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A review by justgeekingby
The Bone Master by Debbie Iancu-Haddad
3.0
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
There is an ongoing theme of betrayal throughout the book.
In the wake of the events of the previous book, the residents of Achten Tan are trying to return to their lives. That’s not so easy for Kaii Hakku, son of the chief, whose life was turned upside down when gnomes Mila and Geb came to town. His father, the chief of Achten Tan, tried to kill him, and Kaii found out that he’s inherited the same powerful and dangerous magic as his father. His father is now a prisoner of the town he once ruled, and the weight of what to do with him is weighing heavy on Kaii’s mind. Kaii’s sore heart almost seems the least of his worries, so when a pretty pirate walks into town Kaii is happy for a night of distraction. What he doesn’t realise is that it’s not the type of distraction he imagined; Tara and her crew are in town to loot his father’s now unguarded treasure.
When the pirates kidnap Valla, Kaii’s friend, he ends up teaming with scholar Sozi, Tara’s long-lost brother who had been hiding out in Achten Tan for years, Dagen, and Dagen’s girlfriend Kiva. An unlikely group with history causing tension between them, things get even worse when they find one of the pirates trying to steal from them. It seems that Tara has left her younger cousin Ruby behind. Striking a deal with her for her help in catching up with Tara, they agree to work together and when they catch up to the pirates they’ll exchange Ruby for Valla.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy and along the way all manner of things go wrong for both groups.
In the previous book Kaii was the mischievous bisexual rogue about town, and I was looking forward to a book focusing on him. Sadly, the magical balance that Iancu-Haddad wove in the first book didn’t quite make it across to this one. It wasn’t the character development that let the side down, rather it was the overall tone of The Bone Master that disappointed me. I felt as though the author was trying for a more adult-themed tone and for me, it just didn’t work. I like romance in books as it’s a part of life, however, at times it felt like the characters of The Bone Master were more interested in hooking up with each other than saving their comrades.
That’s not to say that The Bone Master is not without its merits. Once again Iancu-Haddad has written a fun-filled fantasy adventure this time taking readers beyond the bone enclosed desert town of Achten Tan. It was interesting reading about the lands and creatures beyond the desert, especially from the perspective of the Achten Tanians who had only ever known life in the desert. Such a way of life is completely different to those of their pirate companions and Iancu-Haddad did a great job writing this into the story.
Overall, The Bone Master felt a bit rushed and less edited which made for a more disappointing read. The massive cliffhanger at the end combined with interesting characters and their development throughout the book has continued to hold my interest in the series.
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Content warnings:
Spoiler
This book contains scenes of kidnapping, blood, violence and death (on and off page). There are several scenes with misogynistic comments, and a female hostage is leered at by a male kidnapper. The same man later attackers her and while it’s heavily implied that this is a rape attempt, nothing happens on page as she is able to escape.There is an ongoing theme of betrayal throughout the book.
In the wake of the events of the previous book, the residents of Achten Tan are trying to return to their lives. That’s not so easy for Kaii Hakku, son of the chief, whose life was turned upside down when gnomes Mila and Geb came to town. His father, the chief of Achten Tan, tried to kill him, and Kaii found out that he’s inherited the same powerful and dangerous magic as his father. His father is now a prisoner of the town he once ruled, and the weight of what to do with him is weighing heavy on Kaii’s mind. Kaii’s sore heart almost seems the least of his worries, so when a pretty pirate walks into town Kaii is happy for a night of distraction. What he doesn’t realise is that it’s not the type of distraction he imagined; Tara and her crew are in town to loot his father’s now unguarded treasure.
When the pirates kidnap Valla, Kaii’s friend, he ends up teaming with scholar Sozi, Tara’s long-lost brother who had been hiding out in Achten Tan for years, Dagen, and Dagen’s girlfriend Kiva. An unlikely group with history causing tension between them, things get even worse when they find one of the pirates trying to steal from them. It seems that Tara has left her younger cousin Ruby behind. Striking a deal with her for her help in catching up with Tara, they agree to work together and when they catch up to the pirates they’ll exchange Ruby for Valla.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy and along the way all manner of things go wrong for both groups.
In the previous book Kaii was the mischievous bisexual rogue about town, and I was looking forward to a book focusing on him. Sadly, the magical balance that Iancu-Haddad wove in the first book didn’t quite make it across to this one. It wasn’t the character development that let the side down, rather it was the overall tone of The Bone Master that disappointed me. I felt as though the author was trying for a more adult-themed tone and for me, it just didn’t work. I like romance in books as it’s a part of life, however, at times it felt like the characters of The Bone Master were more interested in hooking up with each other than saving their comrades.
That’s not to say that The Bone Master is not without its merits. Once again Iancu-Haddad has written a fun-filled fantasy adventure this time taking readers beyond the bone enclosed desert town of Achten Tan. It was interesting reading about the lands and creatures beyond the desert, especially from the perspective of the Achten Tanians who had only ever known life in the desert. Such a way of life is completely different to those of their pirate companions and Iancu-Haddad did a great job writing this into the story.
Overall, The Bone Master felt a bit rushed and less edited which made for a more disappointing read. The massive cliffhanger at the end combined with interesting characters and their development throughout the book has continued to hold my interest in the series.