Queue the Lady Gaga gif, amazing, brilliant, incomparable.

I have never read a Sarah Beth Durst novel but I had heard from many people that she is a stand out author and her plots were expertly laid out. I would have to agree. The subtle hints in her foreshadowing ensured that nothing seemed to come out of nowhere. Bit and pieces are dropped along the way to plant small seeds of doubt and intrigue with every page.

I am also a fan of Durst's magic system. It is thought out with many consequences and ways to manipulate the magic. I do believe I will seek out more works with bone magic in the future.

As far as character building goes, Durst again has surprised me. Often in books the arc of the novel will lead toward the greatest moment of character growth and it is an abrupt shift. In this novel, the character's growth occurs in a very natural way. I found this to be highly refreshing and a welcome change of pace from a "chosen one" trope.

I also liked that while we were dealing with a band of former heroes, none of them felt like the "heroic" stereotype. Again, all of the characters felt like real people with real issues and real trauma post-war.

The ending is incredibly satisfying. While nothing goes exactly how anyone plans, there is something to be said about sacrifice and costs of war that no one realizes.

I highly recommend this to any fantasy fan

This book was amazing. I was hooked from the first time I read the synopsis and the book was even better. I hope there is more to come.

I must admit I wasn't sure about someone using bones to bring a body back to life. Once I read how Kreya actually did it I was intrigued. This book was unlike anything I have ever read. I was completely immersed in the story, characters and the different areas they lived and traveled.
So much of this was unique from the talismans made of bone, the use of bones to make anything animated and most importantly the use of bones to bring someone back to life. Who would not do this if they had the chance to bring back a loved one?
I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author wove the story of the characters saving their world 25 years ago into them back together again trying to save the world from the person they thought they had previously destroyed.
The author did an excellent job of making me feel like I was actually in the book watching it all happen. It has been a long time since I have read a book that engaged me as much as this one did.
This would make an awesome movie!
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this advance reader copy and was not compensated in any way.

I love Sarah Beth Durst and was excited to see this on NetGalley. This has a different feel from her Queens of Renthia series for sure - more mature, a bit sadder, but still lots of intensity and magic. This is the story of five heroes who conquered an evil bone maker named Eklor in their youth. Bone makers are basically sorcerers who work with animal bones (other similar roles include bone readers and bone workers), and Eklor experimented with animal bones to create an army of inhuman constructs in order to punish the Bone Maker's guild for stopping his illegal experimentation with human bones. That was all about 20 or 25 years before this story starts. Kreya, the leader of the heroes, lost her husband Jentt in the battle, but has been secretly reviving him for a few minutes or hours or days when she can find human bones, which she learned how to do by using Eklor's creepy notebooks. Looking for enough human bones to fully revive Jentt, she goes to old friend (and fellow hero) Zara and they seek a cache of human bones from their old battlefield. Turns out, Eklor is still alive and has spent all that time creating a new and terrifying construct army, and he's somehow managed to convince the powers that be that he has been reformed and that he is willing to pay his debt to society by bringing their beloved dead back to life at no cost to them. As I'm writing about it, I'm realizing how intense the story really was in terms of heavy themes. A great look at what happens to the heroes after they win the day. .

The Bone Maker started strong. I loved the concept, and the magic system sounded amazing. The story had some high stakes, but I felt that the story was missing a sense of urgency. Like, there might be a bone wizard who was thought to be dead, but is really alive, and there's a giant army coming our way. Instead, there was no tension in this adventure.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harpercollins for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

**4.5-stars**

Twenty-five years ago, the five heroes of Vos, waged an epic battle against the evil magician, Eklor. Although they were victorious, only four survived. This fight, now the stuff of legends, was memorialized in songs and stories, but the ones who fought it went their separate ways when it was over.

Kreya, the group's leader, lost her husband, Jennt, tragically in the battle. Saving his body, she has moved the two of them into a tower in the mountains, far from other people. Kreya is a bone worker and continuously resurrects Jennt for short periods of time. She is busy formulating a spell she believes will bring him back for good, but it requires copious amounts of human bones to work. A resource she doesn't currently have.

She knows where to find all she will need, however; the old battlefield. It's illegal though and will be dangerous as heck. She's going to need help. Thus, she goes to her old friend and fellow fighter, Zera. Even though Kreya ghosted her for 25-years, Zera is a good sport and agrees to go on the mission. Reunited, the two women, embark on a cross-country quest to steal some bones; all for a good cause. Once on the battlefield, however, they discover their battle may not actually be over.

Kreya and Zera stumble upon evidence that indicates Eklor's reign of terror may be resurrecting itself. Eklor had created an inhuman army from animal bones. It was believed all had been destroyed, but they find a few of his horrifying constructs still functioning and still murderous. They rush back to the city, assemble the old crew, and prepare for round two!

The Bone Maker is a story of second chances. It is creative, pulse-pounding, nail-biting, full of danger and twists and turns. I had a lot of fun with this story. The characters were fantastic. I loved the five heroes. Their relationship dynamic was heart-warming. They supported one another and played off of one another's strengths and weaknesses beautifully.

Even though they had moved on, and some would consider them past their prime, they were still willing to put it all on the line for one another and to fight for what was right. Eklor was a marvelously constructed villain. His motivations, powers, abilities to deceive; it was all so well done. I also enjoyed how Durst framed Kreya's relationship with Eklor. They were similar in a lot of ways. It sort of reminded me a bit of the dynamic between Harry and Voldemort.

Additionally, I was impressed by the magic system. The bone magic was fascinating. The different types of bone workers and what powers they could wield. Certain aspects had a sort of steampunk feel that I rather enjoyed. So, yeah, overall, really good standalone Adult Fantasy. I would absolutely recommend it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Harper Voyager, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I really appreciate it and will definitely be picking up more from Sarah Beth Durst!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

Durst has done it again -written a fantastic, can't-put-down, stand alone fantasy book. I love her writing, I love her characters and I love her original story-telling. I get excited every time she releases a new book - and this one does not disappoint.

The story is set in the kingdom of Vos. The kingdom has bone makers who can animate bones to create objects that can do a variety of things, like clean, send messages, etc. They also create charms that give people a limited amount of "super-powers", like strength, speed, stealth, etc. These creations are made from animal bones - the use of human bones is illegal.

Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. They defeated him - and supposedly killed him - but one of the heroes was killed, Kreya's husband. Since their defeat of Eklor, Kreya has hibernated away from everyone, scavenging human bones from dead people and illegally using them to bring her husband back to life. But it comes at a cost. For every day her husband lives, she will live one day less. Desperate to bring her husband back for more than a few hours at a time, she devises a plan to cross the wall to the forbidden land on which the battlefield of the war with Eklor lays to gather human bones left on the field.

She travels to the capital city to gain the assistance of one of her fellow heroes, a gifted bone maker who creates some of the best charms in the kingdom. Considering she hadn't seen any of her fellow heroes since the battle, she is not exactly welcome. Nevertheless, the teammate accompanies Kreya to the battlefield to gather the bones, and they run into some of Eklor's inhuman army. Could he still be alive?

Vowing to make certain Eklor is dead, Kreya gathers the rest of the heroes together to scout the battlefield. But are they still the heroes from the past, and are they ready to sacrifice their lives again for the kingdom?

The author does a great job of portraying Kreya's grief over losing her husband, and her grit and determination to bring him back to life. She is laser focused on that, and once she brings him back, is single-minded in her quest to destroy Eklor if he still lives - at times to the detriment of others in her team. The other members of the team aren't as fleshed out as Kreya, but it's ok, they lend a lot to the plot as minor characters and round out the story well. This book is fast paced and full of action. It's 496 pages, but is still a quick read because you won't want to put it down. I recommend you read this fantastic book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. All opinions are my own.

Personally I'm having a hard time connecting with the story and it's taking me forever to read but I'll keep going and finish it eventually. It's just not my cup of tea but I'm sure there are many others who will love the adventure, even though it is a bit to slow paced for myself..

4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It surpassed any expectations that I had for it. I will admit that it got a little predictable at times and I would have loved to see the author play around more with the magic system. I really enjoyed what we did see of the magic, it had me wanting to know and see more of what it could do, how it all works and all its limits. While we do get a glimpes, I just didn't feel like it was enough. That being said I enjoyed the writting in this book far more than the writing in the last book that I read by her. I would say she still has some work to do with her characters, some of them felt more developed than others did but they all seemed a little flat to me. Overall I had a great time and would recommend.

Standalone epic fantasy! This book has something like a comforting rhythm at the beginning, with its "let's get the gang back together" mode, with characters you can really root for right off the bat, and then things end up going in surprising directions! I think this book is so timely and interesting, in the way it uses fantasy tropes to explore ideas of who gets to break the rules, who is given forgiveness, what do consequences and justice look like? All that with a really fun magic system that is the perfect amount of interesting without getting bogged down in details. Just fantastic!

Wow! I loved this so much. I love a good happily ever after story as much as the next person.. but there is always that thought of “what happened after that war?”. How do characters deal with the aftermath of winning one but it costing the lives of friends and family?

The Bone Maker explores 5 heroes lives after their group “wins” the war. Dealing with grief, PTSD, and regret we get to see the other side of what happens in a fantasy world after “happily ever after”.

I loved the magic system and the pretty much non-stop action of this book. All the characters were amazing and I really enjoyed each of their POVs. Zera was always there with a witty line to help during the darker moments.


I would love to see a prequel or even a spin off of this world!

Kreya steals human bones to resurrect her deceased husband Jentt. She’s been finding a way to make him alive for longer than a day. Once a commander during the Bone War twenty-five years ago, Kreya now lives her days in a tower with her constructs — mechanical birds, rag dolls, and spiders. Unable to let go of Jentt, who died during the war, she turns to the forbidden art of resurrection. But it’s hard to fetch bones from fresh human remains, especially when she doesn’t want to murder anyone. Her only hope is the forbidden zone, a land filled with human bones. And the only way to get there faster is to seek help from one of her old friends, Zera. Their journey will eventually lead to finding their other comrades after suspecting that their old enemy still lives.

I always brace myself when starting a new Sarah Beth Durst novel. Durst conjures remarkable worlds and magic systems. Her memorable characters linger in my thoughts after finishing her books. She knows what she’s doing with her ideas, and her storytelling impresses every time. Even when there are familiar high fantasy tropes like an undead army or the “Dark Lord” villain, Durst pens a fascinating story that grips you from the start.

In the world of The Bone Maker, animal bones fuel cable cars and other mechanisms. Talismans provide users with temporary abilities like strength or speed. Bone Makers use bones for magic, and Bone Readers consult bones about the future. Durst lets this fascinating world unfold naturally, revealing enough details as needed. Kreya and the other characters are complicated and dynamic. They’re middle-aged during their reunion, having made their own lives after the war, but their present journey proves that growth and reflection have no age limit.

But most importantly, The Bone Maker questions the motivations and actions that stem from grief and rage. Who deserves redemption? Who deserves forgiveness? Durst’s novel explores what makes a hero or a villain, and what makes someone too far gone.

The Bone Maker is a story with a unique magic system. Bones are the source of power in this world. Bones can be used to see the future, animate inventions and objects--even people that have passed on to the next life, and used in talismans. Things changed 25 years ago though when someone used human bones to murder thousands. Now bone makers are no longer allowed to use human remains. But, our main character, Kreya breaks this rule many times. Kreya fought in the war against the necromancer 25 years ago and she lost her husband in the process. Now, she searches for human remains so that she can bring her husband back to life. Sometimes the magic is enough to animate him for days, sometimes it’s only a few hours. Soon, though, Kreya will reunite with those she fought with during the war because the evil they thought they defeated may not actually be gone.

This book is difficult for me to review. There were times when I was captivated by the story and times when I wasn’t interested at all. For one, the pacing was off. It took a while for this story to pick up. Then, once the story did pick up, the characters fell a bit flat. In my opinion, the characters and the world need more development. I never felt a connection with any of the characters nor did I ever feel invested in the story which made me sad. I had such high hopes for this book.

The 5 heroes of VOS are called to once again defeat an enemy bent on revenge. Fascinating magic system based on the use of bones in different ways depending on the users specialty. Moral quandary, good versus evil, life or death and mortality.

I've had a few Sarah Beth Durst books on my to-be-read shelf for years, and now I can't fathom why it's taken me so long to pick up one of her books. The Bone Maker is easily one of the most refreshing, unexpected books I've read in years. On the surface, it has elements of many fantasy books: band of heroes go off to war and save the day, fighting evil monsters with magic, necromancy, etc. But Durst's heroes saved the day half a lifetime ago. They've done their duty and just want to live out their lives. The group's leader, Kreya, is focused on resurrecting her husband, who died when the heroes won the war twenty-five years ago. Only bringing Jentt back to life uses forbidden magic, and the only place she can find human bones to complete the spell without resorting to murder is to go back to the location of their final battle. She enlists the help of her old best friend and former comrade in arms, Zera, to do it. When they return to the plains where the war was fought, they discover that their former enemy is not so former after all. He lives, and he's spent the last twenty-five years rebuilding the army that the heroes originally destroyed. From there, the two reunite with the rest of their original band of heroes to fight against Elikor once again.

I adored Kreya and Zera in particular right from the beginning. Durst does a fantastic job of crafting compelling characters with an interesting plot. It took me a few chapters to really get invested and understand where the story was going, but once I did, I was hooked.

This book poses such fantastic, thoughtful questions throughout. Who deserves redemption? What's truly unforgivable? Is a hero's duty to their people ever truly done? What's worth sacrificing for? I found so much of the action and choices that each of the main characters face to be very empathetic and engrossing. I highly recommend for any fantasy fan who lives a good tale of the hero's journey. It was so refreshing to not have the hero who saves the day be the usual teen or twenty-something in their prime.

Review: If there is one thing that Sarah Beth Durst has proven time and time again, it is that she can come up with a new and original fantasy concept at the drop of a wizard’s hat—and The Bone Maker is no exception. The world is fresh, lively, and so fleshed out that you can hardly believe it’s a standalone title and not a fraction of an epic series that has stretched far and wide over the years. Parts of this approach works quite well, and some of it not so much, because while Vos and the mechanics of this world are deep and rich, the reader might feel like they are only getting a glimpse of a much bigger world that, unfortunately, remains mostly unrealized by the end. With such little time spent on the history and rules of this unusual backdrop, much of what is and isn’t acceptable in this reality is taken for granted by the author, and left dangling just out of sight for the reader.

After the last page is turned, The Bone Maker feels less like a standalone novel and more like a sequel written without the benefit of a prequel, a theme that is compounded by the fact that most of the story revolves around a previous history that the reader never gets to witness in detail, as well as a returning evil they were never really taught to fear. While this by itself does not take away from what is a compelling and fun fantasy adventure with memorable, funny characters and some really engaging magical rules, it does pale in comparison to some of Durst’s other recent endeavors—her previous book, Race the Sands, notably among them. Which is a shame, because there is nothing boring or derivative about this premise, and the characters stand out as some of her most inviting and lovable,which by itself makes the book something to pick up.

Verdict: Fans of magical fantasy will likely find a lot to enjoy about Sarah Beth Durst’s The Bone Maker, but those looking for a more detailed and rich universe may find this quick romp of an adventure a little shallow, especially in it’s lack of in-universe historical context. Regardless, The Bone Machine’s inventive world, memorable characters, and fast-paced narrative makes this, like most of the work Durst puts out into the world, something worthy of your time and attention.

Another fabulous read! This is a unique take on the "war buddies" motif. A motley group of survivors from a war 20 years ago, hailed as heroes at the time, but definitely conflicted about the title, come together to face a threat that may be new and may not be. The author creates a brilliant world, unusual yet simple, in which human and animal bones have magical properties that can be harnessed. The characters are likable, the action moves quickly, and the plot is complex. But the book is really more, since the author both creates society taboos, and explores if it is ever correct to break those taboos, whether for the greater good or for personal reasons. The concept is one that has deeper relevance in our present society, as we as a society seem to balance between where the political correctness is everywhere, yet should not exempt anyone from individual choice and from the right choice. A thoughtful, entertaining book.

The moment I read what this book was about I KNEW I had to read. The heroes of Vos once again called upon, magic where bones are talismans (bone magic), monsters only your mind could conjure and that are 10x the size of normal animals. Illegal human bone magic. An evil villain come back to life? Sign. Me. Up. I found myself a little lost in the beginning and felt like I may have somehow missed out on part of the story. But the more you read, you’re given the details.

Kreya is a bit of an oddball, a hermit as well. She animated these little dolls to keep her company, and while I find them adorable through the book, I’d most likely scream if I saw them in real life. Honestly it’s so hard to tell why you should read the book without giving a good bit of it away. Especially in the beginning when I realized why she was alone and what her plans were. So I’ll unfortunately gloss over that and move on to when she has to unite with her old crew due to Eklon coming back to life somehow. Nobody believes them but they KNOW, so throughout the book they strive to find ways to save Vos despite everything being against them. They face horrors, monsters, death, weird undead soldiers- but it’s just WOW. It was so refreshing to read something different but also in my favorite genre. In terms of reviews I know this may seem lackluster but really there are so many key parts that are important but it talked about would just ruin the book. So do yourself a favor, go get this book.

I love Sarah Beth Durst's books, so I had high expectations going into this. While it look a little while for me to fully engage with the story, I ended up loving it. It was delightful to see a tale featuring what happens to the heroes after they're done saving the world. I absolutely adored the five of them and the complicated relationships between them. The plot wasn't at all what I expected, vacillating between rollicking adventure, mystery/intrigue, and solid background fantasy. I found it an utter blast.

*I was sent an eARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

*rounded up from a 4.5*

So, first of all, the whole premise of the story is really cool and unique to me. Most of the time we read books where the big war or conflict is taking place. This book follows the heroes twenty-five years after the war where they became "the Heroes of Vos." So what the reader experiences is the emotional toll and the consequences of this war. We get to see how the characters (particularly Kreya) have adapted and changed since the war they were all thrust into so long ago. The story also fully encapsulates the idea that just because the story has ended, doesn't mean that life doesn't continue to go one. Nor is a battle always wrapped up neatly, sometimes the first battle is only the beginning. The story set forth by Durst is just so incredibly interesting and cool. It felt like something that is very unique in its premise and execution. The way she was able to show the impact that being the "legendary heroes" had on the protagonists, how it affected them mentally and how their lives changed, was amazing. The characters (both hero and villain) in general were very well done, most felt well-rounded and well-developed. They had distinct motivations, though Kreya was quite the morally grey character, which is something she struggled with. The parallel between some of her actions and those of Eklor were thought-provoking.

The magic system in the story was also very cool and unique. The magic system consisted of people known as "bone workers" who are able to use the energy in bones as a medium for performing different things. Bone wizards can make talismans that give the user some kind of ability for a limited time. Bone readers can use bones to create visions wherein they see into the future or the present. And bone makers are able to use bones to create constructs that will do whatever function they are designed for, think giving "life" to inanimate objects. It was a really cool system that was always compelling to learn about. The world-building was really good. This was a high-fantasy book with some big kind of steampunk elements. The constructs used in the cities and the ones that Kreya makes and owns are all comprised of metal and bone. A lot of gear action was going on. Durst was very generous with the history of Vos, particularly regarding the Unseen War and the culture of the society. Not to say that she skipped out on the environmental description. The physical world itself was very distinctive, the creatures within were unlike anything we have in real life.

I only have a couple of negative things to say about the book. I didn't much care for the choice to skip through a lot of the journeys. I know that this choice did keep the pace of the book relatively quick, but it was kind of jarring. They'd start a journey and then they'd be there immediately. There was always a line break to delineate the shift, but it still didn't quite sit right. The other key problem I had was with the character's behavior. All was fine for the most part, but I think that often they had the behavior and mannerisms of much younger people. Not all the time, and this may have been on purpose. I didn't really care for it though. All of the protagonists are like 40-50 but sometimes they had the behavior of people that were much younger and it just bothered me a bit. You get used to it (it's largely Zera and kind of Jentt) but it is something that feels noteworthy.

This isn't a complaint but more of a comment on the general nature of the book. I think this would have been a great sequel. I think it would've hit even harder if we had initially read about the five back during the Unseen War. If we had seen the way that they were prior to the war and were able to feel more connected with them all around. Because now I think that it's too late to go back and do that. I wouldn't want to read a prequel because the events that happen in this book would make that one feel pointless. but, if this had been a sequel it would have hit hard to see these characters that readers really loved change into something else as a result of the events of that book. Without that, we don't see as much change from them because we never knew how they behaved prior to the war (well, we know but only anecdotally). It isn't a complaint because I still really liked the book, but it's just a thought that I wanted to put out there. And I'm not saying that there is no change in the characters over the course of this book. Kreya particularly has some big development. I just mean that it would've felt like a big shift to see the characters behavior in the this book versus what could have been a first book (if that makes sense). It works very well on its own, but I just think it could've been improved contextually as a duology.

So long story short, I think that everyone should read this book. If you enjoy a fantasy novel that isn't heavy on the romance, has some fun steampunk elements, makes use of a unique magic system, and deals with some interesting themes, then pick it up. It's almost 500 pages, but I found it to be a quick read. The pacing and everything that happens kept my attention very easily especially after Kreya was back with Zera. The Bone Maker will be one of my favorite reads all year, not contest. I can already tell.