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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
DNF @ 55%
This is one of the biggest letdowns of the year. I had such high hopes for this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance. Such high hopes...
To start positively, I really like the concept of the book and I like how the Crier's get their powers from the bones of animals -- pretty cool. Although they had to kill the animals which... wasn't great :/
The thing is, I need to like characters I'm reading about, I need to connect with them or at least care about their journey. Here, I couldn't. I was trying so hard, but they just annoyed me. Like they'd be hurt someone didn't trust them because they did one good thing, yet they were actively trying to kill them soooo why would they trust you, fool?! They were just so, so foolish. Many of their actions frustrated me and made no sense except to prolong the book. We also never got development or time for learning about them, or at least it felt this way.
I could keep going because I'm so, so sad by not liking this book, but I'll stop here.
This is one of the biggest letdowns of the year. I had such high hopes for this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance. Such high hopes...
To start positively, I really like the concept of the book and I like how the Crier's get their powers from the bones of animals -- pretty cool. Although they had to kill the animals which... wasn't great :/
The thing is, I need to like characters I'm reading about, I need to connect with them or at least care about their journey. Here, I couldn't. I was trying so hard, but they just annoyed me. Like they'd be hurt someone didn't trust them because they did one good thing, yet they were actively trying to kill them soooo why would they trust you, fool?! They were just so, so foolish. Many of their actions frustrated me and made no sense except to prolong the book. We also never got development or time for learning about them, or at least it felt this way.
I could keep going because I'm so, so sad by not liking this book, but I'll stop here.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wasn't a huge fan of this one. Going to try to keep the reasons why concise.
Spoilers below!
1. It was boring. Despite being incredibly action-heavy, I was bored the whole time. Like, at no point in this book was I excited by anything going on.
2. Everything that happened was just...really dumb and not good. The thing about Sabine and Ailesse being sisters? Dumb. I was really thinking for a second this book was going to be unique and have Sabine in love with Ailesse when Ailesse was falling for Bastien, but then no. Purdie Star Wars'd us. Other reason it's not good is because this implies you need to have a Special Bond of some kind to care about someone that much, as if being friends with a girl can't be That Deep.
And the thing with Bastien not being Ailesse's real soulmate? Also dumb. Needless drama, what with him being a prince and all. Got SO annoyed during the last 100 pages of the book when this all came out. Also annoyed by the fact that it was just thrown out there near the end with no previous hints. Honestly, the book could have been a stand-alone if some weird stuff hadn't just been tossed in there for the sake of a sequel.
3. I didn't like any of the characters. They had very little personality. Felt more like they had a list of traits assigned to them and that was that, no depth beyond.
4. Odiva's character was just the worst. Motivations jumped around all over the place, so the ways she behaved were erratic, and not in the good way.
Disappointed tbh
Spoilers below!
1. It was boring. Despite being incredibly action-heavy, I was bored the whole time. Like, at no point in this book was I excited by anything going on.
2. Everything that happened was just...really dumb and not good. The thing about Sabine and Ailesse being sisters? Dumb. I was really thinking for a second this book was going to be unique and have Sabine in love with Ailesse when Ailesse was falling for Bastien, but then no. Purdie Star Wars'd us. Other reason it's not good is because this implies you need to have a Special Bond of some kind to care about someone that much, as if being friends with a girl can't be That Deep.
And the thing with Bastien not being Ailesse's real soulmate? Also dumb. Needless drama, what with him being a prince and all. Got SO annoyed during the last 100 pages of the book when this all came out. Also annoyed by the fact that it was just thrown out there near the end with no previous hints. Honestly, the book could have been a stand-alone if some weird stuff hadn't just been tossed in there for the sake of a sequel.
3. I didn't like any of the characters. They had very little personality. Felt more like they had a list of traits assigned to them and that was that, no depth beyond.
4. Odiva's character was just the worst. Motivations jumped around all over the place, so the ways she behaved were erratic, and not in the good way.
Disappointed tbh
Bone Crier's Moon was a riveting read set in a French-inspired world about the lengths people go to for love and loyalty. The moon waxed and waned, the stakes were high and the relationships were compelling- I definitely thought it was a story with a lot of potential.
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Bone Criers or Ferriers were women who ferried the souls of the dead to either the Heavens or the Underworld every new moon. But to do this they had to complete a rite of passage that involved luring and killing their soulmate on a bridge. I did think that was a contradictory idea- murdering in order to ferry the dead. The idea was supposed to be that the Ferrier's had to give up something important to prove their dedication but surely the person dying is making more of a sacrifice than the Ferriers?
The magic system was very novel where the Ferriers gained magical powers called graces from the bones of animals that they had killed depending on the strengths and skills of those particular animals. For example, if someone had the grace bone of a peregrine falcon they would get extra speed and the bone of a fire salamander would give a healing grace.
Ailesse didn't just want to be a Ferrier, she wanted to be the best no matter what it took. Her drive to prove her worth and skill to her mother, the Matrone, and the rest of her famille meant that she never questioned their practices or the reasons behind them. But then Bastien took her hostage, getting in the way of the fate she had been preparing for as long as she could remember. As time passed and truths were uncovered, she realised that there could always be another way. Ailesse had the most subtle development, over the course of the book the pillars of her life crumbled and she had to trust in her own strength to get her through.
Sabine was probably the most interesting character. I loved her strong friendship with Ailesse and how they loved each other unconditionally despite their differences. However, it was that strong love that led her to break through many of her moral boundaries to help her friend, almost becoming an entirely different person by the end. As she discovered more and more unsettling secrets her limits were tested more than ever before.
For me, Bastien was probably the least developed character. He witnessed his father being killed by a Bone Crier at a young age and ever since he had been driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge. Therefore, he made it his mission to kill a Bone Crier. My problem with him was that I thought he discarded the anger that had been fuelling him for so long rather quickly, I think he should have experienced a greater conflict of emotions.
I did like how he put his revenge behind him as he knew it was not going to make anything better. And I also thought him and Ailesse suited each other very much and the way they unwittingly chose each other and defied fate in doing so was cute. However, I think it all needed more development and needed to take more time. On another note, I really liked Bastien's friends, Jules and Marcel, and I hope they get even more of a role in the next book.
Set in a dynamic world that went between the forest, the catacombs, the city and many different bridges, Bone Crier's Moon was a promising start to a duology about choosing one's own destiny and rethinking the ways of the past. I'm really excited to read the sequel and seeing where the story goes next!
Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Bone Criers or Ferriers were women who ferried the souls of the dead to either the Heavens or the Underworld every new moon. But to do this they had to complete a rite of passage that involved luring and killing their soulmate on a bridge. I did think that was a contradictory idea- murdering in order to ferry the dead. The idea was supposed to be that the Ferrier's had to give up something important to prove their dedication but surely the person dying is making more of a sacrifice than the Ferriers?
The magic system was very novel where the Ferriers gained magical powers called graces from the bones of animals that they had killed depending on the strengths and skills of those particular animals. For example, if someone had the grace bone of a peregrine falcon they would get extra speed and the bone of a fire salamander would give a healing grace.
Ailesse didn't just want to be a Ferrier, she wanted to be the best no matter what it took. Her drive to prove her worth and skill to her mother, the Matrone, and the rest of her famille meant that she never questioned their practices or the reasons behind them. But then Bastien took her hostage, getting in the way of the fate she had been preparing for as long as she could remember. As time passed and truths were uncovered, she realised that there could always be another way. Ailesse had the most subtle development, over the course of the book the pillars of her life crumbled and she had to trust in her own strength to get her through.
Sabine was probably the most interesting character. I loved her strong friendship with Ailesse and how they loved each other unconditionally despite their differences. However, it was that strong love that led her to break through many of her moral boundaries to help her friend, almost becoming an entirely different person by the end. As she discovered more and more unsettling secrets her limits were tested more than ever before.
For me, Bastien was probably the least developed character. He witnessed his father being killed by a Bone Crier at a young age and ever since he had been driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge. Therefore, he made it his mission to kill a Bone Crier. My problem with him was that I thought he discarded the anger that had been fuelling him for so long rather quickly, I think he should have experienced a greater conflict of emotions.
I did like how he put his revenge behind him as he knew it was not going to make anything better. And I also thought him and Ailesse suited each other very much and the way they unwittingly chose each other and defied fate in doing so was cute. However, I think it all needed more development and needed to take more time. On another note, I really liked Bastien's friends, Jules and Marcel, and I hope they get even more of a role in the next book.
Set in a dynamic world that went between the forest, the catacombs, the city and many different bridges, Bone Crier's Moon was a promising start to a duology about choosing one's own destiny and rethinking the ways of the past. I'm really excited to read the sequel and seeing where the story goes next!
Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
“There's an Old Gallish phrase my father used to say whenever he'd have to leave for a little while. He'd hold my hand just like this and whisper, 'Tu ne me manque pas. Je ne te manque pas.' It means 'You're not missing from me. I'm not missing from you.”
I really liked all the characters in this book! Bastien and Ailesse were great protagonists and Sabine really grew on me. Jules and Marcel were also well written and I'm looking forward to their role in the sequel ;)
The plot of this book was really interesting and well planned, in a way it reminds me of serpent and dove because of the enemies to lovers trope and how one character starts out hating the other character’s species/role.
Also that cliff-hanger ending? WHAT? I can’t wait for the next book.
Overall: The reason this wasn’t a five star read for me was probably because the romance felt a little forced near the middle, with enemies to lovers I usually expect more of a slow burn!
I really liked all the characters in this book! Bastien and Ailesse were great protagonists and Sabine really grew on me. Jules and Marcel were also well written and I'm looking forward to their role in the sequel ;)
The plot of this book was really interesting and well planned, in a way it reminds me of serpent and dove because of the enemies to lovers trope and how one character starts out hating the other character’s species/role.
Also that cliff-hanger ending? WHAT? I can’t wait for the next book.
Overall: The reason this wasn’t a five star read for me was probably because the romance felt a little forced near the middle, with enemies to lovers I usually expect more of a slow burn!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book did nothing for me and I don't feel like it brought anything new to the genre so it was very hard for me to get through this.
My biggest dislike is the magic system in this and I don't want to spoil it but there's just something not quite right about it and it didn't sit well with me. I feel like a good magic system has justifications for why the characters use/have magic, but the one in this book did not have any solid reasons for why they did what they did.
I'm usually pretty good and reading through books with characters or something that I don't like but the magic is such a big part that I couldn't look past it and I didn't enjoy this one, unfortunately.
My biggest dislike is the magic system in this and I don't want to spoil it but there's just something not quite right about it and it didn't sit well with me. I feel like a good magic system has justifications for why the characters use/have magic, but the one in this book did not have any solid reasons for why they did what they did.
I'm usually pretty good and reading through books with characters or something that I don't like but the magic is such a big part that I couldn't look past it and I didn't enjoy this one, unfortunately.
3.5 stars// I tbh only bought this book bc I want every Charlie Bowater illustrated cover but I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would! There were a few things that were a bit irritating/cringe to me but in the grand scheme of it I found the world building and magic system super interesting and I loved Sabine’s storyline. The relationship felt a bit too instalove for me so interested to see where it goes in the sequel
4 stelle!
Dopo averne rimandato continuamente la lettura finalmente mi sono decisa a leggerlo e ne sono rimasta piacevolmente sorpresa. Fin dall'inizio la storia mi ha catturato e il sistema magico è molto interessante. Anche la storia d'amore mi ha conquistato, anche se il passaggio tra enemies to lovers è stato un pelino troppo veloce. Ci sono alcuni dettagli che decisamente necessitavano di più caratterizzazione, ma alla fine sono molto soddisfatta.
Dopo averne rimandato continuamente la lettura finalmente mi sono decisa a leggerlo e ne sono rimasta piacevolmente sorpresa. Fin dall'inizio la storia mi ha catturato e il sistema magico è molto interessante. Anche la storia d'amore mi ha conquistato, anche se il passaggio tra enemies to lovers è stato un pelino troppo veloce. Ci sono alcuni dettagli che decisamente necessitavano di più caratterizzazione, ma alla fine sono molto soddisfatta.