Book Review for The Bone Way

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I think the best way to describe this lovely little novella is: An Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, but with sapphic, cottagecore witches. I mean, what else could you want??

The story of Teagan and Cressidae is told in a mix of cozy flashbacks (from Teagan’s youth, to their meeting in the city, to their wedding night) and the tense scenes of Teagan’s journey through the Bone Way. Before the start of the book, Teagan is attacked by a monster and is lethally poisoned. With no cure, Teagan and Cressidae consider making a bargain with the Princess of the Shadow Realm, but Teagan refuses to risk Cressidae’s life. Unwilling to let the chance slip by, Cressidae steals away in the middle of the night to make the bargain herself. But Teagan knows how treacherous both the journey and the princess are, so she follows her wife into the Shadow realm with the hopes of bringing Cressidae back safely...

Their world is a lush, queer normative, cottage core world, that I so badly want to visit. But as beautiful as the surface realm is, the Shadow Realm is just as haunting and eerie. Both sides were fascinating to read.

I found The Bone Way to be a wonderful little novella that I would happily recommend to anyone queer or with a love of queer stories. It’s sweet and lovely and tense and adventurous and all of the good stuff. I can’t wait to see what Underhill decides to write next!

PS - All the props to the cover artist, because the cover art is absolutely STUNNING!!

CW: Blood & some violence

*Thank you Nyx Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC*

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was looking forward to this book a lot but unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. I think it just wasn’t the right book for me. The amount of flashbacks weren’t something I personally enjoyed and it took away from me wanting to read it. I think someone who likes to read books with a lot of flashbacks would like this book a lot more than I did!

I had high expectations for this sapphic retelling of Eurydice and Orpheus set in a queernorm world. I'm weak for beautiful covers and stories where lovers will do anything for each other, but ultimately this story ended up being quite underwhelming. I believe it has a lot of potential, but I had a few problems with the organization.

This story follows Teagan, a dying witch, who goes after her missing wife Cressidae to the Shadow Realm (it's time to d-d-d-duel), ruled by the Shadow Princess. Cress hopes to make a deal with her to save Teagan's life, but the road to her palace is not an easy one, and only the bravest and most cunning can reach her and get back out again. I liked the detail put not only into the Road of Silence and its trials but also the world outside of it, where magic and invention coexist. I probably could have read a full-length book set in Wystira.

However, the way this information was shared was quite odd. The Bone Way has a lot, and I mean a LOT of flashbacks, asides, and little stories inside it alongside Teagan's journey, but so much so that it detracted from Teagan's current storyline. There were also some odd choices for organization; for example, Teagan fights one of the shadow creatures during a trial, and the next section was an excerpt explaining it from Cress's journal. It would have been more impactful to have that before the encounter. I also feel like things about the Shadow Princess, like her story and the poem about the different parts of the Road of Silence, could have been incorporated differently to have less breaks from Teagan's journey. Having it as a prologue or working it into backstory with her mother could be some suggestions.

There were also, finally, some odd sentences and phrasing that took me out, such as "she missed her mom something fierce" which felt at odds with the previous tone. I also really appreciated the representation of a nonbinary side character (?) at Tay and Cress's wedding, but the way they were presented was a little bit strange.

All of this combined with the writing being very simplistic and not having a lot of depth to it made for an overall meh experience. However, I did love the imaginative world and Teagan and Cress's relationship, and I am definitely looking forward to more of this author's work.

❧ 2.5★

This is a quick read about two women who will do anything for each other. I loved this glimpse into their lives, and wish for more stories about the shadow princess and the goddess. Of course, if Teagan and Cress are in those stories too I certainly wouldn't complain!

The only complaint I could possibly make about this book is it left me wanting more. More backstory, more side stories, more shadow stories to give the overall arc some depth.

The Bone Way is a lesbian retelling of the Orpheus myth, and it’s now one of my favorite novellas. Teagan and Cress have such a great relationship, and I loved the history behind the Shadow Princess and her kingdom. However, I really wish this would have been a full-length novel. There’s a lot to explore in this world, as well as Teagan and Cress’ past, and I wish that it had been twice as long.

This novella had such potential to be amazing— I mean a sapphic retelling of the story of Eurydice and Orpheus!! Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations.

This story wasn’t bad per say but I do think it had some pacing issues. I didn’t see the need for any of the flashbacks— they never really added anything to the story. Some of them, I think should have been placed elsewhere in the story. For example, at one point, they get attacked by a creature and the next chapter is a flashback about them learning about that same creature. If that flashback had been before the chapter, it would have flowed better.

I also think due to the flashbacks, it kept taking me out of the present storyline and really dimmed my enjoyment and connection with our main character.

Overall, this wasn’t terrible! I liked Teagan and Cress’ relationship and their love and drive to do whatever they could to protect and save one another. I’d definitely check out more work by this author in the future!

2/5 ⭐️

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

"Past the Bone Way,
Where the dead rest hungry
Through the Sky of Lost Dreams
Where souls wander forevermore
Down the River of Sorrow,
Where water drowns the mind
Up the desolate Mountain,
Where monsters roam the halls
To the deathly palace
Where the Shadow Princess waits within."

Taegan has a perilous journey ahead of her. It is one she was reluctant to make but now her wife, Cressidae, has set out on it ahead of her, leaving her forced to hurry on behind. The journey ends as she entered Shadow Princess' castle and, hopefully, Taegen can plead for her life there. The issue is that but no one has seen the Shadow Princess for generations. At least, none who have returned and lived to tell the tale. It may well be more than one life that Taegan now has to bargain for.

This was a very clever and unique retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. I have not read the original but am well versed with its story. The morals and harrowing outcome of the original infused this retelling with an extra melancholic air, which was further fuelled by its juxtaposition to the purity of the characters.

Teagan and Cressidea's relationship was such a sweet and innocent one. I wanted longer to get to know the two women as individuals, as well as witnessing more scenes of their life together. Their love was one that brought a silly smile to my face after even the scantest of descriptions.

The only negative comment I have to make about this book, overall, is that it was far too short for the story it contained and it was not just the characters that I desired more from.

Their journey involved a number of trials set in each of the Shadow Princess' realms. I could have spent a book's length in each one, so vivid was their construction and so intriguing was all that occurred there. Underhill left me feeling haunted after every harrowing encounter and showed a real knack for imbuing a gloomy and Gothic atmosphere within such a short number of pages.

I'm very excited to see what other worlds this author can conjure with her words. This book has already made me an eager fan and ensured I am willing to read anything and everything with the Underhill name to it.

In this novella we follow Teagan as she goes into the Shadow Realm to find her wife, Cressidea. Teagan herself is almost dying because of a poisonous creature's attack. Cress went to the Shadow Realm to try and save her. It's a beautiful story of love and how it prevails above all else

I absolutely adored the romance! They really do love each other and you can easily tell that. This is a pretty quick and easy read. It's still very enjoyable despite it's shortness.

This was written very well, a balanced mix of present day events and flashbacks. The flashbacks were very cute and I would've loved to see more of Teagan's and Cress's everyday life.

My only "complaint" is that this could've been longer and fleshed out more. This isn't unusual with novellas. There are a few places where I wished we could've gotten more details.

Overall, I definitely recommend to anyone who wants a short, sapphic, fantasy read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Nyx Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nyx Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story is supposed to be a re-telling of Eurydice and Orpheus, however, it did not feel like it. I suppose it is more of an imagining of the Greek Myth or more of the myth's formula put into a different setting. I saw another reviewer on Goodreads talking about how this novella could be translated into a Ghibli film and after reading it I could not agree more. It is a quite quick read (it is a novella after all) and it is simplistic. I really liked the "I love my wife with every fibre of my body" trope this piece exudes. However, I did not really feel any emotional connection with the characters and I was not the biggest fan of how the ending was so quickly resolved.

3.5 stars. My favorite part of this book was by far the cover. The contents weren't awful, even enjoyable, but not outstanding.
I think the length of this book caused a lot of the problems that I had with it. There just wasn't enough time to connect with the characters or fully explore the magic, story, and relationship. I actually really liked the plot and world; however, everything felt rushed, I couldn't fully appreciate either, and they overshadowed the characters. Additionally, the author throws the reader right into the middle of the story. While there are flashbacks, there isn't any exposition, which didn't work very well, in my opinion. You know you're supposed to care about Teagan and Cress, but you don't get any time with them before they're suddenly in mortal danger, and it doesn't make you feel anything.
Also, the Shadow Princess was such a pushover, and I absolutely could not believe that she would just let them go for literally no reason. I did like her and almost wished the story was about her instead, but her actions were so out of character compared to everything we know about her.
<spoiler>The ending was pretty unbelievable, especially since this is an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, but whatever. While I was rooting for Teagan and Cress, I think it would've worked a lot better if it ended in tragedy. </spoiler>
Overall, it wasn't bad, but I think the author has room to grow in their writing.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way impacted my opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Nyx Publishing.

The Bone Way is a loose retelling of the Orpheus / Eurydice myth. A short, sweet read exploring themes of grief and the lengths the characters will go to in order to ensure the safety of those they love. It follows Teagan as she pursues her wife Cressidae into the Shadow Realm after she goes missing, in an attempt to bring both of them safely back home. It isn’t a smooth journey by any means, but it was an enjoyable one.

I very much enjoyed the sweet sapphic relationship at the heart of this story. I like seeing established relationships in stories and this was no exception. The love between Teagan and Cressidae felt very real and I was rooting for them. They’re very much an opposites attract pair, with Teagan providing a calmer nature to counter Cress’s more fiery temper.

It was a fairly quick read – I finished it in a couple of hours – and not too stressful. Perfect for if you want something a little lighter between books or to ease the tension of something darker. If anything, I thought it was a little too short. Some parts would have benefitted from being fleshed out a little, but I think that comes with it being a novella and might be more down to my personal taste.

Overall, a very enjoyable read.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it was a lovely surprise to discover that ut's actually secondary-world fantasy - for some reason I'd gotten the impression it would be set in our world.

Unfortunately, I found the writing style very clunky and even cringe-worthy in places - it sometimes felt like a younger child was trying to tell me a story rather than an adult writer. The vibe created by the prose often didn't match the tone of the scene, so scary moments really didn't feel scary, etc. On the flipside, the dialogue felt strangely formal and stilted most of the time.

I think some of the problems actually came from its short length; if the book had been longer and the story allowed to take its time, it might have worked better. As it is though, it was majorly disappointing.

I absolutely devoured this novella in a few hours, and I've never felt so content after reading something short. As a fan of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, I was beyond excited to see a f/f reimagining of their story. I read the blurb and saw the cover and just knew I had to have this story in my life, and I really wasn't let down. It was well written, but also had writing that was easy to digest -- even during scenes that were less fun to read. Going in, I knew I was leaving with my heart broken.

Unfortunately, I had to knock a star off what is an almost perfect story. I felt that details were wither withheld or just went over my head, and I would've loved to see so much more of the history, even in such a short book. The motives of the villain were never quite revealed, her intentions a mystery even upon completion. It does leave her present in my mind, but it's also a thing I feel could have been added in. But this is my only complaint for the whole thing.

I'm a simple girl; you tell me it's a quick and easy novella following an Orpheus-and Eurydice-inspired quest Teagan embarks on to save her wife, I inhale it in practically no time at all. Because it's a novella, it's not particularly complex, and things tend to resolve fairly quickly and simply, but it made it easily digestible and took only a couple sittings to breeze through it. Sometimes, you're just in the mood for a simple, sapphic, atmospheric quest that feels like it could be a short animated movie (complete with a little cottage full of plants, freshly baked bread, and cats), and this is the perfect read for it!

Every novella I read leaves me with the need for more. 'The Bone Way' tried to pack so many things in its 100 pages, it couldn't satisfy me in any of those. From the main characters personal struggles like grief, the worldbuilding, romance, action and the characters: it was all rather clunky. I didn't feel any chemistry between the women and had the feeling the relationship to Teagan's mother was way more present in the story.
Overall it read very young, which didn't fit the dark and sometimes gruesome parts, but made the novella a very quick read. The Bone Way was also quite interesting to read about and I liked it as a Orpheus and Eurydice retelling.

I always struggle to rate novellas because there's so little to judge but i enjoyed that one, it's no a bad book at all. It wasn't what I expecting as it not actually a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice but inspired by it only.
The worldbuilding was enough for a novella, there was enough to answer most questions. I liked their relationship and that drama was not in between of them but the two were fighting together to be stronger.
The pacing was really quick, we could feel it was a novella and what I"m disappointed with is the final fight being so quick and a let down.

I would still recommend that book, it was a nice read I enjoy

The Bone Way delivers as a breezy fantasy romance, though a few issues prevent it from meeting its full potential. The novella, which can easily be read in a day, tells the tale of Teagan, who follows after her wife, Cress, to the Shadow Realm in search of a cure for Teagan's magical illness. For such a short book, Underhill provides ample character development and relationship growth between Teagan and Cress, and it's certainly a breath of fresh air to see a happy sapphic romance where no one dies and a main cast of characters made up exclusively of women (the only man is mentioned in passing in a story told by one character to another).

However, at certain points the writing delves into "telling" rather than "showing," and while I understand that any fantasy book is going to need a bit of exposition, it goes overboard at times; common uses of contractions like "it'd" read a bit strangely as well. Also, this may be nitpicking but I'm really not sure as to why the book is called The Bone Way - "the bone way" is just one part of the journey from the mortal realm to the Shadow Realm, and though it is the site of the final confrontation between the leads and the villain, I can't discern any major thematic significance of this location in the Shadow Realm in particular.

Overall, The Bone Way could be stronger, but as is it's a cute, light fantasy read.

I was excited to read this book, but sadly i got disappointed. It wasn’t a bad read, but I personally didn’t really enjoy it:/
It feels like you got put right in the middle of a story and i actually checked if i wasn’t accidentally reading a second book without knowing. However, it’s a standalone.
I didnt like how the story was constructed and it was very rushed.
I also couldn’t connect to the characters. At least, the relationship was cute and i liked the different kind of monsters.
(thank u netgalley for the e-arc!)

Thank you to Nyx Publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill is a reimagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. (If you’re looking for a strict retelling of the story, this story is not a direct translation of the myth.) This story follows the journey of Teagan and her quest to the Shadow Realm to find her wife, Cressidae. The main character’s journey is lush with descriptions of the Shadow Realm and the hiccups along the way as she faces the horrors that cross her path. The story is an endearing sapphic tale, showcasing what the two strong women will do to have love prevail.

This novella, though short and totaling only a bit over one hundred pages, checked a lot of very important boxes for me. The descriptions of the environment fully transport you right into the journey with the main character. There were parts of the story that truly enchanted me with how lush the descriptions were. As a reader, being able to immerse yourself in the environment is important, as the story itself loses its charm if there is nothing there to support it. It wasn’t too dialogue heavy, but at the same time, the story didn’t rely solely on descriptions, either. The balance made it feel as if the story had a very natural flow and kept me wanting to pick up the book to continue to read.

While the story was somewhat straightforward as it was a short novella, the enchanting telling of that story itself made the story charming. There were parts of the story that allowed the reader to get a glimpse of flashbacks to add to the emotions and build up of certain events, which created a very lighthearted atmosphere at some points. As I continued to read these flashbacks, I often was hoping for more of these moments. With such a short novella, it is understandable that there was not, as the story needed to continue to progress.

The build up to the villain felt fulfilling, though a bit underwhelming as I started to finish the story. Granted, there was not much time to build up and then get a detailed resolution, so for what it was, I was happy with it. Every piece of the story felt as if it had purpose, which made the novella flow nicely. There weren’t many scenes that felt wasted to me, as each moment was pivotal to how the book would flow and would eventually resolve.

Overall, I enjoyed The Bone Way, and I would definitely recommend this to any of my friends that are interested in a reimagining of this type of myth or any fantasy lovers alike. The relationships between the characters, the descriptions, and the whimsical environment were absolutely lovely and well developed despite the short length. I definitely will be keeping my eye out for more stories by Holly J. Underhill, and I hope to see more stories like this in the future!

If you’re interested in The Bone Way, it releases June 26th, 2021! I highly recommend this to any and all of my friends and I hope you all give this lovely story a chance.