Sabine learns that Ailesse’s mother may have other motives for rescuing Ailesse and having her complete her rite. This plot was definitely the part I found way more interesting.
Ailesse and Bastian have a pretty typical ya enemies-to-lovers path. While I did like how they were able to communicate and learn from each other, they were also apprehensive due to their upbringings. I did grow to enjoy their relationship, but it wasn’t anything that different from other ya romances.
Sabine’s plot, however, was so interesting. She actively ignores the orders of the matriarch and aims to acquire her two remaining graces so she can help her friend. Friendship is a huge part of Sabine’s arc, as many of her actions are done so she can help her friend. Sabine’s arc is also steeped in the mythology in this world, as she becomes witness to a more sinister plot revolving around the matriarch.
Spoiler Corner:
Spoiler
Okay, so to accurately talk about what really saved this book for me, I need to spoil the hell out of the ending. The last 50-100 pages of this book had so many things happen. I don’t think I’m going to spoil everything, but we need to talk about probably the biggest reveal:Bastian was not Ailesse’s soul mate.
We find out that there was another person who was supposed to meet Ailesse on the bridge and Sabine brings him to Ailesse, hoping to help Ailesse and Bastian. Unfortunately, this backfires (and gives us the main cliffhanger for book 2), as we find out that Ailesse’s true soul mate is the Prince.
This opened up a really interesting conflict and suggested a potential love triangle for the second book. This also brings up the question is the gods really send the Bone Criers the right soul mate as this is now the second wrong soul mate presented in this world.
Final Thoughts:
While this book was a bit forgettable at times, I had a ton of fun reading this one. I can see why a lot of people hyped this book up pre-release. This a fun, lore-rich fantasy story with super memorable characters. Though part of this story felt pretty cliche as far as ya fantasy books go, the ending really set it apart and created some pretty compelling conflicts for the sequel. This book was surprisingly dark and was not afraid to up the stakes. I will probably be continuing with the sequel.
If you liked House of Salt and Sorrow, you’ll probably really enjoy this one!
adventurous
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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
The concept of this book was really interesting, the main challenge was getting through Sabine’s POV. The romance between the main characters also felt very rushed. I absolutely despised Jules in the beginning of the book but now I’m starting to like her more than Sabine. I feel like it got to a point towards the end of the book where Sabine kept trying to save Aliesse but only made things worse.
I glide in circles around Bastien. My arms rise in the elegant arcs and patterns Giselle taught me. I’m representing life through the elements. The breath of the wind. The currents in the sea. The energy of the earth. The heat of flickering flame. The everlasting soul. Bastien’s sea-blue eyes follow my every move.
.
QUÉ GRAN DECEPCIÓN. Quería leerlo hace un montón y si bien el hype me bajó no esperaba encontrarme con algo TAN aburrido, que no me generaba nada más que enojo. Ailesse fue el único personaje aceptable de los protagonistas. El resto me sacaron de quicio. ¿Y qué onda ese final? God, no.
La escritura es aceptable, el romance mediocre y la historia súper estancada y llena de relleno. Podría haber sido mucho mejor pero no lo fue. Thank you, next.
.
Un día después de terminarlo: tengo la mente fresca y ya no estoy enojada. Podríamos decirle un gran avance. Ponele. En fin, el libro no me gustó. La idea podría haber sido muchísimo mejor abarcada. El romance fue raro, un enemies to lovers prometedor que terminó siendo casi un insta-love. Repito, esperaba mucho más.
.
QUÉ GRAN DECEPCIÓN. Quería leerlo hace un montón y si bien el hype me bajó no esperaba encontrarme con algo TAN aburrido, que no me generaba nada más que enojo. Ailesse fue el único personaje aceptable de los protagonistas. El resto me sacaron de quicio. ¿Y qué onda ese final? God, no.
La escritura es aceptable, el romance mediocre y la historia súper estancada y llena de relleno. Podría haber sido mucho mejor pero no lo fue. Thank you, next.
.
Un día después de terminarlo: tengo la mente fresca y ya no estoy enojada. Podríamos decirle un gran avance. Ponele. En fin, el libro no me gustó. La idea podría haber sido muchísimo mejor abarcada. El romance fue raro, un enemies to lovers prometedor que terminó siendo casi un insta-love. Repito, esperaba mucho más.