Scan barcode
booklover160's review against another edition
1.0
DNF 5/6 audio discs
Other than not ever connecting with ANY of the characters, there was a certain moment where I called the book dead and done to me. I will get to that in a minute.
First, let's talk about the things I liked. I really liked the world. It was interesting, fun, and fairly fleshed out. There exists a town in a world similar to ours in which we have no magic, but this town does. Quiver Hollows has rivers that flow in a loop, purple puppies, and everyone can bend spoons except for our "hero". I liked the world. That's about it.
I did like the characters, but I simply didn't care. Also the blurb spans the first like third of the book and then Grimsly dosen't really see his friends again (I haven't finished, but for now, he hasn't seen them yet). I didn't get to know them enough to care. Heck, I barely know enough about Grimsly to care. I loved Frankie, however. She has spunky and attitude and she's too precious for this world.
Onto things I didn't like (but not enough to quit): pacing is off. It's a fast, slow, fast type of pacing and in all the wrong parts. The exciting parts I felt like were too quick to appreciate, while his life at the academy was unbearably slow. Speaking of the academy, the bullying was atrocious. I could stomach it because I know that bullying is a real thing that happens and it's tragic, but they'll learn from this, right? RIGHT? I didn't stick around long enough to find out, but the bullying didn't feel like it was going to be addressed again. There is this opportunity to show how wrong and terrible bullying is, but it felt... underdeveloped.
Most of the book felt underdeveloped. The ideas are there, but it feels like a rough draft (a more polished draft, I'll give it credit) since a lot of things just seemed to fall short. (characters and plot)
So here's the thing that pushed me over the edge. I will be hiding it because A) it's a spoiler and B) animal abuse trigger: I could say a bit more, but I'm so DONE with this, I'm abandoning it. It comes out of no where too, so I can see this upsetting a lot of kiddos.
Overall, it had a good premise, but there was a part that I, personally, couldn't handle.
Other than not ever connecting with ANY of the characters, there was a certain moment where I called the book dead and done to me. I will get to that in a minute.
First, let's talk about the things I liked. I really liked the world. It was interesting, fun, and fairly fleshed out. There exists a town in a world similar to ours in which we have no magic, but this town does. Quiver Hollows has rivers that flow in a loop, purple puppies, and everyone can bend spoons except for our "hero". I liked the world. That's about it.
I did like the characters, but I simply didn't care. Also the blurb spans the first like third of the book and then Grimsly dosen't really see his friends again (I haven't finished, but for now, he hasn't seen them yet). I didn't get to know them enough to care. Heck, I barely know enough about Grimsly to care. I loved Frankie, however. She has spunky and attitude and she's too precious for this world.
Onto things I didn't like (but not enough to quit): pacing is off. It's a fast, slow, fast type of pacing and in all the wrong parts. The exciting parts I felt like were too quick to appreciate, while his life at the academy was unbearably slow. Speaking of the academy, the bullying was atrocious. I could stomach it because I know that bullying is a real thing that happens and it's tragic, but they'll learn from this, right? RIGHT? I didn't stick around long enough to find out, but the bullying didn't feel like it was going to be addressed again. There is this opportunity to show how wrong and terrible bullying is, but it felt... underdeveloped.
Most of the book felt underdeveloped. The ideas are there, but it feels like a rough draft (a more polished draft, I'll give it credit) since a lot of things just seemed to fall short. (characters and plot)
So here's the thing that pushed me over the edge. I will be hiding it because A) it's a spoiler and B) animal abuse trigger:
Spoiler
First, I don't understand why the animal bones are the ones to give Quiver Hollows it's magic. There's no explanation. Second, they are GRINDING the dead BONES to dust and EATING it. WHAT THE HECKIE? (Censoring for kids) Third, since they entirely desecrated the pet cemetery, they moved on to kidnapping and murdering baby bunnies. Because "young magic is the most potent magic". Excuse me while I barf. This is so sickening, so enraging, so utterly evil, I couldn't even stomach another word of this crap.Overall, it had a good premise, but there was a part that I, personally, couldn't handle.
elsecallerreads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
5.0
This is a solid middle grade fantasy. It felt very similar to Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians and the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. I really enjoyed all the characters and thought the ending wrapped up nicely.
reviewerlarissa's review
Review for Bookwinked
The Bone Thief is a story that has been on my “to-be-reviewed” shelf for quite some time and I apologize for that. There was a reason for that. It was both that I just couldn’t get in to the story and that it was designated for the old website (Verhalenwijs) but ultimately decided to wait with the review until the websites were merged.
So The Bone Thief. It’s a lovely story for young readers about a bunch of youngster with abilities that are quite out of the ordinary. It’s a cute and fun little read, but I just couldn’t get into the story and it took me a long time to read it. I think this was mainly because the story just didn’t grip me and not because the story itself is bad. The story is written by an experienced author with a fun and solid plot.
There are unique characters in this story what will play to the imagination of any young reader. Such as the pet funeral director, the girl who has visions and so on and they all go on adventures all set in a town where being normal is very out of the question.
For young readers (age 8-11) it has everything: a fantasy element, likable characters they can identify with, a magical town, adventures and it is written well in an understandable way and I think young readers will really love this story.
As a side note: I’m not rating this story because it didn’t click for me, but I can see why it would for other and certainly child
The Bone Thief is a story that has been on my “to-be-reviewed” shelf for quite some time and I apologize for that. There was a reason for that. It was both that I just couldn’t get in to the story and that it was designated for the old website (Verhalenwijs) but ultimately decided to wait with the review until the websites were merged.
So The Bone Thief. It’s a lovely story for young readers about a bunch of youngster with abilities that are quite out of the ordinary. It’s a cute and fun little read, but I just couldn’t get into the story and it took me a long time to read it. I think this was mainly because the story just didn’t grip me and not because the story itself is bad. The story is written by an experienced author with a fun and solid plot.
There are unique characters in this story what will play to the imagination of any young reader. Such as the pet funeral director, the girl who has visions and so on and they all go on adventures all set in a town where being normal is very out of the question.
For young readers (age 8-11) it has everything: a fantasy element, likable characters they can identify with, a magical town, adventures and it is written well in an understandable way and I think young readers will really love this story.
As a side note: I’m not rating this story because it didn’t click for me, but I can see why it would for other and certainly child
omgbeansgoreadabook's review
This middle grade novel is jam-packed with fantasy, vivid mental images, and magic.
Grimsly is the main character, he's Quiver Hollows' residential pet funeral director. He's astoundingly normal in a town where nothing is normal about it. Soon, his normalcy is upset when Quiver Hollows starts becoming normal. At first, he believes it is all his fault, but he soon finds out it goes beyond a simple explanation.
Accompanied by his friends, and a few foes, Grimsly sets out to make Quiver Hollows Quiver Hollows again. He leaves town and goes to the outside world, stumbling upon a school where the students are taught magic doesn't exist by a hateful dictator who has a past in dealing with magic.
Chaos ensues, and the rest you'll just have to read about. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Grimsly is the main character, he's Quiver Hollows' residential pet funeral director. He's astoundingly normal in a town where nothing is normal about it. Soon, his normalcy is upset when Quiver Hollows starts becoming normal. At first, he believes it is all his fault, but he soon finds out it goes beyond a simple explanation.
Accompanied by his friends, and a few foes, Grimsly sets out to make Quiver Hollows Quiver Hollows again. He leaves town and goes to the outside world, stumbling upon a school where the students are taught magic doesn't exist by a hateful dictator who has a past in dealing with magic.
Chaos ensues, and the rest you'll just have to read about. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
elephant's review
4.0
This is a lovely middle grade fantasy in which 11 year old Grimsley, the only non-magical person in Quiver Hollows must save the town's magic, but he can't do it without the help of his friends. Will a boy with no magic whose only skill is to be a pet funeral director be able to save the town's magic before it is too late? I highly recommend this book!
More...