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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I was given a free galley of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a captivating tale of a society with an interesting caste system. The young protagonist is drawn from her home by her own unique abilities and pulled into a society reminiscent of the geisha mixed with a magical hierarchy. Despite their attempts to control her actions, she forges her own path and in this first book she sets her feet on a path that will lead to destruction and possibly the founding of a new society.
This is a captivating tale of a society with an interesting caste system. The young protagonist is drawn from her home by her own unique abilities and pulled into a society reminiscent of the geisha mixed with a magical hierarchy. Despite their attempts to control her actions, she forges her own path and in this first book she sets her feet on a path that will lead to destruction and possibly the founding of a new society.
This was hard to stay engaged with. There's pretty much nothing going on until the 3rd act when we finally get given an actual antagonist. Before then it's all casual bullying, lessons in etiquette, and empassioned speeches about cultivating herbs or something. It's not overly thrilling stuff. It also falls head first into the proper-noun soup that fantasy so often becomes, and I'm drowning in it due to my inability to tell the difference between the made-up names of characters, and the made up names of places, and the historical figures, and the magical flowers, and all the creatures, and important ceremonial rituals, and the political parties, and the made-up tiers within the made-up social hierachy, and a million other things that all need names and I don't think i need to remember all of them but then the author sticks a capital letter, unprompted, at the start of a fake word and I can't remember whether, the last time this word came up, it was a job title or a type of kitchen utensil and then there's some dialogue that ends with "said the kitchen utensil" and now I have to go back and put everything into context because that was a whole-ass woman the entire time?
Anyway, ultimately this is an origin story for a character I assume is going to do stuff in the rest of the trilogy and (despite not reading the rest) I am pretty convinced this should've been the 2nd book, written as a prequel. Way too much text devoted to establishing the social and magical rules in this fantasy land and if I already cared about the characters coming into it, I'd have probably managed to stay way more engaged.
Anyway, ultimately this is an origin story for a character I assume is going to do stuff in the rest of the trilogy and (despite not reading the rest) I am pretty convinced this should've been the 2nd book, written as a prequel. Way too much text devoted to establishing the social and magical rules in this fantasy land and if I already cared about the characters coming into it, I'd have probably managed to stay way more engaged.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I didn't love this book to be honest. It felt like a weird alternative universe of Memoirs of a Geisha. I did not understand why these powerful magic users are regulated to be entertainers fir the public. It bothered me that they have so much power but not a ton of social power or standing. That being said, the mystery of how the MC turns into an "evil" character has me intrigued enough to read the next book.
Audiobook Narrated by
Emily Woo Zeller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Will Damron
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The story gets 2 stars because it made me fall asleep
Emily Woo Zeller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Will Damron
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The story gets 2 stars because it made me fall asleep
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco had me hooked from the very beginning. The dual timeline—Tea’s past told from her perspective and the present narrated by an unnamed storyteller—was such an interesting way to unravel the story. It immediately pulled me in and made me eager to see how Tea’s journey would unfold.
That said, the middle of the book was a bit of a struggle to get through. While I understand that a lot of it was necessary to show Tea’s growth as an asha, the pacing dragged at times. However, I did enjoy learning about the different runes, how each asha mastered different elements, and how some runes were still unknown. That world-building element really stood out to me, even when the plot slowed down.
One of my favorite parts of the book was Fox. He quickly became my favorite character—his unwavering loyalty and protectiveness over Tea made him such a strong presence. The fact that he joined the army to help protect her just solidified my love for his character. Their bond was one of the most compelling parts of the story, and I loved how their connection played into the magic system.
By the time I reached the final stretch, I couldn’t listen fast enough—I sped up my audiobook just to see how everything would unfold. The daeva battle had me on edge, and even though I knew Tea would survive (since she’s alive in the present timeline), I expected higher stakes, maybe even a heartbreaking loss. The reveal of the Faceless being the maid took me by surprise, and for a moment, I really thought Fox was going to be lost to her control. But what truly broke me was finding out that Tea and Fox had a falling out—and then the reveal that Kalen had died and become Tea’s familiar? That hit hard.
Overall, while the pacing had its slow moments, The Bone Witch delivered on atmosphere, world-building, and character dynamics. The ending left me desperate to see what comes next, especially with Tea’s path for revenge ahead. I can’t wait to dive into the next book and see where her story leads.
That said, the middle of the book was a bit of a struggle to get through. While I understand that a lot of it was necessary to show Tea’s growth as an asha, the pacing dragged at times. However, I did enjoy learning about the different runes, how each asha mastered different elements, and how some runes were still unknown. That world-building element really stood out to me, even when the plot slowed down.
One of my favorite parts of the book was Fox. He quickly became my favorite character—his unwavering loyalty and protectiveness over Tea made him such a strong presence. The fact that he joined the army to help protect her just solidified my love for his character. Their bond was one of the most compelling parts of the story, and I loved how their connection played into the magic system.
By the time I reached the final stretch, I couldn’t listen fast enough—I sped up my audiobook just to see how everything would unfold. The daeva battle had me on edge, and even though I knew Tea would survive (since she’s alive in the present timeline), I expected higher stakes, maybe even a heartbreaking loss. The reveal of the Faceless being the maid took me by surprise, and for a moment, I really thought Fox was going to be lost to her control. But what truly broke me was finding out that Tea and Fox had a falling out—and then the reveal that Kalen had died and become Tea’s familiar? That hit hard.
Overall, while the pacing had its slow moments, The Bone Witch delivered on atmosphere, world-building, and character dynamics. The ending left me desperate to see what comes next, especially with Tea’s path for revenge ahead. I can’t wait to dive into the next book and see where her story leads.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think it had a lot of potential, but there wasn't a lot of action. The dueling stories was an interesting concept but it honestly just added to the confusion.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes