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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Lots of world building, but the creeping sense of climax was so fun. The storytelling was a fun ride, too. Can’t wait to read the sequel.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boring until the last 6 or so chapters. All the chapters before are just talking about how Tea is learning to be an asha.
HOLD ME BECAUSE I'M IN SHOCK AND CONFUSED—shocked because this book is full of surprises and confused because I had more questions rather than answers after reading it. And no these are not negative comments because I'm praising this book for a lot of things. Let's get down to them, shall we?
• The storytelling is unique
The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Tea, the protagonist, tells her tale to a famous Bard. As a whole, it creates an underlying thrill because the reader would surely want to know the events that would lead up to Tea's exile on a solitary beach. It took a while for me to get used to this style of storytelling but I loved it as the story progressed. This book had a slow start but I'm glad it eventually picked up pace somewhere on the second half.
• Tea is an ominous queen
OH I LOVE TEA. I can sense a huge character development on the works here. I liked how she had this mystery around her and I badly want to know what happened in her life that changed her so much.
• Brilliant foreshadowing
As I have said, this book is told in a series of flashbacks and I can definitely guarantee A+ foreshadowing here. The story is carefully mapped out and I think this series will be a great choice for a re-read because you can pick up clues along the way.
• If you're asking me about this book's world building, I say IT'S COMPLETELY DROOL-WORTHY. No exaggeration here. Only pure truth. Chupeco's world is so detailed and organized that the real world will easily melt while you read it. The terminologies, the kingdoms, the names of the rulers and the magic system are well thought of. Even the food and their clothing have symbolisms. I NEEDED THIS WHOLE HIGH FANTASY ESCAPE. Thank you, Rin Chupeco.
• THERE IS A DRAGON in this book and a three-headed one, no less. It also has its array of monsters that you'd like to have as pets (like Tea does) but will probably eat you in two seconds if you fail to tame them. I'd love to read more about the daeva, especially the azi (the dragon). I need more dragon content in my life.
• It makes you anticipate and ask questions from "what in the nine worlds did Tea do and what are her plans?" to "HOW CAN I FIND A THREE-HEADED DRAGON AS MY PET TOO?"
Actually, I'm still overflowing with questions because THAT ending opened a dam of question marks inside my brain.
Looking back, I really think this series has a huge scope and the first book is just the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, I'm sure THE NEXT BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE EPIC. I'm going to be a part of the PH Blog Tour for Shadowglass, the third book in the series, and I'm so excited for it. Supporting a Filipino author and promoting an Asian-inspired series can be called as a huge honor on my part.
If you love high fantasy, dark magic, and dragons, The Bone Witch is perfect for you.
• The storytelling is unique
The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Tea, the protagonist, tells her tale to a famous Bard. As a whole, it creates an underlying thrill because the reader would surely want to know the events that would lead up to Tea's exile on a solitary beach. It took a while for me to get used to this style of storytelling but I loved it as the story progressed. This book had a slow start but I'm glad it eventually picked up pace somewhere on the second half.
• Tea is an ominous queen
OH I LOVE TEA. I can sense a huge character development on the works here. I liked how she had this mystery around her and I badly want to know what happened in her life that changed her so much.
• Brilliant foreshadowing
As I have said, this book is told in a series of flashbacks and I can definitely guarantee A+ foreshadowing here. The story is carefully mapped out and I think this series will be a great choice for a re-read because you can pick up clues along the way.
• If you're asking me about this book's world building, I say IT'S COMPLETELY DROOL-WORTHY. No exaggeration here. Only pure truth. Chupeco's world is so detailed and organized that the real world will easily melt while you read it. The terminologies, the kingdoms, the names of the rulers and the magic system are well thought of. Even the food and their clothing have symbolisms. I NEEDED THIS WHOLE HIGH FANTASY ESCAPE. Thank you, Rin Chupeco.
• THERE IS A DRAGON in this book and a three-headed one, no less. It also has its array of monsters that you'd like to have as pets (like Tea does) but will probably eat you in two seconds if you fail to tame them. I'd love to read more about the daeva, especially the azi (the dragon). I need more dragon content in my life.
• It makes you anticipate and ask questions from "what in the nine worlds did Tea do and what are her plans?" to "HOW CAN I FIND A THREE-HEADED DRAGON AS MY PET TOO?"
Actually, I'm still overflowing with questions because THAT ending opened a dam of question marks inside my brain.
Looking back, I really think this series has a huge scope and the first book is just the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, I'm sure THE NEXT BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE EPIC. I'm going to be a part of the PH Blog Tour for Shadowglass, the third book in the series, and I'm so excited for it. Supporting a Filipino author and promoting an Asian-inspired series can be called as a huge honor on my part.
If you love high fantasy, dark magic, and dragons, The Bone Witch is perfect for you.
4.5 out of 5.
I liked this book, and I do plan on continuing the series. With that said, it’s not a perfect book. The descriptions, while detailed, are often hit and miss. The description of clothing especially felt like fetish levels of focus, yet in the same sense, I couldn’t really imagine the various towns and how some where connected.
This is a very character driven book, and I enjoyed the majority of characters. They all had a purpose to be in the book. The names were weird though. You have Zoya, Likh, Kance…..then Mykaela, Chief, and Fox. (There are more examples, but I figured this would suffice.) Some of the names felt very fantastical while others felt like the author was just trying to put a twist on common names and words. Some of the names felt lazy. The characters themselves are fun, just the names are odd sometimes.
The last thing to note is the use of flower language. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for the stuff. In this book though it feels forced at times, while in other places it feels forgotten. Such as, when it comes to acting a certain way in front of people (trying not to give any spoilers) the language gushes with such violent vigor that one reads only the most frilly of utterances noted in this myriad collection of words. That last sentence is a bit of an exaggeration, but the language in The Bone Witch at times would get in the way. Other times it felt rushed as if to get to the next scene.
These all could possibly be stylistic choices the author made. That’s all fine and dandy. This is just what I took away from it.
Still, with the few negative things I’ve said about the book, I really did enjoy it. It was a fun read, and as I said before, I do plan on continuing the series. I would recommend it to someone who likes fantasy books. I’m curious to see if the author will choose to keep the same kind of language throughout the series, or will the next book feel different, so to speak.
I liked this book, and I do plan on continuing the series. With that said, it’s not a perfect book. The descriptions, while detailed, are often hit and miss. The description of clothing especially felt like fetish levels of focus, yet in the same sense, I couldn’t really imagine the various towns and how some where connected.
This is a very character driven book, and I enjoyed the majority of characters. They all had a purpose to be in the book. The names were weird though. You have Zoya, Likh, Kance…..then Mykaela, Chief, and Fox. (There are more examples, but I figured this would suffice.) Some of the names felt very fantastical while others felt like the author was just trying to put a twist on common names and words. Some of the names felt lazy. The characters themselves are fun, just the names are odd sometimes.
The last thing to note is the use of flower language. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for the stuff. In this book though it feels forced at times, while in other places it feels forgotten. Such as, when it comes to acting a certain way in front of people (trying not to give any spoilers) the language gushes with such violent vigor that one reads only the most frilly of utterances noted in this myriad collection of words. That last sentence is a bit of an exaggeration, but the language in The Bone Witch at times would get in the way. Other times it felt rushed as if to get to the next scene.
These all could possibly be stylistic choices the author made. That’s all fine and dandy. This is just what I took away from it.
Still, with the few negative things I’ve said about the book, I really did enjoy it. It was a fun read, and as I said before, I do plan on continuing the series. I would recommend it to someone who likes fantasy books. I’m curious to see if the author will choose to keep the same kind of language throughout the series, or will the next book feel different, so to speak.
This book and series was free on audible and I was NOT disappointed. This world is amazing and the mystery behind where Tea is now has already listening to the next.
This book wasn’t for me, I would have been a DNF but it was chosen for my book club so I wanted to finish it. The characters have no personality and the forced love triangle is irritating. The time jumps are brief and leave no mundaneness to the story. The world believing is confusing, it felt made up as the story went on. And the ending is a cliffhanger which I have no intention of finding out what happens. It was let down for me and a tough one to push through
Cool monsters, creepy magic, solid YA contribution.
DNF @ 70%
I'm sad that I'm giving up on this one. It had so much potential, but ultimately I lost patience with it.
Many a reader have reviewed The Bone Witch and commented on the slow pace, world-building, and excessive detailing, and they're all right. This book is SLOW. Something that I didn't mind since I was listening to the audiobook, and I could listen to chapters at a time while driving, or during lunch, or anytime that I had a lull in my busy schedule of late. Plus, I didn't mind the world-building so much since in the beginning, it gave me Memoirs of a Geisha feels and I enjoyed seeing Tea's life during her earlier years.
There was also another perspective: small glimpses of Tea years later when she's a full-fledged bone witch, banished for committing some atrocity. She's raising dead monsters and seems to be on a mission to raise hell upon the world. I was all about that perspective. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. I was patient for as long as I could possibly be, but NOTHING WAS CHANGING IN TEA'S LIFE. I mean, I liked learning about her lessons, the culture, the magic, the different characters. I also thought the writing was smart and thought-provoking. This world has many layers and lessons relevant to our world. But, I would've loved all that with some action thrown in.
I'm disappointed that I can't continue, because I want to see what Tea did and what she will do. I want to see what happens to the asha and how the underlying political tensions play out. I want to know which one of her loves dies. I want to know if that trans girl becomes an asha. I want to know what happens to her brother. I want to know what happens, if anything does happen. But, not enough to read another 30%, and not when for the past 20% I kept thinking about what I was going to read next. There are too many books.
Later, Tea.
I'm sad that I'm giving up on this one. It had so much potential, but ultimately I lost patience with it.
Many a reader have reviewed The Bone Witch and commented on the slow pace, world-building, and excessive detailing, and they're all right. This book is SLOW. Something that I didn't mind since I was listening to the audiobook, and I could listen to chapters at a time while driving, or during lunch, or anytime that I had a lull in my busy schedule of late. Plus, I didn't mind the world-building so much since in the beginning, it gave me Memoirs of a Geisha feels and I enjoyed seeing Tea's life during her earlier years.
There was also another perspective: small glimpses of Tea years later when she's a full-fledged bone witch, banished for committing some atrocity. She's raising dead monsters and seems to be on a mission to raise hell upon the world. I was all about that perspective. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. I was patient for as long as I could possibly be, but NOTHING WAS CHANGING IN TEA'S LIFE. I mean, I liked learning about her lessons, the culture, the magic, the different characters. I also thought the writing was smart and thought-provoking. This world has many layers and lessons relevant to our world. But, I would've loved all that with some action thrown in.
I'm disappointed that I can't continue, because I want to see what Tea did and what she will do. I want to see what happens to the asha and how the underlying political tensions play out. I want to know which one of her loves dies. I want to know if that trans girl becomes an asha. I want to know what happens to her brother. I want to know what happens, if anything does happen. But, not enough to read another 30%, and not when for the past 20% I kept thinking about what I was going to read next. There are too many books.
Later, Tea.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No