Cover Image: The Bone Fire

The Bone Fire

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Member Reviews

Interesting story. It had a little bit of magical realism which I liked and was a nice contrast to the revolution aspect. It was intense and sometimes a little slow, but overall good.

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Unfortunately, I found this novel quite bleak and a bit too slow paced for me. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone that likes plot driven books. The premise is interesting though, just not for me.

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“Thirteen-year-old Emma grows up under an Eastern European dictatorship where oppression seems eternal. When her dissident parents die in a car accident, she’s taken to an orphanage, only to be adopted soon after by a grandmother she has never met.”

Such an interesting premise! I enjoyed this book and thought the perspective of the main character was unique and fresh. I feel like the writing was a bit slow for my taste and the book was focused on the politics of the country at war rather than the characters. Overall I would recommend this to lovers of fantasy and historical fiction as well!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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A bleak setting, descriptive and I liked the originality of that, but the story was so slow I couldn't finish the book and I simply couldn't connect with our main character. I've come back to it a few times and unfortunately have had to DNF it.

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I got about 40% of the way. It felt like a chore to read as I couldn’t get into the story and wasn’t invested in characters. Very slow paced and not much happening in terms of plot

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Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. This cover is so beautiful. I really enjoyed not only the plot and story this book but writing is stunningly!

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György Dragomán is a Romanian born, Hungarian author. The Bone Fire is a well-written novel about a young girl living in a post-communist unnamed Eastern European country. Since it talks about “Securitate” which is a Romanian word and the author was born here, it is safe to say the inspiration came from Ceausescu regime. The girl is left orphan by a car accident and is taken in by her strange grandmother whom she never met. The novel covers both the girl’s struggle to adapt to her new life and glimpses from the past, WW2 and the dictatorship. There is quite a bit of magical realism, the grandma has some strange powers, grandpa’s ghost still lives in the house and so on. It was interesting but also boring at times.

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György Dragomán is a Romanian born, Hungarian author. The Bone Fire is a well-written novel about a young girl living in a post-communist unnamed Eastern European country. Since it talks about “Securitate” which is a Romanian word and the author was born here, it is safe to say the inspiration came from Ceausescu regime. The girl is left orphan by a car accident and is taken in by her strange grandmother whom she never met. The novel covers both the girl’s struggle to adapt to her new life and glimpses from the past, WW2 and the dictatorship. There is quite a bit of magical realism, the grandma has some strange powers, grandpa’s ghost still lives in the house and so on. It was interesting but also boring at times.

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I honestly couldn't get into this book really. The topics were sometimes too much for me and i felt like the story wasn't wrapped up in the end as well. I believe that this type of genre just isnt for me but over all I could see many people enjoying this book

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I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

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The faint touches of enchantment in this book appeal to me. You almost don't notice it's there, so you can dismiss it as sleight of hand, illusions, wishful thinking, or whatever. Whatever it is, it is undeniably present.
The stories of three damaged generations are equally magical. The grandma  surviving World War II, mother's memories lost forever, and a young child growing up with all her trauma in the new, unfamiliar, and slightly unfriendly environment, but also love, compassion, and problems overcome and conquered.
It's a touch overly optimistic at times, as the protagonist can't seem to fail at anything - she learns to skate on ice almost entirely by looking at an image - and so on. But, as the story blossoms into a flower, with all its thorns and hidden areas, I'm willing to allow for these breaches, because the book allows lots of room for the imagination to expand.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was one that I found disturbing, fascinating and heart wrenching all at the same time. I loved the barely there magic and the mystery components. This is what kept me reading until the end. I did struggle with some of the translation as it felt incomplete in places and I would have to reread passages to make sure that I got the point the author was writing about. I did find the main character Emma and the discovery of her family history endearing and not being very informed about the history of the country enlightened as to the struggles of that time for the people of that country. All in all a great read.

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4.5/5 Stars

This book is all vibes. It is really slow paced and very little plot, but the vibes are immaculate. Dark and creepy and magical. One of my favorite things was looking for all the little hints of magic woven in throughout the story.

Overall I really enjoyed The Bone Fire and would recommend recommend if you are looking for something dark and creepy, but don’t mind it to be a slow burn.

This review is WAY over do. Honestly I finished this book like a year ago and then never got around to writing a review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

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This book was a little out of my comfort zone and while it had some good components, I don't think it was the book for me. It was a little confusing at times, but definitely unique.

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Unfortunately I had difficulties downloading this book to my kindle - maybe it wasn't offered in this format??

Either way, I'm loving the reviews so have requested this book from my local library and will be sure to leave a review on Goodreads as always!

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A story with touches of realism, fantasy and magic. At a time in history like the one that touches us, it can become a powerful excuse to talk and understand each other in another way.

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A very lyrical book, written in a stream of consciousness way that made this a bit hard to read, sometimes. Still, a very brave project that weaves magical realism into some very harsh realities around the former Eastern block. Unfortunately, I feel like this book is very timely right now. (And I say unfortunately not because the book is bad, but because the situation in the world is.)

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy of this book! Unfortunately I have to DNF this one as I've tried getting into it a few times and it simply isn't grabbing me.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for giving me an eARC. I loved the idea of the story. A little girl coming of age traveling through her own struggles is the kind of genre that I really seem to enjoy. And this story didn't dissapoint as well. It was an eye-opening book and in turn, it made for an enjoyable reading experience.

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