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A review by queerlyread
Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros
3.75
Bone weaver was super interesting conceptually! It moved fast and there was a sort of... steampunky slavic folklore mashup to the worldbuilding that I don't think I've really encountered quite yet in what I've read. Since those are all settings I enjoy and Aden writes with a natural dark grit underlying everything, I really liked it.
Vanya, Mikhail, and Toma are honestly all great individually and I enjoyed the fact that they all very clearly had different personal goals and motivations. It made the three of them traveling together to achieve a common goal really interesting because you don't just have a group of yes men and you do see them clash at times.
I found the concept of magic and Toma's found family really intriguing, especially her relationship with her sister, Galina, and what it means to be living and fiercely love the dead. I'd be very curious to see that play out in a future book.
One thing I'd like to see done better is the queer aspect of the book, especially since that marketing is why I picked it up. It is incredibly subtle in a blink-and-you-might-miss-it, will-they-won't-they, wait-WHO-will-it-be-in-the-will-they-won't-they kind of way. Not a bad thing, but definitely something that if teased that lightly that you would expect to be explored more thoroughly later, probably in a sequel, to really satisfy a reader's curiosity. I do think the author set it up that way intentionally though, so I didn't see it as queerbaiting or a misdirection. I think there just simply wasn't *time* without making it feel rushed in this book.
On a whim, I checked social media to see if there was a sequel in the works and was a little bit shocked the publisher didn't sign this as a duology. There was a clear resolution to the main plot line between Toma and her sister, which I appreciated, but there is still so much space left for the story to develop and breathe. I would have loved to see the plot points that were left open ended explored more in a future book(s?), especially when it comes to Vanya and Mikhail.
I think this book would be better upon a re-read where you're familiar with the world, but I know myself enough to know I probably won't *unless* a follow up book is published because I'll just want more again.
Vanya, Mikhail, and Toma are honestly all great individually and I enjoyed the fact that they all very clearly had different personal goals and motivations. It made the three of them traveling together to achieve a common goal really interesting because you don't just have a group of yes men and you do see them clash at times.
I found the concept of magic and Toma's found family really intriguing, especially her relationship with her sister, Galina, and what it means to be living and fiercely love the dead. I'd be very curious to see that play out in a future book.
One thing I'd like to see done better is the queer aspect of the book, especially since that marketing is why I picked it up. It is incredibly subtle in a blink-and-you-might-miss-it, will-they-won't-they, wait-WHO-will-it-be-in-the-will-they-won't-they kind of way. Not a bad thing, but definitely something that if teased that lightly that you would expect to be explored more thoroughly later, probably in a sequel, to really satisfy a reader's curiosity. I do think the author set it up that way intentionally though, so I didn't see it as queerbaiting or a misdirection. I think there just simply wasn't *time* without making it feel rushed in this book.
On a whim, I checked social media to see if there was a sequel in the works and was a little bit shocked the publisher didn't sign this as a duology. There was a clear resolution to the main plot line between Toma and her sister, which I appreciated, but there is still so much space left for the story to develop and breathe. I would have loved to see the plot points that were left open ended explored more in a future book(s?), especially when it comes to Vanya and Mikhail.
I think this book would be better upon a re-read where you're familiar with the world, but I know myself enough to know I probably won't *unless* a follow up book is published because I'll just want more again.