I’m torn between a three and a four star rating but I decided to round up as my biggest obstacle was of my own making.

“Find Me their Bones” gives us a story that is entirely about Zera dealing with the aftermath of book 1 and the reveal that she is Heartless and how that affects the relationships of those who she became closest to and how her new partnership threatens to undo everything she knows about the world of witches and the old gods as the hunt for the Bone Tree causes her to fight harder than she ever has to control the hunger and reclaim her heart once and for all.

Okay so my recommendation is to reread Bring Me Their Hearts because even with my quick google recap and rereading of my review for that book I had a hard time remembering a lot of what happened to lead to this sequel, I could recall the main beats but not enough to make this a smooth transition back into a world that I loved so much.

As big of a fan as I was about the romance it was nice to see this change in format where it was really focused on Zera and her righting her wrongs as best she could to make it a clean break between her and everyone she managed to get close to and managing to think of herself as selfish as she does so. It was also nice to see her fear what was to come should she receive the one thing she has been desperate to reach as she will have to unlearn her most relied upon traits and remember what it’s like to fear the unknown.

Some of the mythology in the plot was a little muddied and I’m not sure I completely understood it but again that’s something I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt to as my memory failed me.

Overall this was pretty good and I’ll have to reread them both back to back before book 3 so I’m on my game for what’s to come and it seems like it’s going to be something a bit different than what one would expect from a ya book of this genre and I’m hoping the payoff is just as good!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This novel continues where the first novel left off and is a good read for the next book in the series. The plot thickens and everyone has secrets. Zera betrayed Prince Lucien, but her Weeping was able to prevent her from taking his heart. There is still a war between humans and witches, which begins to escalate. The princess everyone thought was dead has returned and has plans for Zera. Zera is still Heartless and now needs to teaching a valkerax to Weep. What is on the line....her heart. Zera is working with the valkerax to determine the location of something that could stop the war brewing between witches and humans, but at a cost. Zera fights her desire to be with Lucien, knowing they cannot be together, believing he needs someone that is unlike her. Lucien has not given up on Zera, but is frustrated with the secrets she keeps. Lucien has a few secrets of his own. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!

✧ ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW ✧

Is there a light in the world strong enough to shine through the dark things I've done?


This book... ouch.

I took this sequel like a shot and finished it in less than twelve hours. And let me tell you, Find Me Their Bones is the definition of epic. Sara Wolf has upped her narrative arc game to such an extend that the beginning and ending of this installment mirror those of the previous one, making me appreciate her brilliance as a writer all the more.

While Zera and Lucien's relationship was the heart of its predecessor, Find Me Their Bones feels much more like Zera's book. Suffering from the negative consequences of a choice she is now convinced was wrong, our heroine is more determined than ever to win her heart back, no matter the cost to her former friends. Taking center stage in a plot to rally the dragon-like valkerax to Cavanos' side in the impending war between humans and witches, she explores her moral grayness while attempting to sever her ties with Vetris' nobles once and for all. Previous and current events are analyzed in conversations and internal monologues in a deceptively straightforward way, inspiring readers to look between the lines to discover what is real and what is false. As always, Wolf's ability to introduce side characters who feel completely fleshed out despite their modest role in the story and brilliantly develop their relationship with the protagonist shines. The history and mythology of the world is also given more development and weight in this installment, which feels more like a high fantasy with a romantic subplot than a fantasy romance like its predecessor.

Zera and Lucien's relationship in Find Me Their Bones is the epitome of Margaret Atwood's line: "If I love you, is that a fact or a weapon?" Viewed from a myriad of angles, from infatuation to lust to love, their relationship is equally pursued and exploited by each of them in turn, making their interactions both delightful and painful to read. Admirably bent on their diametrically opposed goals, Zera and Lucien use every trick up their sleeves - physical desire, dishonesty, court intrigue, magic - to realize their intentions, inevitably hurting each other in the process. But in the rare moments when their masks slip, they're utterly incapable of fooling themselves, much less the reader, that their emotions are entirely fabricated. Can we please call it even now and have a heart to heart (pun intended) about this hot mess of a relationship? Thanks.

As exciting as this book was, my four-star rating marks it as a slight letdown from the glorious Bring Me Their Hearts. In a word, the plot lacked a world-turning twist and continued firmly on the path it had set out from the beginning, somewhat diminishing the effect of the ending climax. Nevertheless, instead of being merely a set-up for the grand finale, Find Me Their Bones is a marvelous story in its own right with a just the barest hints of future events sprinkled here and there.

Finally, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate Wolf's subtle development of certain elements from Bring Me Their Hearts, such as adding more depth to Gavik's motivations and gender-bending Zera and Lucien's true names. Her heart-warming attention to detail with (sadly) surprising feminine pronouns, her nods to the Multiverse Theory with Zera's parallel-timeline fantasies, and the tongue-in-cheek meta awareness of both her language and her narrative make this book a real treat for an analytical reader such as myself. It is truly a gift when you can see yourself reflected in fiction so clearly that it makes you feel real.

Find Me Their Bones is sure to win the hearts of both whole- and half-hearted fans of Zera's story. Even those bothered by her previous choices are sure to firmly side with her this time around.