Interesting premise but too many details. Haitian voodoo was a bit too much for me. Unfortunately the book was not my cup of tea and I won't read the subsequent books in the series.

Ben Oris is a medical student from Philadelphia. He gets cut by an old bone while touring the Paris catacombs. Laurette, a public health student from Haiti, senses danger and worries that a curse is running through Ben. Ben is skeptical and simply believes that he has a wound that refuses to heal so he returns to his stressful clerkship at the hospital. But, as people close to him succumb to a grisly illness and he finds himself being pursued by a dark priest, Ben's skepticism wavers. With the help of his companion, Laurette, Ben scrambles to find a cure through voodoo before more of his loved ones die. But, before he can cure his loved ones, hehas to battle the mysterious priest who is determined to have Ben's blood as his own.

This was an incredibly well written medical drama that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire story. All of the characters were well written and I loved getting to know Ben, in particular, as a character, so I was glad to see that this is the first in a series. I will absolutely be reading the rest of this series! I particularly liked how Ben was skeptical at first and seeing him as he began to see what was truly happening to him. He has trouble believinganything that he can't verify scientifically so he truly struggled to believe in curses and voodoo. I really enjoyed the author's writing style. She has a knack for creating an intense story that holds your attention filled with dynamic characters. The story was action packed but the action didn't get in the way with getting to know the characters.

Atmospheric and creepy. Short horror read to breeze through in an afternoon. Kinda violent. Did NOT like the flash-back ancestral rape scene and frankly, the story is horrific enough without it. Gratuitous violence against women, especially against women of color, is unnecessary and does not add to the story and is getting old.

I should have finished this book ages ago, but life got in the way and I am still playing catch up. Sorry. This is just the right book for an October read! Medical thriller, with voodoo tossed in for good measure. It's a pretty intense scary read; just right to read to get in the mood for Halloween. I wonder if old bones really could cause illness and death...? Something to Google!

Loved this book!

We start of right smack dab in the middle of an intense moment, and it doesn’t let up from there. This story was woven together really well, and will absolutely read another book from this author.

Strong world building, not only likeable but relatable characters, and a fantastic plot to keep you hooked. I also am a fan of the writing style. I never felt like it was slowing down, and didn’t find myself bored.

Highly recommend this one!

I enjoyed the character of Ben. I enjoy reading thrillers and this one had a medical/supernatural twist. Well-written with some edge of your seat moments as a curse overtakes Ben. His friend Laurette has a sense about what is going on and dives in to help Ben and his family. No guts or gore, but there is some dark moments mixed with voodoo and black magic. Something different for the fan of thrillers!

Excellent read. Well written, with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. This book is a supernatural suspenseful thriller. Ben Oris is a sensible, medical student until he cuts his hand on a old bone in the catacombs of Paris. The cut becomes a horrible wound that leads him into a world of Voodoo curses that threatens everything he knows and loves. He doesn't have to do this alone, he has his best friend Laurette to help him through this nightmare.

DNF at 42% I tried several times to get into this, but I didn't like the main character and the mystery of what was happening to him (aka the curse) wasn't very compelling to me. Maybe others will like it, but this was not for me.

Stay out of the catacombs!

Ben Oris is a medical student who has a plan for his life. He works, studies, and repeats. But when given the opportunity for a free trip to Paris with his best friend, how can he say no? Little does he know this trip is about to throw his whole life into a tail spin. One that will have consequences beyond comprehension.

This book starts off at a break neck pace. Things start happening from the first page. When I first started reading, it felt like I had picked up the book and started reading from somewhere in the middle. I was very happy that the author did a great job of keeping the pace throughout the story, while filling in all the missing pieces along the way. This was a quick, enjoyable read that was thrilling and slightly creepy.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*4.5 stars
But I really enjoyed this book. The only complaint I have is that the main character doesn’t feel like 30 years old, he felt like in his beginning, mid-twenties. But I really liked the medical aspect to the story, it is something I enjoy reading in general. The main character was first looking for a medical explanation for his problem, even though the summary implies something else. The ending was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat and the writing style was easy to read and kept me engaged in the story. I really liked this book and I am very happy to see on Goodreads that this will be a series, so actually want to sequel in my hands like right now.

Stars: 3.75 (that sums 4)/5

The Bone Curse was a medical science-fiction book that revolved around Haitian Vodou practice and culture and a curse that travelled father to son and messed up Benjamin Oris’s pragmatic thoughts and life. The story is about religion vs science and faith vs agnosticism, logic, trust, friendship, and vengeance.

Characters-
Ben (Benjamin Oris) was introvert medical student who worked hard to get into med school and Internal medicine clerkship under Hitler like attending (Dr. Smith) was even harder than the admission. He was pragmatic to fault. He never believed his best friend Laurette when she warned him about the experience in Paris catacombs, the way bone hurt him and now he carries the evil with him, he didn’t believe her. Even though one after another all his loved once gets mortally sick. Weird thing is he clung to his skepticism till the end of the book as if all that happened to him and what he experienced was nothing, which I didn’t like. He even doubted Laurette, when all she did was help him. There were many flaws in this character- he was selfish, he cared only about his career, always at internal war, escaping his responsibility, he never talked about things when he should and so messed up many relationship in his life. That’s too many right? Well I was glad he developed in almost everything by the end of the book except in his skepticism which remained.

Laurette– she was my favorite character in the book. Her friendship toward Ben was most remarkable, she never given up on him even though Ben let her down again and again by not trusting or believing her. She was smart, funny, selfless, kind, and humble woman. Not a single thing about her I disliked. Her logic were similar to Ben she was also a believer which was the reason of all doubts for Ben.

I even liked Ben’s both gay fathers and his mother Harmony. Sophie was real great, the way she gave him a chance to escape his responsibility and handling the situation was not easy thing to do for a woman who is abandoned by her family. Character development was good in the book. I loved the way Ben’s relation with his mother was developed and change in Dr. Smith’s attitude towards Ben, and Ben’s gradual development as the book progressed.

What I liked-
It was like half of the book take place within hospital and other half of the book was about Haitian vodou and main character and people around him were tangled in this juxtaposed setting.

Beginning was strong with interesting paranormal experience of Ben and Laurette in Paris catacomb. Book was tense, gripping, and suspenseful with horrifying elements. The flow of the book was perfect it was not too fast or slow, every scene were placed in nice and smooth order that made the book very interesting.

The story was narrated through Ben’s POV and as he was medical student working for clerkship there was lot of medical science terminology which awesome and showed author’s experience in the field. I specifically liked Ben’s rounds in the hospital that was not only just medical talk but also gave overview of his colleague, hospital staff, and his relationship with them.

Vodou practice, culture and history related to it was depicted vividly with mention of all the small things that easily conjured up scenes. I loved reading about the curse, its story and the reason why it travelled from catacomb to Ben and why it is making him contagious and making his loved ones sick. There was also touch of racism along with religious beliefs.

Ben’s logic and reasoning as a science students was right at its place but there are somethings beyond science that is called faith and religion that you can’t be reason with. Both things is different but has a fine line was represented in the book amazingly. Whole curse thing, illness and Ben’s experience through vodou practice was given a two way explanation, one scientifically and one a cultural belief, and Ben’s metal turmoil between this two was more focused in the book which made it realistic.

Some turns I could see coming and some twists were surprising. Climax was shocking and unpredictable. So much happened from climax to end that kept me on the edge. End was good only I’m not happy with Ben’s end thought.

why 3.75 stars-
The reason was Ben. I didn’t like his skepticism. Till some point it sounded logical, liked his realistic approach but then he started irritating me. His constant mind battle in tense situations just fueled my frustration. I just wanted yell at him ‘to do something fast, believe for a minute, save people and get over with it’. As I said I didn’t like his end thought and the way he treated Laurette. There was something off with his narration, I couldn't feel his emotions, it just made me understand his situation and his feelings but it didn't reach to me.

Overall the plot and subplots was great, unique, intriguing that glued me to book till the end. Those who like mix of science and religious belief, and occult practice would love to read this book.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Bone Curse (Benjamin Oris #1) by Carrie Rubin from NetGalley and ScienceThrillers Media in order to read and give an honest review.

Part thriller, part paranormal mystery, this is a fast-paced, well-crafted and brilliantly original novel!

Pragmatic medical student, Ben Oris, is on vacation with his best friend Laurette, a Haitian medical student, when an injury occurs while visiting the Catacombs. Ben possessed by unseen forces accidentally cuts his hand on a centuries-old bone, a cut that puts Ben and all those he holds dear in a life and death battle with evil forces too irrational for his rational mind to believe. Laurette knows that something evil is following Ben but it challenges his logical, scientific mind putting their friendship and lives in peril.

The book weaves a tale through medical anomalies, Haitian Vodou and the bonds of family and friendship which culminates in a heart-stopping conclusion. The characters are interesting, quirky and believable which when combined with an intriguing plot will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found this to be unique and captivating and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller with an occult twist. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Carrie Rubin's next Benjamin Oris book!

I have never read this author before, but after reading this one, I’m sure to pick up more. Ben is a med student who picks up either a curse or a new disease while visiting catacombs in France. What follows is Ben trying to come to grips with which one it actually is while the people in his life fall prey to whatever he has. I found this book well-written, especially the parts about the voudou religion. I love it when authors really put authenticity by doing a lot of research for their books as it makes the books so much more believable. Along with the great research and writing, the book was fast-paced, had lots of interesting turns, and had an interesting horror plot. Admittedly, I did find the characters a little less defined than I would have liked to really be invested in them, and sometimes I found Ben to be a little too wishy-washy and stubborn about what was going on. With all of this, this is the first in a series, and I’m not sure where we are going to go from here, but I am willing to pick up the next one. Recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)/ScienceThrillers Media for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

Science vs. Haitian Vodou: Ben Oris, a medical student, is now living in both worlds.

Drawn to a centuries old pile of bones while touring the catacombs in Paris with Laurette, Ben handles a femur and is pierced. The bone carries both a residual papule infection and a blood curse.

Racing the clock as an unknown deadly pathogen begins to target the most intimate or important people in Ben’s life, Ben struggles to rely on medical science for a solution while Laurette’s Vodou interpretation becomes more real.

The Bone Curse is a strong and compelling read through most of story, but the ending lacked a little polish as there were too many loose threads that were not tied quite tight enough.

The blurb sounded good, intriguing and made me curious enough to want to read the book. Not to mention, the cover is as equally intriguing.

But the story lacked something because it just couldn't hold my attention. I picked it up several times, then put it aside, thinking maybe it was me, my mood, but finally decided the writing style must not be for me and left it a DNF.

A curse placed on a guy in his twenties in a catacomb from Paris. Sounds good, right?

Well, you should try it out, maybe it'll work for you.

I voluntarily agreed to read an early copy of this book through Netgalley and my rating is 2 stars, my standard DNF rating.

I read the blurb of The Bone Curse and found it to be quite interesting. How can a bone curse a human being? This intrigued me and I wasn't disappointed after reading the book.

Ben is our MC and he is a pragmatist. He is pursuing MBBS. He is harworking and determined. Completing MBBS is his first priority and everything and everyone else comes second.

He visited a catacomb in Paris and got cursed by a bone. His best friend Laurette helps him and stayed side by side him to help cure the curse. She is sweet and funny. She adds fun to the story otherwise this story would have been dry.

Laurette is from Haiti and her family practices vodou. Yeah its vodou and not voodoo. Vodou is a religion practiced by Haitians. It is practiced by carrying out ceremonial rituals to bring good fortune. At first I thought Carrie Rubin made it up but then I did my research and found out that it is real. I was amazed by her research on vodou and how she has centered the whole story around it.

The story is fast paced. There is horror, there is blood, sacrifice, dark magic and unending thrill throughout the story. Ben encounters one mishap after another and believe me when I say you can not and would not be able to predict what is going to happen next. This book is so unexpected and hard to guess.

The only thing I didn't like about this story is that it lacks emotional value.
Ben loves his both fathers and expresses his emotions for them. But he is not shown to attend funeral of any of his deceased loved one. Attending funeral is the most common thing you expect when you read a book that talks a lot about the deaths of loved ones. Just saying a simple prayer at their funeral or shedding a tear when you miss them are normal reactions. Once someone dies they just disappear from the story.

I get that its a fast paced story and Ben was in action from page 1 to last but showing him attending funeral or just a little hint like why he couldn't attend the funeral and that he felt bad because of it could have made a huge difference for the reader.

If you like fast paced thrillers and horror stories than this would be a great read for you. It is not hardcore horror story. There are no ghosts or any sort of paranormal stuff but its dark as in black magic and blood sacrifice stuff. The character building is good except it lacks emotional connection. All in all it is a good read you can enjoy on a chilly night at home.

Ben Oris doesn’t worry when he is cut by an ancient bone in the Catacombs of Paris. After all, he’s a third-year med student and he knows how to treat a little cut. But something is wrong when he returns to school to begin a rotation in internal medicine. The cut won’t heal and people close to him are getting sick. Has Ben picked up an unknown pathogen? Is there something evil at work? It’s a race against time for Ben and his best friend Laurette, who is sure Ben needs to see a Haitian Vodou priestess.

In The Bone Curse, Carrie Rubin pits science and medicine against the idea of an ancient Haitian curse in an exciting medical thriller that keeps the reader guessing through the final pages. Set in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia summer, the story focuses on three tense weeks during which Ben tries to balance a demanding schedule while friends and family fall like bowling pins. Can he trust Laurette’s mysterious Haitian relatives and contacts?

Rubin tells a great story and develops her characters well. Readers will cheer for Ben, who is charmingly human and chew their nails as he confronts formidable and frightening opponents.

There are many things to like about Rubin’s writing style. One is her humor and understanding of the human condition. What fun to see Ben navigate a complicated love life and looming disaster, yet take a moment, while maneuvering Philly streets, to enjoy his “Bumper-to-bumper, parallel-parking masterpiece.” In addition, readers will enjoy a look into med school politics as Ben fends off rivals and a demanding attending physician. Ben’s modern and realistic family situation rounds out his character, making him both likable and knowable.

Rubin also knows how to keep a story moving by building a fear of the unknown. Vodou curses, blood sacrifices, and strange ceremonies in dark smoky row-house rooms are the backdrops to wild confrontations between murky good and evil characters as Ben does his best to determine who’s on the good side.

The Bone Curse is the first in the Benjamin Oris series of medical thrillers and Rubin rewards her readers with a satisfying finish and promise of more thrills. In addition, hints of a developing relationship between Ben and Laurette will no doubt make Ben’s love life an enticing side-story.

I recommend The Bone Curse to readers who like thrilling books with otherworldly themes.

Really good book can't process all my emotions just yet but a proper review will be coming soon.

I found this on NetGalley and couldn't resist requesting a copy. Once I was approved, though, it sat on my kindle for quite some time before I really dug in. Honestly, this was almost a DNF on more than one occasion, but I kept reading. If it weren't for the fact that I put in a little more effort to finish NetGalley books, I might not have finished it.

This one was just Meh, for me. It wasn't horrible and it wasn't amazing, it just sort of... was. I started this book at least 3 times before actually digging in. The pacing was a little slower than I expected and Ben's life and daily routine didn't really grab my attention. Even the beginning when he first gets scratched/cut by the bone in the catacombs fell a little flat for me. For a suspense novel, I expected it to grab my attention and not let go. I wanted it to reach through to me from the pages and shake me, but there were a couple of times I just wasn't interested.

Now, there were some wonderful parts to this that ultimately saved it for me.

One of which was the attention to Vodou and what it entails. I can't even count the number of research papers I did when I was younger growing up in Louisiana about Vodou, Vodoun, and Voodoo. It's hard to escape the subject growing up so close to New Orleans, but it is not what people think and it plays a huge role in this novel. There was some research done here and I not only noticed but also appreciated the author taking the time to understand how important it was to get this right. I'm not an expert by any means, but I think she did a very good job here.

The pace did pick up as well, which saved the day in the end. At about the 50-60% mark, the action was in your face and the chase was on (so to speak). I really enjoyed that chunk of the story. There were some unexpected moments that had me asking a million questions and flipping pages. If it weren't for that, I think my rating would have been lower, but this chunk of the story is what still stands out weeks after reading the book.

The ending was... meh again. It felt like the story ran out, the epic battle had been fought, and now everything is just magically back to normal? Ummm, no. A LOT happened and A LOT went wrong for Ben. Things don't just go back to normal with a little pat on the back and strange explanation that doesn't even begin to account for everything that happened.

I'm glad I finally tackled it, I just don't think it lived up to my expectations based on the synopsis. There was nothing that hooked me in early on, which was almost a fatal flaw had I not been so sucked in by the time the action picked up the pace.