Scan barcode
sunwaves's review against another edition
5.0
heartwarming and ever so lovely with beautiful descriptions, but my favorite part of the bone houses is the characters.
hannahhbic's review against another edition
5.0
This book has the best chronic pain rep I've ever seen. Ily Ellis. Anyways, if you like zombies, fantasy, and Welsh mythology, this is your novel. The audio in particular was spectacular! The GOAT is also a goat.
crypticmuffin's review against another edition
3.0
Liked this book overall. However it felt incredibly predictable and was a bit frustrating waiting for the main characters to figure things out. But it was fun and pretty solid, a bit of a clumsy ending but I enjoyed it still.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Some time ago, around its release, I read another book by this author set in this world via Netgalley. I quite enjoyed that book and immediately added this book to my wishlist. However, my interest only grew when I heard so many people claim that this book did an amazing job portraying chronic pain. I'm a chronic pain patient myself, so I was both terrified and excited to start reading. Last week I finally picked this book up.
It took me a long time before I really started appreciating this novel. My reading experience is heavily impacted by what kind of book I expect to read and for some reason I had expected a little more action in this book and maybe a much bigger plot. I was therefore waiting and waiting and only realized when we reached the finale that I had missed the most important part of this story. It's a small story about two people going on a journey and learning quite a lot about themselves.
By the end of the book I therefore did have tears in my eyes. Both of these characters had learned so much! About themselves, who they are and who they want to be. But also about much bigger themes. What does it mean to love someone and being forced to let them go? What does it mean if the dead come to life? Are they still themselves? How important is a last name to know who you are? And how far are we willing to go for those we love?
And yes, I do agree with all the other readers stating that this book does an amazing job describing life with chronic pain. We see the up and downs. The good and the bad days. I also like that this character knows his strengths and weaknesses and makes choices based on them. It might not always be what you would have wanted to do, but it's quite often what's eventually best for you. And yet, his pain was not his plot and not his most important character trait. It was just there.
It took me a long time before I really started appreciating this novel. My reading experience is heavily impacted by what kind of book I expect to read and for some reason I had expected a little more action in this book and maybe a much bigger plot. I was therefore waiting and waiting and only realized when we reached the finale that I had missed the most important part of this story. It's a small story about two people going on a journey and learning quite a lot about themselves.
By the end of the book I therefore did have tears in my eyes. Both of these characters had learned so much! About themselves, who they are and who they want to be. But also about much bigger themes. What does it mean to love someone and being forced to let them go? What does it mean if the dead come to life? Are they still themselves? How important is a last name to know who you are? And how far are we willing to go for those we love?
And yes, I do agree with all the other readers stating that this book does an amazing job describing life with chronic pain. We see the up and downs. The good and the bad days. I also like that this character knows his strengths and weaknesses and makes choices based on them. It might not always be what you would have wanted to do, but it's quite often what's eventually best for you. And yet, his pain was not his plot and not his most important character trait. It was just there.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The Plot: Ryn lives in a small village, where she takes care of her brother and sister after their parents died or disappeared. She has taken on her father's occupation of grave digger. There are dead people coming around the village, called bone houses. Ellis is an apprentice mapmaker, who gets lost on the way to her village. After Ryn helps save him from a bone house, they head into the forest together to try to break the curse that is causing people to come back from the dead.
Why I read it: The September Owlcrate box will have an item inspired by it, so I wanted to read it beforehand.
The Characters: I really liked Ryn as a strong female character, and it was nice to see a male character who wasn't necessarily the strong one of the story. They were both likable.
The Setting: This was an interesting world, that was fairly spooky. It wasn't incredibly developed, though, beyond the little village and the forest beyond that pertained to the curse.
A sample of the writing:
"What stories did your parents tell you?"
"Monsters," she said at once. "Dragons. Pwca. Dramatic battles."
"And is that any better?"
"Yes," she answered. "I grew up thinking monsters could be slain."
"Ah," he said. "And I grew up thinking people were the monsters."
Who should read this: Someone looking for a spooky story that's not too scary or gory.
Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this for the most part, but there were too many times where something happened that was just a little too convenient.
Cover Thoughts: I like the cover. I think it would have been nice to have something with a creepy forest, though, as that would have added to the atmosphere.
Why I read it: The September Owlcrate box will have an item inspired by it, so I wanted to read it beforehand.
The Characters: I really liked Ryn as a strong female character, and it was nice to see a male character who wasn't necessarily the strong one of the story. They were both likable.
The Setting: This was an interesting world, that was fairly spooky. It wasn't incredibly developed, though, beyond the little village and the forest beyond that pertained to the curse.
A sample of the writing:
"What stories did your parents tell you?"
"Monsters," she said at once. "Dragons. Pwca. Dramatic battles."
"And is that any better?"
"Yes," she answered. "I grew up thinking monsters could be slain."
"Ah," he said. "And I grew up thinking people were the monsters."
Who should read this: Someone looking for a spooky story that's not too scary or gory.
Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this for the most part, but there were too many times where something happened that was just a little too convenient.
Cover Thoughts: I like the cover. I think it would have been nice to have something with a creepy forest, though, as that would have added to the atmosphere.
serenity043's review against another edition
2.0
Not your traditional undead/zombie book. Undead mixed with magic in a fantasy world is definitely unique. This book is not a horror, but does deal with themes of death and dying. The goat is probably the best character in the whole book. Main characters were ok but fairly generic. Feel good ending.
lenar3ad's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Finished in one couple-hour sitting as I didn't want to put it down. The mythology/folklore was captivating and I was adequately spooked by the bone houses. I'll be buying for my shelf to reread when I want a mystical, undead adventure.
May be a little tough for anyone experiencing grief from losing a parent or finds corpse descriptions hard, all at a YA level.
May be a little tough for anyone experiencing grief from losing a parent or finds corpse descriptions hard, all at a YA level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, and War
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, and Sexual content
mienreads's review against another edition
4.0
A dark and enchanting forest fairytale with a goat that is literally the G.O.A.T.!!! I would’ve liked the characters to develope more but this was such an immersive read.
al3x4ndr4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0