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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
5.0
Seemingly unbreakable curses abound, relics are rife to be stolen, and the truth behind Avalon is to be revealed in this twisty Arthurian fantasy by none other than one of my favorite authors, Alexandra Bracken.
Tamsin Lark was born without a trace of magic inside of her into a world that is thriving with it. Her guardian, Nash, was a Hollower, a person who hunts and sells magic relics, so she is too. When Nash vanishes one day without a trace, she is forced to continue on his line of work with only her brother, Cabell, to assist her. After a chance encounter with her rival, Emrys Dye, leads her to discovering a magical ring that might be the only hope of breaking the curse that has plagued her brother for as long as they can remember, Tamsin is desperate to get her hands on it. But Tamsin and Emyrs aren't the only one's after the ring. Other Hollower's start to pursue the rumors that the ring might be in Avalon, leaving Tamsin no choice but to accept Emyrs help to stay one step ahead of the other relic hunters. But when they finally make it to the mysterious Avalon, they could never have predicted the dark predicament that they find themselves in. . .
When I say that this book was amazing, this is an understatement. I know that many people complain about the length of Bracken's books, but I eat up every single page and get frustrated every time I have to put her massive tomes down and pursue another aspect of life. "Silver in the Bone" was no exception and may be my favorite of her books to date. It is so full of surprising twists, complex character development, and dark fantasy vibes that are paired perfectly with Arthurian folklore.
The romance in this one is also superb. It is such a slowburn, which is understandable due to the length of the book. Tamsin and Emyrs banter is hilarious to read and I loved their chemistry from the very beginning. Some of the early moments with them were great including when he nursed her back to health and the classic "there's only one horse" moment. I love how stubborn Tamsin is and how charming Emyrs is; they really make for quite the pairing. The moments they shared in part three were magnificent, and the scene they shared has to be one of my all time favorites when it comes to the big romantic reveal. I can't wait to see how their relationship evolves in the sequel.
Since I've alluded to the ending, I have to take a moment to say how shocked and devastated I was by literally everything that happened in part three. Everything was so unexpected and I didn't want to face the possibility that much of it was actually happening. I was literally devastated by the events that occurred after the group returned to the tower and everything that happened after that was truly a wild ride. I'm not going into detail, because spoilers, but dang, I was not ready for the ending of this. And yes, it does end on a cliffhanger. Luckily, I restrained myself from waiting to read "Silver" right when it came out, and I can advance to the sequel immediately.
I just want to take a moment to shout out the way that Bracken dealt with Avalon. Everyone knows some aspect of King Arthur's story, and I think it was neat how she brought character's from our modern world to the Otherworld of Avalon. It made for an interesting juxtaposition and kept me very intrigued to see in which ways the two worlds were going to collide. I also love the Nine of Avalon and the strong relations they have to one another, the kingdom of Avalon, and King Arthur himself. The themes of sisterhood and loyalty in this book are very important, and the Nine did a great job of introducing this early on in the story. The amount of backstabbing that happens is also insane, and I literally saw none of them coming.
Overall, "Silver in the Bone" is one of the best books I've read in a long while and I seriously can't wait to dive headfirst into the sequel. I'm digging the characters, the complex magical worlds, and the unexpected twists and turns. I love Alexandra Bracken as an author and her work only seems to be getting better and better. Now, on to "The Mirror of Beasts!"
Tamsin Lark was born without a trace of magic inside of her into a world that is thriving with it. Her guardian, Nash, was a Hollower, a person who hunts and sells magic relics, so she is too. When Nash vanishes one day without a trace, she is forced to continue on his line of work with only her brother, Cabell, to assist her. After a chance encounter with her rival, Emrys Dye, leads her to discovering a magical ring that might be the only hope of breaking the curse that has plagued her brother for as long as they can remember, Tamsin is desperate to get her hands on it. But Tamsin and Emyrs aren't the only one's after the ring. Other Hollower's start to pursue the rumors that the ring might be in Avalon, leaving Tamsin no choice but to accept Emyrs help to stay one step ahead of the other relic hunters. But when they finally make it to the mysterious Avalon, they could never have predicted the dark predicament that they find themselves in. . .
When I say that this book was amazing, this is an understatement. I know that many people complain about the length of Bracken's books, but I eat up every single page and get frustrated every time I have to put her massive tomes down and pursue another aspect of life. "Silver in the Bone" was no exception and may be my favorite of her books to date. It is so full of surprising twists, complex character development, and dark fantasy vibes that are paired perfectly with Arthurian folklore.
The romance in this one is also superb. It is such a slowburn, which is understandable due to the length of the book. Tamsin and Emyrs banter is hilarious to read and I loved their chemistry from the very beginning. Some of the early moments with them were great including when he nursed her back to health and the classic "there's only one horse" moment. I love how stubborn Tamsin is and how charming Emyrs is; they really make for quite the pairing. The moments they shared in part three were magnificent, and the scene they shared has to be one of my all time favorites when it comes to the big romantic reveal. I can't wait to see how their relationship evolves in the sequel.
Since I've alluded to the ending, I have to take a moment to say how shocked and devastated I was by literally everything that happened in part three. Everything was so unexpected and I didn't want to face the possibility that much of it was actually happening. I was literally devastated by the events that occurred after the group returned to the tower and everything that happened after that was truly a wild ride. I'm not going into detail, because spoilers, but dang, I was not ready for the ending of this. And yes, it does end on a cliffhanger. Luckily, I restrained myself from waiting to read "Silver" right when it came out, and I can advance to the sequel immediately.
I just want to take a moment to shout out the way that Bracken dealt with Avalon. Everyone knows some aspect of King Arthur's story, and I think it was neat how she brought character's from our modern world to the Otherworld of Avalon. It made for an interesting juxtaposition and kept me very intrigued to see in which ways the two worlds were going to collide. I also love the Nine of Avalon and the strong relations they have to one another, the kingdom of Avalon, and King Arthur himself. The themes of sisterhood and loyalty in this book are very important, and the Nine did a great job of introducing this early on in the story. The amount of backstabbing that happens is also insane, and I literally saw none of them coming.
Overall, "Silver in the Bone" is one of the best books I've read in a long while and I seriously can't wait to dive headfirst into the sequel. I'm digging the characters, the complex magical worlds, and the unexpected twists and turns. I love Alexandra Bracken as an author and her work only seems to be getting better and better. Now, on to "The Mirror of Beasts!"