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beckskosh77's review
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
This is an interesting adventure story based in Russian lore. I enjoyed the characters and the magic that was around. The setting is a mix of various time periods with some medieval and others industrial times.
This is an interesting adventure story based in Russian lore. I enjoyed the characters and the magic that was around. The setting is a mix of various time periods with some medieval and others industrial times.
kevinscorner's review
4.0
Bone Weaver is a haunting soviet Russian-inspired YA historical fantasy set in a world where the dead can come back to life. Toma is a young woman disconnected from her past now having found her place with her undead family. Mikhail is the dethroned Tsar fleeing the revolutionary leader that stole his kingdom and magic. Vanya is an accused witch who dreams of a better future for his people. These three lives intersect to form a bond that will change their world.
Aden Polydoros has created a lush world where magic, spirits, and the undead meet guns, dirigibles, and electricity. It is a place full of history and strife on the edge of revolution against tradition, prejudice, and legend. The setting is well established and imaginative.
I liked all three protagonists who each have distinct personalities and story arcs. Toma must learn to remember her past in order to wield the power of her ancestors. Mikhail must learn from the mistakes of his ruling family’s legacy as he struggles with his forbidden desires. Vanya has learned to live in a society that won’t accept him but still fights for what he believes in. Together, they must set aside their differences and work towards a common goal to change the trajectory of their lives. On a side note, there is also a romantic thread between the three of them that suggest they will definitely become a throuple given time, and no one can dissuade me otherwise.
I do think the there was way more potential to be told from this story which felt expedited in this single standalone YA novel. There was room to marinate and to develop more the relationships and conflicts in the story. And this certainly felt incomplete for a standalone with plenty of story threads yet to be tied given its relatively quick and abrupt ending.
Bone Weaver is a lush and haunting historical fantasy with so much more potential than just this standalone novel.
Aden Polydoros has created a lush world where magic, spirits, and the undead meet guns, dirigibles, and electricity. It is a place full of history and strife on the edge of revolution against tradition, prejudice, and legend. The setting is well established and imaginative.
I liked all three protagonists who each have distinct personalities and story arcs. Toma must learn to remember her past in order to wield the power of her ancestors. Mikhail must learn from the mistakes of his ruling family’s legacy as he struggles with his forbidden desires. Vanya has learned to live in a society that won’t accept him but still fights for what he believes in. Together, they must set aside their differences and work towards a common goal to change the trajectory of their lives. On a side note, there is also a romantic thread between the three of them that suggest they will definitely become a throuple given time, and no one can dissuade me otherwise.
I do think the there was way more potential to be told from this story which felt expedited in this single standalone YA novel. There was room to marinate and to develop more the relationships and conflicts in the story. And this certainly felt incomplete for a standalone with plenty of story threads yet to be tied given its relatively quick and abrupt ending.
Bone Weaver is a lush and haunting historical fantasy with so much more potential than just this standalone novel.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Loved reading this book, loved the world, and it was such a good read!
emilie_rose's review
4.0
While I did not like Bone Weaver as much as I liked The City Beautiful, this was still a fascinating book. I really loved the magic system, but some of the pacing was a little off for me, in that some of the parts of the book felt somewhat rushed.
nbwessler's review
4.0
Bone Weaver is prefaced by a "Letter from the Author" in which Polydoros explains that he wanted to create a fantasy world inspired by Imperial Russia that reflected the true diversity and strife found within the empire. (In contrast to other Russian-inspired fantasies that present a mostly homogenous world.) I am here to say, “Mission accomplished.”
The world Polydoros builds here is richly detailed and feels viscerally real. The tensions and divisions that exist within this society are fully developed, and Toma, our stubborn, steadfast heroine, makes for the perfect vessel through which to explore them.
Orphaned at a young age and scarred by her traumatic past–to the extent that most of her early memories are repressed or distorted–Toma has been surviving in the wilderness alongside a found family of “upyri,” or revenants–dead who came back. Indeed, Toma’s world is populated by any number of spirits and folkloric monsters who were once living people but came back as something else after they died. The casual existence of these creatures and the ever present danger they pose adds to the overall uniqueness and lived-in feeling of the setting
Toma exhibits a great ability to heal and bind together that which would otherwise fall apart. When the arrival of another living person leads Toma to leave the isolation of her desolate home, this skill is put to the test in more ways than one and may just be the key to mending her country.
This is not a fast paced book, but I would not call it slow so much as steady. An air of melancholy hangs over the pages as both the story and the characters press ever onward. There are bad things happening everywhere. And yet our heroes fight to find the good, to preserve what hope remains and repair all that has been damaged.
All in all, an atmospheric and well-crafted tale.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
The world Polydoros builds here is richly detailed and feels viscerally real. The tensions and divisions that exist within this society are fully developed, and Toma, our stubborn, steadfast heroine, makes for the perfect vessel through which to explore them.
Orphaned at a young age and scarred by her traumatic past–to the extent that most of her early memories are repressed or distorted–Toma has been surviving in the wilderness alongside a found family of “upyri,” or revenants–dead who came back. Indeed, Toma’s world is populated by any number of spirits and folkloric monsters who were once living people but came back as something else after they died. The casual existence of these creatures and the ever present danger they pose adds to the overall uniqueness and lived-in feeling of the setting
Toma exhibits a great ability to heal and bind together that which would otherwise fall apart. When the arrival of another living person leads Toma to leave the isolation of her desolate home, this skill is put to the test in more ways than one and may just be the key to mending her country.
This is not a fast paced book, but I would not call it slow so much as steady. An air of melancholy hangs over the pages as both the story and the characters press ever onward. There are bad things happening everywhere. And yet our heroes fight to find the good, to preserve what hope remains and repair all that has been damaged.
All in all, an atmospheric and well-crafted tale.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
julleah's review
2.0
Interesting story. Reminiscent of Shadow and Bone. Warning: very gory, hints at sexual assault, ptsd, warfare.
thislibrarylife's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
agentalpo's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
teachercull's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the concept of this fantasy book. From the start I thought it was super unique compared to other stories of similar genre. As much as I liked the concept I felt there was something missing in the writing especially when it came to character development. Everything was a bit unpredictable which isn’t always a bad thing, but in this case, I found the characters and the story pulling things in that didn’t make sense. I found it really hard to connect with the characters because I didn’t know enough about them! The writing was not bad, and I got some really beautiful pictures because of it. However, sometimes I think those picturesque moments trailed on a bit too long. Overall I enjoyed it but just wish there had been a bit more meat to the book!
mutterwithtutter's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0