I would like to start off by thanking Harper Voyager for sending me over a beautiful finished copy of The Bone Maker for review.

I will admit that when I requested this book I went in without knowing much about the story. The cover was the first thing that caught my attention, and then the fact that it was a standalone fantasy story sealed the deal for me. The only thing I knew was that Sarah Beth Durst was known for creating AWESOME atmosphere in her books, and this book was no exception. I think that the atmosphere in this book was one of the shining points for me. It takes place in this dark fantasy world within the mountains, where there are tiers within the mountains and tons of cliffs. It adds that extra bit of danger when it comes to exploring the world. The second thing that REALLY made this book stand out to me is the characters. I absolutely loved our entire band of heroes. There's something about a group of middle-aged ex heroes having to band together and save the world again that I absolutely love. I felt like I knew every character so well and was in the story with them.

My only downfall with this book is that the pacing just kind of felt all over the place and kept me putting down the book and picking it up. A lot of that could be because I am personally a more plot driven reader, and this is such a character driven book. There was a lot of time spent just sitting with the characters, and less time spent when they were actually out on their adventure.

Ultimately I ended up giving this book a 4⭐️ and it will definitely be a standalone that I will recommend often. I think if you were a fan of Foundryside, Kings of the Wyld, or The Bone Shard Daughter, then this is definitely one to pick up!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Maker took me a while to get into. Mostly because that I was doing so many things before I actually found something completely interesting that sucked me in. It didn't take long but once it happened, well, I couldn't put the book down.

In it, you will meet so many amazing characters. I absolutely loved the bantering that happened throughout the book. It just made me smile and fall in love with them all so much easier. Then there's the betrayal.. which wasn't that shocking but I was expecting more groveling in some places. Luckily, these two were fooled twice (or something) and finally opened their eyes to what was happening.

All I can say.. is it's about damn time.

In the end, this book so good and in a weird way it's a bit bittersweet for me that this is a standalone. Yeah, I know, it is weird because I just fall so in love with books that I would expect another one to be made. Then to find out that nothing will.. well, it's just sad. I guess I will learn to deal with it all and find another book to fall in love with.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Maker is a well written and fast paced adult fantasy novel that falls in that wonderful adult/ya crossover space. The setting was especially unique, filled with really interesting monsters and an intricate magic system I had never seen before.

The dark fantasy element was great and provided a wonderful overtone to the book. I just wished that we had been able to get to know a few of our other characters a bit better before the end. It almost left me wishing for a sequel or a series just so I could explore them a bit more. Overall, I recommend this book to fantasy lovers intrigued by fast-paced adventure and intricate world building.

The Bone Maker is a well written and fast paced adult fantasy novel. This is my third Durst book and as always, she excelled at creating a unique setting. There were gliIttering cities and so many cool monsters and creatures. I loved the magic system! I've seen bone magic before but not quite like this. For those of you who like your magic systems to have rules, I think you will be pleased with it.

The characters were likeable but flawed. We get the most time with Kreya and Zera so you are able to get to know them pretty well. I do wish there could have been a little more depth with the other characters. Especially the villain. However, I understand that this is a standalone book and there isn't as much time to flesh out every single character the way you can with a series. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I highly recommend it to those who love fantasy and don't want to commit to a series.

**Full review will be added closer to publication date!**

The Bone Maker was a very unexpected epic fantasy standalone that I had a lot of fun with! This story follows a group of aging warriors as they have to come together once again to battle a looming threat. I really loved the friendship and chemistry the existed among this group of characters, and I appreciate how well Durst managed to develop each personality and character. One of my favorite things about this book was learning about the bone magic! Bone magic is one of those ideas that always catches my eye, and I loved discovering how the magic system worked and how everyone used it and was affected by it. This is an adventurous fantasy that kept me engaged and I'm sorry to see these characters go!

It was a touch slow to start so it’s a weak five star but any stand alone in this genre deserves rounding up!
The characterization was very well done. All of us reading this genre know the heroes defeat the villain. That’s how the story goes. I know I’ve read a few other what happens afterwards stories but this one does a great job of showing the characters in the aftermath.
Also, it’s not good when someone with necromantic magic goes a little bit off the deep end... If you’re going to have necromancy in your world it would be best if they couple be calm and ethical sorts!

Written by Sarah Beth Durst, The Bone Maker is the sequel book with no prequel. What about after the war is over? After the hero's love has died and a wall is built so no Bone Makers can get to the field of fallen soldiers and their bones?

Well, Kreya found a way to bring him back, but she needs more bones.

This is a well written, enthralling novel. We get to see adventurers, 25 years past their prime, trying to rid the world of evil while also coming to terms with their own lives. And I loved this book. And I wish that I could read the story that happened 25 years ago, to experience these people grow into the team they are in this book.

I really enjoyed that our main characters are so different from each other, and to see how much they really do care about one another. Jentt I think is a really great example of what partnership means. He stands behind her, though he tells her when he doesn't agree with what she is doing.

Zera is an amazing person who has to work through her own issues, but really shows how we are all always works in progress. Marso has gone crazy and has to find his own way back with the support of his family. Stran is just a lovable giant who wants to believe that he isn't needed anymore other than at home, but willingly steps up to help his people, even if he doesn't believe they need his help. They believe they do, so he goes.

If you are looking for fantasy with a lot of adventure and twists and turns, this is a great choice.

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Beth Durst does it again. The world she created is a fascinating one, with a magic system that has rather macabre costs. Want to run faster than the eye can track? Want to be stronger than ten men? Want to see into the future? You can, but it’ll cost in blood and bone. The system is well thought out and I always enjoy that in my fantasy books.

The heroes in this one aren’t shiny and brand new. They’ve already survived a great battle and now they’re older and scarred, both physically and spiritually, from the trauma of the war. I have to say, I love heroes who aren’t young teens fighting the system, but instead characters who have a deep history and know exactly what the cost of fighting is. Durst also delved into a rather deep question. What exactly would you be willing to do to bring back someone you love? What would you sacrifice? How far would you stretch your morals? Combining that thought-provoking story with action and battle against a villain who seems unbeatable created a story I thoroughly enjoyed.

“Some of us are better at hiding it than others, but we are all broken. You can’t live without breaking a few times. But that doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing. It just means you’ve lived in the world.’ […]’What matters is you keep living in it, despite your broken bits—or even because of them.”

A hero’s journey is always worth telling. A myriad of adventures, people to save, and evil villains to defeat; we all know how the story goes. But, what happens after their quest is fulfilled? Why do heroes’ lives seem to end once they have saved the world? And what happens when they grow old and people still hold them to the standards they met on their youth?

All these questions are explored thoroughly in Sarah Beth Durst’s latest novel, The Bone Maker, released March 9th 2021. In this standalone fantasy novel, we follow Kreya in her quest to bring her husband, killed in the battle against an evil magician, back to life. But that is just the beginning of the story. In her journey, she rekindles her relationship with not only her former crew of heroes—Zera, Marso, Stran, and her husband himself, Jentt—but also with one of her biggest enemies, who…surprisingly might be seeking redemption?

To begin with, the magic system is quite exciting. Divided into three guilds, Durst creates a bone-based type of magic that reads both as creepily eerie and darkly fascinating. Of course, due to the rather macabre form of magic, several ethical and moral barriers arise. Where does one set their limit? Is it okay to practice necromancy only once if it is to bring a loved one back? And should you make these decisions regardless of what the dead person may think?

Sadly, both the magic system and the fantastic environment of the novel seem a bit shallowly explored. As a result, the worldbuilding is a bit sparse and does not allow the reader to create a fully-fledged mental picture of the surroundings and background of the story. Of course, writing a standalone fantasy novel with an average page number is quite complex as it does not allow as much room to focus on small details as a fantasy saga or a lengthy fantasy book. To a certain point, that lack of exploration is understandable, especially considering the careful attention paid to the characters’ relationships, as we will discuss later.

Nonetheless, The Bone Maker is an astoundingly refreshing exploration of the tradition of the hero’s journey, as it is not common to see heroes go through maturity. Leaving your heroic past aside is one difficult task when people are writing songs and legends about you, and for Kreya, becoming a hermit is the only way to do so. Zera, on the other hand, relishes on her fame and past. Stran has swiftly moved on to become a father and Marso is completely broken. All of them show the many outcomes of the passing of time, and all of them are lacking something: each other.

The way the five heroes interact with each other is definitely the novel’s greatest strength. The five getting back together is so organic and realistic that you just can’t help but root for their relationship to flourish again. Friendly banter, brief moments of shock at how much they all have changed, but also instants of easy connection…the constant comparison of their past and present relationships show how they all adapt to each other again as a team and embrace both the traits they knew and the new quirks they developed over time. And still, the five of them still work together as the cogs of a clock. Their bond is so strong that some of them only begin to learn to manage their grief and heal from the trauma of war once they all come back together; and that is one powerful message to send.

Through the character development of Kreya, the main character, we also come to understand what it truly means to trust your intuition as you grow older, but also to compromise with other points of view. Time and experience truly make you wiser and for Kreya, that is an eye-opening revelation. While the five members of the crew seem to be stuck in the past, the only way for them to become better heroes is to accept the passing of time and understanding that their new lives—even if not ideal—add that little something that they lacked when they were younger.

All things considered, The Bone Maker is quite a fun read and a great way into the fantasy world for those who are not quite used to the characteristic density of the genre. As a light read that still maintains the best traits of high fantasy, Sarah Beth Durst’s latest novel is a great pick for older and younger readers alike as it shows that age is no impediment to life, but an asset of wisdom and experience. Life does not end at 25, on the contrary: maturity turns heroes into human beings. So, get ready. Test the limits people will reach to save a loved one and discover whether you would be willing to cheat death by killing another person… for your loved one to live. For fans of Morgan Rhode’s Falling Kingdoms saga, The Bone Maker is a wonderful, entertaining novel you don’t want to miss.

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”

The low-key premise reminded me of Roshani Chokshi's Gilded Wolves—obviously I was intrigued by this fantasy novel because of that alone and overall, this novel wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be.

Generally speaking, it was not terrible. Nor great. In layman's terms—meh...?

There was great potential there and I am a little surprised the author decided not to expand this to a series considering how each character brought something unique and fresh to the table, and of course, the short description below that initially won me over when picking up what I originally considered a gem:
“You’ve all heard the legends. There were five of us, tasked by the guild master to eliminate the threat posed by the rogue bone maker Eklor.” She held up one finger. “Kreya, our bone maker, a rising star in the guild, chosen for possessing a power that could rival Eklor’s— if she lived long enough to hone it.” A second finger. “Zera . . . that’s me, my loves.” Her audience cooed appreciatively, and Kreya rolled her eyes. “Bone wizard. Unknown until then, but soon to be unrivaled.” Third. “Marso, a bone reader, with a unique gift of seeing the truth of the past, present, and future that far exceeded the skills of other bone readers.” Four. “Stran, a warrior with experience in using bone talismans to enhance his already prodigious strength.” And five. “Jentt, a reformed thief, who specialized in using talismans of speed and stealth to win his battles.”

“The legend says that the guild master tasked five, but he did not. He tasked only one. Kreya. She chose the rest of us. All that befell us is her fault. All the glory, and all the pain.”

That sounded good on paper, right? But the author, in my opinion, didn’t deliver. I felt like I was just going through the motions when reading this and truthfully, I was a bit bored by the halfway point despite finally meeting the rest of the original crew besides Kreya, Zera, and recently resurrected Jentt, who are each dealing with their own struggles/new lives after their disbandment and war.

More so, what made this a somewhat taxing read was the main character, Kreya. I honestly didn't care for her. And more times than not, my primary focus was on Zera, Marso, Stran and less frequently Jentt. I understand her husband died but for her to just abandon her crew/”best friends” after his sudden death (that she caused btw) and to then—after 25 years—go out to seek them for help/guidance in bringing back her dead husband and to save the world (again). Yeah no. I wasn’t feeling that. I would have gladly told her to fuck off.

Altogether, what I disliked—Kreya, slow-going storyline, lack of perspective of the other characters minus MC, did I mention Kreya?, lack of world-building, the abrupt ending (WTF was that?!) that could’ve been more fleshed out, and despite it being an adult fantasy (40’s + 50’s aged team), the strong YA vibes I got was not my cup of tea.

One of the few positives of this book that I really enjoyed was the concept of bone making, bone reading, magic, special use of talisman, etc. The magic system really intrigued me and it was something I haven’t seen in other adult *cough*YA with older characters*cough* fantasy books I have read thus far. I hope to see more of this in the future.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This review is scheduled to be published on my blog and then shared on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads on January 29, 2021.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I did for the first 20% until… I didn’t anymore. I think The Bone Maker had a lot going for it in terms of concept and the world/magic system, but the execution just fell pretty short.

As I said, I was really digging the first 20% of the book. I liked how the plot was being set up, I was enjoying the banter between the characters, and overall I was feeling really confident about the rest of the book. Then, it was as if some sort of switch flipped and everything was just either too much or too little, and most of this had to do with Durst’s choices in how she set the tone and world for the story. The banter became irritating in the sense that it no longer felt natural and was often used in situations where it was unnecessary. It seemed like almost every serious or tense moment was broken up by snarky comments or nonchalant humor, making it impossible for me to get into the atmosphere of the book. On top of a lack of atmosphere, I also had a severe lack of an image or sense of the world that Durst was trying to build. The details were pretty minimal, and when they were present a lot of it involved telling instead of showing the reader. World-building is incredibly important when I read a fantasy novel, and it just really wasn’t there in this book, which made it very difficult for me to feel much immersion at all.

The banter and the telling-instead-of-showing aspect of The Bone Maker affected the characters as well as the atmosphere and world. I wanted to like these characters, and I think that they each had decent foundations to their personalities, but there wasn’t much to them beyond that. Most of these characters felt very flat, and the development that did happen didn’t feel natural. Zera was the only character that had any sort of growth that felt like it progressed as the story did.

In terms of plot, everything was very linear and fairly predictable, which by itself is not necessarily a criticism. However, because the plot was so linear, it made it easier to focus on each event, decision, explanation, etc. and notice how thin everything felt. I really wanted to get behind this story, but there were several moments that had me scratching my head. As mentioned in the synopsis, The Bone Maker takes place twenty-five years after our five main characters defeated Eklor and won the war. Twenty-five years is not that long ago, but Durst had characters acting as if it were generations ago and the war was mostly forgotten about. This should have been something still fresh in the minds of at least the people who governed the country of Vos, but people were way too quick to forget about it. Even the motive for the antagonist of this story just didn’t feel entirely fleshed out, although that was a little easier for me to just not think too much about and take at face value.

I think that part of what hurt The Bone Maker a lot was that we don’t have an actual story about the original adventure of the five main characters. We get very vague explanations, but not even full flash-backs or scenes of memories. An entire prequel of the original event may be too redundant, but solid details and scenes from twenty-five years ago would have created a better background for this story and probably helped solidify the plot more.

Aside from the strong first fifth of the book, I was rather disappointed. I can see where this would be a good starting point for anyone completely new to fantasy, as there isn’t anything confusing about different political factions or several characters with their own completely different story-arc, which are typically what readers can find daunting about the genre. But, if you’re someone who reads a lot of epic fantasies, I don’t know if this would be completely engaging for you.

Just fantastic.

There is a dearth of broader published fantasy featuring the After. What happens after we win? What happens after the bad guy is vanquished and peace restored? How to you come back from that? Can a person come back whole and unmarred after the trials of war? How far would you go to regain whatever it was you lost?

Sarah Beth Durst examines the After with such skill that I am still in awe three days later. In a modern publishing cycle where plucky 18yr old's gaining powers and saving the world runs rampant, it was a delight to journey along with skilled adults who have already Done The Thing. People who are confident and savvy, whose learning curves are more introspective than martial. A study in the relationships forged over decades and the love between people that has already been tested, broken and re-forged.

"Getting the band back together" has always been a favorite trope of mine, and The Bone Maker is in great company next to Nicholas Eames' Kings of the Wyld, and Timandra Whitecastle's Queens of the Wyrd on my "You Must Read This" shelf.

The ability Durst displays in navigating these intricate relationships, in allowing cracks to form where one would imagine solidity reigned, is exquisite. The injuries felt and harsh words spoken resound with a clarity and realness that one can see echoed in their day to day life. True friendships are not shattered by a minor insult, but the wound is still felt. Having characters able to address that, work through it, and come out the other side strong in their understanding of one another is so utterly refreshing when cast against the fist clenching, gaze averted, self-doubting one might feel in the early days of an alliance, friendship or romance.

In the well-established, and the re-visited, we see a team just past their prime but not so far gone as to be incapable. Indeed, when the time comes to display their skill they don't hesitate. It's a little like watching the Guardians of the Galaxy at the start of Vol. 2 - everyone knows their part, their place. There is an implicit trust in their teammates that allows for success in the end. It. is. REFRESHING.

The Bone Maker revels in its shared past history of the characters, though never in a manner that falls to shoegazing. Each character seeks independently to be the best version of themselves, to break the monotony and evolve. Though hindered by self-doubt and past mistakes, it is the importance of reflection and recognition that allows Kreya, Zera, Jentt, Marso and Strann to regain their former glory and unite as a stronger team than ever before; it is their life journeys in the After and the In-Between that breed final success.

If you like competent heroes who are just kind of sick of heroing but dangit someone's got to do it, married couples confident in each other, friends knowing that blind trust is the best trust, and lots of re-animated dead, then this is for you.

THE BONE MAKER by Sarah Beth Durst is a story about five heroes who defeated the greatest evil their land has seen and how it affected them 25 years later. Let’s say it didn’t end all in glory and happy endings for them. That alone made me want to read this nook.

THE BONE MAKER was a fun read with an intriguing magic system based on the use of bones and filled with complex characters. It struck a chord with me when I read the first two chapters. Instead of the usual fantasy world-building, Durst started the story with the main protagonist Kreya’s desperate need to accomplish an almost impossible act forbidden by the laws of her society. It was a need and want almost anyone can identify with, and it made me like and root for Kreya instantly. As we are introduced to Kreya’s companions, we learn more about the horrors they faced in the past, how it scarred them, and the trauma they still deal with or don’t deal with. It made them fascinating. I will say the bone wizard Zera stole the spotlight and added humor in the right places to make the story not so dark.

Durst also explores the ideas about power, how it can be a double-edged sword, something that could so easily be tipped to the side of evil even with good intentions. The forgiveness of others and themselves is another theme that made this story even more enjoyable to me.

THE BONE MAKER is a fantastic book with intriguing characters, an exciting and original narrative, and enough twists and turns to satisfy the most demanding of readers.

Thank you so much Sarah for allowing me to read this glorious new novel! I loved it so much. The magic, the world-building, the characters, all of it was so perfect!!!

This book was pretty interesting and it's one that I'm glad that I read, however I didn't find anything about it overly original. The storyline and characters felt familiar and I've read plenty of stories about witches already. I think Sarah Beth Durst's writing is fantastic, though, and I think that's what kept me interested throughout. I think making this a standalone was a great choice, as well. Any addition books and I think it would've stretched the story out farther than my attention could stand.

What happens after the heroes stand triumphant over their foes? Do they just go home and get back to living? These questions, and more, are the subject of The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst. Coming to a world after the big bad has been taken out isn't your standard fantasy fare, and Durst does a great job playing in the world she's created. You can see the scars her protagonists (and antagonists) have suffered due to their actions in the original conflict, and can trace their actions to their pasts. The worldbuilding is just enough to flesh out the setting for the story; it feels like Durst created an entire world and just used a few bits to tell this story (I wonder if we'll ever re-visit?). The magic system is clever and innovative; the characters, while skilled, aren't considered so power as to be gods (especially so long after their initial victory has passed). Some philosophical questions are posed, but the book has fairly clear good and evil sides, so they are quickly answered. All-in-all, The Bone Maker is a great fantasy novel, and worth picking up.

<i>I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The premise of this book is really promising. Kreya is one of several types of practitioners of bone magic, and her particular ability is to use bones to animate objects, enchanting them to do her bidding. Kreya is one of a group of five heroes who saved their people twenty-five years prior through use of their respective varieties bone magic, but their victory came at a price: the death of Kreya's husband Jentt. But in the long decades since his demise and defeating the titular Bone Maker, Kreya has faded into obscurity even as her fellow remaining heroes have gone on with their lives. Tucked away in a mountainside tower, she has learned a dark magic that shouldn't even be possible: how to use her bone magic--and sacrificing minutes, hours, and days of her own lifespan--to bring her husband Jentt back to life for an equivalent amount of time. The problem is, she needs to get her hands on more bones to try and bring him back to life once and for all. In a culture where bone stealers are reviled, her resurrection magic is forbidden, and bodies of the dead are honored with cremation rather than burial, this is a task easier said than done, and Kreya must go calling on her fellow heroes for help, with mixed results.

The premise was good, the conflict was set up swiftly, and the story drew me in quickly. However, Sarah Beth Durst got her start writing in the Young Adult market, and this book felt quite YA to me despite the characters ostensibly being adults. The themes explored here could be great, except that the tone of the entire book is too light, merely skimming the surface, doing an awful lot of telling-not-showing. We are told Kreya has been reviving her husband <spoiler>over and over again for decades, each time giving up a bit of her own lifespan</spoiler> and there should be so much loss and heartache and bittersweetness for the short time they're reunited, and it's just... not explored. The estranged relationship between Kreya and Zera is introduced, then promptly discarded as the two go to lighthearted banter despite life-threatening circumstances. We are told the stakes are high but not shown it, and the characters don't act like it.

Lastly, the writing overall was technically okay, but nothing particularly engrossing to me. Despite arguably being in a particular character's head for a point of view chapter, we really aren't given any idea about the character's own thoughts except for insightful expressions such as <i>Ow</i> and <i>We aren't dead.</i> Sentences were often short with little variety and simple words, and there was little worldbuilding or description of characters or locations. They also call each other "boy" and "girl" casually, which makes me think these characters might originally have been written younger and aged up after the first draft.

I think this is a book with a good premise, and would be well-suited to a Young Adult/New Adult age group or someone looking for a light or quick fantasy read. I'd consider it low fantasy (contrasting to high fantasy) with an interesting magic system and a type of necromancy. In theory The Bone Maker ticked a lot of boxes for me--middle aged protagonists, a not-distinctly-European fantasy setting, female protagonists, washed-up or has-been heroes, a sort of ensemble cast--but it just wasn't my favorite in the end.

A refreshing take on the idea of the Chosen One and how you don’t stop your life after defeating the big bad. Loved seeing older characters still being heroes and finding love at any age.

I found this book interesting and well written. Characters were well developed and writing was cohesive and well thought out. Definitely a book I’ll be recommending to others

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this title. “The Bone Maker” is a standalone fantasy featuring 5 bone wizards with various skills that became heroes after they saved the world. Twenty five years later, the one they thought they defeated returns. From reanimation to constructs made with bones, this novel covers immortality, friendship, romance and morality. Following these 5 heroes through their quest to save the world a second time, you get a taste of a boy band reuniting. Overall, I felt the world building lacked depth, the middle dragged and the ending came too quick. I wasn’t a fan, or maybe I just didn’t understand, the bone magicians and their ability to share power and manipulate the bones.