Reading this books feels like holding a secret, beautiful and rare and deadly. Charm is the emperor's mistress, restrained by a mindlock which controls her psychic powers. With her boneghosts, she runs a brothel that draws the most important men in Borengaurd and offers her some protection from the madness in her past. When the emperor is murdered, however, Charm is offered her freedom once she punishes the killer. Dark, passionate, and lovely, The Bone Orchard is an excellent read and well worth your time.

The Bone Orchard: A Necromantic Political Fantasy That Could Use Some Pruning

Narratively The Bone Orchard, Sara A. Mueller’s debut novel, has great bones: Charm, a necromancer-turned-concubine, is called to the dying Emperor’s bedside to solve his murder. If she can figure out which of his sons (ranging from inept to insane) poisoned him, she’ll earn her freedom. It’s a Gothic fantasy whodunnit led by a charmingly layered woman who makes the unlikeliest of sleuths.

But there’s more. That freedom isn’t metaphorical; Charm is kept in her place by a mindlock, a contraption of crystal and mechanical gears that grinds the brains of Borenguard’s psychics into submission. The Emperor’s realm teems with those touched by a damning gift that more often drives its recipients to madness than improves their lives. And it’s not just Charm who exists in her own head, but also a persona known as the Lady, the true necromancer who occasionally surfaces to create new bodies in which to transplant all of her pesky emotions like Shame and Desire. The kicker? Charm, and the Emperor, and his sons, and various other key players are nigh immortal, thanks to life-extending Rejuv pills. All of these plot elements feel like almost too much flesh heaped upon these bones, threatening to obscure the cunning shape beneath.

Mueller confidently establishes necromancy as some ephemeral power existing somewhere between magic and science, balancing the psychic gift that allows Charm to absorb and expel emotions with the glass and steel of the growth tanks, filled with precious empathy fluid. Necromancy has had a resurrection (heh) within SFF lately thanks to novels like Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth, but Borenguard stands on its own as a setting I would be eager to see more stories in.

The majority of the action, from sussing out potential assassins and collaborators among Borenguard’s most prominent politicians to Charm clashing with her boneghosts, takes place at the eponymous Orchard House. Forcing characters like the anonymous hive mind of mindlocked guards known as Firedrinkers, or the dashing and enigmatic (but underutilized) Major Nathair, to set foot on the grounds of this house of ill repute, with its bones singing like wind chimes in the garden, puts them squarely on Charm’s turf.

It’s also a keen parallel representing how this infamously burbling madam with her outrageously-dyed hair is actually a prisoner: stuck forever in her nineteen-year-old body, yet possessed of the experience and cynicism of a woman in her fifties, empress of her limited domain.

It’s also just a well-worldbuilt setting. In truth, I haven’t seen a fantasy brothel’s socioeconomic foothold within its city given this much consideration since the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series. Orchard House and its boneghosts conduct a very specific business on the second floor, to be sure, but its ground floor is host to weekly card games with political stakes and mouth-watering meals that tempt men away not from their wives, but from their cooks.

Just as the Lady can grow bone on trees and nurture it in vats, Charm cultivates interpersonal dynamics and political alliances among Orchard House’s regulars. Hers is a remarkable soft power that certainly exists in other similar fantasy archetypes, though perhaps not interrogated as thoroughly as it is here. The more time the boneghosts, especially blind Pride and self-actualized Pain, spend outside of Charm’s head, the more they challenge her motivations—a blend of self-reflection and external criticism. Unfortunately, this often leads to tiresome repetition of personal and political revelations, especially as the perspective jumps around with greater frequency. The same goes for the Lady and Charm, as they trade control of their shared body in the space of a heartbeat when confronted with various allies or antagonists.

It’s something of a relief when characters like Pain get to escape Orchard House for errands, briefly expanding the scope to encompass their neighborhood of Lowtown and how it plays into Borenguard’s larger conflicts over the throne and its shaky alliances with neighboring lands such as Devarik (from which the widowed-and-quickly-remarried Empress hails) and Inshil (a long-forgotten homeland for several surprising ex-pats). Yet the subplot involving Borenguard’s approaching war is more of a jumble despite its fascinating root conflict, i.e., the Emperor’s sons feuding over succession while at least one of them succumbs to madness.

The imperial sons’ bloodthirsty tearing apart of their inheritance sets the clock ticking on Charm fulfilling the Emperor’s last command, yet it is less pressing than the drama of Charm’s existential crises about her true place in society as her identity begins both regressing and evolving. Despite two prominent characters being the Empress’ mistress of wardrobe and Charm’s gaudily-dressed personal seamstress, their common trade does not impact the plot as much as expected.

While the book’s political intrigue culminates in a good old-fashioned masquerade ball, it’s a missed opportunity to delve further and earlier into the disguises and layers that women rely upon, regardless of their station, to move through the world.

The Bone Orchard itself is fascinating, the kind of place that makes you forget about the outside world. Depending on how much you can block out the sounds of war and focus on the eerie elegance of the hanging bones, this can be a debut to get lost in.

DNF at 24%. This book was not what I expected it to be, and it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t make it any further without feeling like I was wasting my time.

I’m sure lots of people will enjoy this, but not me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

A sharp fantasy story with a great cast of characters. I loved the mystery, the politics and the strange magic/science of this book and how it pulled me into this world. Definitely one of the more unique stories I've read recently!

This was a good gothic book which is about a witch who is offered freedom by the Emperor is she can solve a murder. This book has a great gothic vibe to it with a good mystery that needs to be solved. I enjoyed the author's writing when it came to the dark, gothic vibe she was giving off. With the world building, I have to say I wish there was more background to it as politics is mixed in so sometimes I was confused. But I enjoyed the setting of the story which was beautifully described and kind of gave me a Bargainer vibe to it. With the pacing. The story starts off slow but it starts to pick up with conflicts beginning to rush in.

The main character in this book is Charm and I have to say that she is a very complex character who had a great character development. But I really wished we had more of her backstory because that would have been amazing. There are many side characters in this book who I enjoyed like Charm's girls who were named Pain, Justice, etc. They were very involved with the story and I just loved how the author wrote their story. There is a small bit of romance but honestly it wasn't the main factor of the story.

The ending was great as the mystery was so good and just kept me on my toes. Not only was the mystery good but the book also gave a message about the mentality of our minds. I also enjoyed the gothic, dark vibe of the book but I just wish the world building was easier and simple to understand. Other than that this book was really amazing and it's hard to compare any book to this one. Let's just say that Katee Robert loved this book so...

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
Standalone
Fantasy (Gothic - Paranormal - Political)
TW: Sexual Assault, Torture, Domestic Abuse, Prostitution, Murder (graphically)

Happy Publication Day to this gem!

Bone-ghosts. Prostitution. Regicide. When you take the main aspects of the story and try to explain it, it does sound like a strange concept. It is whimsically weird and a bit different from fantasy I normally read on the surface but at its heart it's not that strange, if that makes sense.

Charm is forced to run a house of bone-ghost prostitutes (whose names reflect various traits) at the behest of an Emperor. On his death bed the Emperor entrusts Charm to figure out who murdered him. Upon the completion of the task, she will finally be free of the mindlock placed upon her by the Emperor after her imprisonment.

I encourage you when reading this to stick with it. The background of characters, explorations of the magic and worldbuilding are told as the character experiences things or as it becomes relevant instead of the character just asking questions or information dumps. I really appreciate this way of storytelling but often it means we have to wait for answers.

The plot itself explores how an individual person can have a big effect on society itself. It also explores how pain is inevitable but pain also brings character development and empathy and in the absence of pain the traits that you lose.

It was a little too slow in terms of plot progress for my personal taste and oftentimes lacked excitement and therefore my attention would wander.

I’d personally love to see a prequel. I’d like Charm’s backstory and more insight into the development of the bone-ghosts. Overall this was still a solid read

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller, a dying emperor tasks his necromancer concubine, Charm, with solving his murder and disposing of his wretched sons so they cannot seize the crown.

The story takes place in a Victorian-esque era and uses a unique blend of guns, magic, and technology.

As the name implies, the bone orchard grows bones, and Charm uses them to construct “boneghosts”— Frankensteinian beings that are imbued with a fractured part of her personality and memories in order to protect the most innocent part of herself. I thought this was an interesting way to explore trauma à la fantasy, and as confirmed in an interview, the concept of the boneghosts was inspired by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

For me, the creative magic system and the boneghost named Pain, who is able to absorb the pain of others, are the highlights of the story.

However, as intricate as this world is, there are gaps in the worldbuilding and magic system that go unexplained. For instance, it’s unclear why psychics go mad without the intervention of a mindlock, and also while we’re told that Inshil holds psychics sacred, we’re told virtually nothing about their religion. I would have loved to have seen this fleshed out more.

On top of that, the antagonists unfortunately fell flat to me. Except for Luther, all the princes were one-dimensional and mostly yelled bitch over and over again. I get that we’re supposed to hate them, but they could have at least changed up their insults and been given distinct personalities in order to make for more convincing villains.

Gripes aside, The Bone Orchard is a vividly imaginative and gothic murder mystery filled with twisty court intrigue—perfect for dark fantasy lovers.

Thank you, Tor Books, NetGalley, and Sara A. Mueller, for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

*18+ Please check trigger warnings before reading - (necromancy, gore, pedophilia, abuse, sexual abuse, suicide, murder, mind control, experimentation)*

What did I just read?! This dark, unique story was absolutely enthralling. It captured my attention from the very beginning, and I couldn't put it down. Mueller keeps you intrigued with her beautiful writing style and ability to keep you wanting to read "just one more chapter" - even if it is 3am on a weekday. The story mostly falls under the sci-fi and fantasy genres, but its political intrigue, murder mystery plot and suspense is sure to capture the attention of various readers.

A necromancy-practicing witch, Charm, is our main character. Because of her rare abilities, she is conquered and forced under mindlock control by the Emperor. She serves as his mistress, but is granted her position as madam to the Orchard House brothel (which serves mostly wealthy and powerful clientele). Charm utilizes her magical talents by creating bone ghosts, who resemble women and work for her at the brothel. Through her and the bone ghosts' work at the brothel, she gains notoriety and trust of even the most private figures (fire drinkers, politicians, generals) that leads to a complicated companion-type relationship with the Emperor. On his deathbed, the Emperor trusts and tasks Charm with figuring out which of his five, twisted sons poisoned and ultimately murdered him. In this order, he gives Charm the power of determining his successor. If she completes this last mission, he also grants her her freedom from the mind lock and any potential threat of a future master.

The story was nicely paced, but it's important to note that there were a good amount of details that you needed to be awake and pay attention to remember. The foreshadowing helps understand the story later on, especially with the character development (which was amazing). The detailed writing really kept you relating and feeling how the main character experienced each event that unfolded. And the world building was explored as the plot progressed. It was a bit intimidating of a story in the beginning, but once you committed, you don't regret the ride. Amazing, definitely recommend.

From the synopsis this sounds like a fairly normal fantasy-murder mystery hybrid - the emperor summons his mistress to his deathbed and charges her with figuring out which of his sons is responsible for his death. Oh, how wrong you are in assuming it would be “normal”! And honestly, the fact that it’s not what I expected was one of the best parts about this.

Mistress Charm, the madam of Orchard House, is an eccentric woman who wears only black and regularly dyes her hair all shades of the rainbow. She has a garden full of trees which bear fruit of bones that she uses to grow things. Usually small creatures like birds, but when she gathers enough human bones, she grows new girls to staff her house and take away the aspects of herself she can no longer tolerate. She has boneghost girls named Justice, Desire, Shame, Pain, and Pride. Even Charm herself is only a façade for the one they call the Lady. Charm’s duty is to bear the mindlock - the magical device the emperor implanted in her temple to prevent her magic from driving her mad. It also grants the emperor an unparalleled degree of control over any who bear the mindlock, and forcefully going against the commands can kill a mage who fights it too hard. When the emperor set this final task to Charm, he made it so that once it was complete Charm would be free.

This is truly an impressive debut novel, if for nothing other than the sheer volume of PLOT. It’s a symphony of plot lines and the execution is beautiful. Charm is managing Orchard House, solving the murder of the emperor, staying alive as she defends herself and her girls from two of the more sadistic princes, and meddling in politics. Of all the boneghosts, Pain is the most autonomous and regularly runs errands away from Orchard House and she has a strong connection to the Firedrinkers - the mindlocked police force within the city of Borenguard. Pain’s connection to the Firedrinkers is both unusual and imminently important, as they never let anyone see their faces or know their former identities but she knows who they are. Charm and Pain are the two most prominent characters, but there are numerous others who make essential appearances. There are politicians hoping to overthrow the princes, the princes themselves (who are all monstrous in their own ways), the empress… you get it - so many essential characters to keep track of! Pain was probably my favorite because I loved her determination to be her own person and her intimate connection to the Firedrinkers (particularly Captain Oram). Charm was obviously a close second and I appreciated that she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and do whatever it took to survive, even if that meant becoming the mistress of the man who destroyed her home country.

The world itself is not incredibly well fleshed out since this is almost entirely located within the city of Borenguard, but as the story goes along we get more details about Charm’s home country Inshil. I don’t feel that the lack of detail about the other locations mentioned detracted in any way. In fact, I think too much detail would have been confusing and unnecessary. This is all about character and plot! And oh, how I enjoyed it!

Overall, this was a weird and wonderful book that defied my initial expectations in the very best of ways. I didn’t even begin to get into the story in all of what I’ve written here because it’s so detailed. The short of it is that I’ll be thinking about this book for quite some time to come and I absolutely cannot wait to see what Sara Mueller has in store for future novels!

Honestly conflicted with the rating for this one. I found it to such a unique story with amazing detail and scenery. However for half the book I was entirely confused as to what was happening. I think there were just too many characters for me to wrap my mind around.

Thank you to netgalley for this earc in exchange for an honest review

Charm is a witch, and a prisoner. The last of a line of conquered necromantic witches, Charm is confined to Orchard House and its yard of regrown bone trees. She tends to the trees and their clattering fruit for the sake of her children, painstakingly grown and regrown with its fruit: Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain.

Charm is also a mistress, and a madam. The wealthy and powerful of Borenguard come to her house to buy time with girls who aren't real. Except on Tuesdays, which is when the Emperor himself lays claim to Charm. But when the Emperor summons her to his deathbed and charges her with identifying his murderer and choosing which of his odious and disloyal sons will inherit the throne, Charm suddenly becomes the only person holding the empire together. However, complying with the emperor's wishes means betraying the ghosts of past and present that live on within her heart. Ultimately, Charm must choose between her dead Emperor’s will or the whispers of her own ghosts. Between justice for the empire that enslaved her or revenge.

The Bone Orchard is a haunting novel that brilliantly combines elements of the fantasy, sci-fi and mystery genres. The writing is incredibly atmospheric and lyrical, and it has a page turning plot with several different twists and turns. Our main character, Charm, is deliciously complex, and the book spends a significant amount of time exploring Charm's own trauma through themes about power, colonialism, patriarchy, and survival. Personally, I think The Bone Orchard strikes the perfect balance between plot advancement and character development.

This novel won't be for everyone, but I ended up loving it.

A complex story that surprised me by the end, but I honestly wish there was more. Content warnings: sexual assault (off page), pedophilia (off page), self-harm/suicide, mental health, domestic abuse (on page), non-consensual sex (off page). Thanks Tor Books for a gifted copy of this book.

The Bone Orchard definitely teetered between good and really good, but it felt short of great for me. For all intents and purposes, this was a good story. I loved the complexity of it, the multiple dynamics at play, the big reveals, and the world that the author created. There's a lot going on and a lot to keep up with and you're intrigued by it all, but the ending disappointed me and components of the story made it difficult for me to really enjoy it.

The good parts: the bone orchard and Charm! Honestly, this was the most fascinating part of the whole story. I loved learning about the psychics of this world, the insanity they face as they grow older, the mindlocks, and how Charm was able to divvy up the worst parts of herself into clones. The clones themselves all had their faults, their inaccuracies, but their separate minds made me intrigued. I loved the dynamic between Charm and the Lady as well and finding out bits and pieces of her past and how she became a mistress at a brothel definitely kept me going. It would have been interesting to read more about why she decided to make these clones.

I also loved this conversation of moral vs. immoral. Charm and Lady were always arguing with each other on what a woman "should" be. From owning the brothel to creating the split personalities, there was a lot of conversation around this and it was so interesting. Who holds the moral high ground between these two women? That's something interesting to explore throughout the story.

While I found the mystery behind the Emperor's death to be interesting, this was also combined with a political storyline. And for the most part, I like political intrigue in my fantasy, but I wasn't feeling it for this one. I felt like there was already too many things going on while we find the Emperor's murderer and understanding the boneghosts and Charm's past, so then having political upheaval, rebellious lower classes, and people trying to overthrow the government was a little heavy handed for one book. I think it also didn't work because it felt like such a throwaway.

The other thing I wasn't a huge fan of was how clunky it felt. While the world was super interesting to dive into, a lot of what you figure out is through inference. Even when they revealed the big reveal, I was lost as to how they came to that conclusion. I think another part that really frustrated me were the conclusions these characters were coming to without telling the reader. I understand how bits and pieces can come together and the protagonist will have that "ah ha!" moment, but it's not fun when the reader doesn't come to the same conclusion at the same time. When you finally understand why the person who killed the Emperor did what they did, it makes complete sense. It's just a tough time getting to that point.

Overall, it was an intriguing story to start, but many of the components made it tougher to reach the end.

What an utterly fascinating book this was.
I continue to be a sucker for pretty much any book with bones in the title or on the cover and The Bone Orchard ticked both of those boxes. But nothing could have prepared me for the world I was about to be immersed in. A world of mystery, intrigue and the struggle to stay afloat when everything feels like too much all at once.
Our main character Charm was exactly what I wanted, I am perhaps not the best person to speak to this but I felt like the representation of Charm (and the other Bone Ghosts) as sex workers was handled sensitively, though the characters do face scorn from some members of society this is not a 'let us save them from this' plotline which I appreciated.
That being said this book definitely does not shy away from the darker elements and I would absolutely urge readers to look up some content warnings before picking this book up. I think that those darker moments are important in the scheme of the book - it isn't brutal for brutality's sake - but you'll know where your tolerance is for these things.
I think it would be spoiling some elements to get into the themes I loved within the story, because so many aspects of this story are best discovered within the pages. Suffice to say if you're interested in a story about personhood and emotion there are elements of those things here.
I would absolutely recommend reading this book if you're feeling up to some of the darker elements. It's got a light touch to the worldbuilding which walks that difficult line between mystique and confusion but overall I had a great reading experience and definitely found that there were points where I could not put the book down.
I'll be keeping an eye out for more books from Sara A Mueller in the future - who I can see is going to be an author to watch!
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

I felt really conflicted bout this one. The premise is there. It had a ton of promise and necromancy is always an interesting concept. I struggled a little with the pedophilia - which is shunned as well in the book though I’m not sure what exactly it added other than showing how vile a certain character is. To be fair, the spirit of the bone ghost isn’t a child, just the body was created and looked like a 12 year old, but I don’t know. It gave me the ick.
On top of that, I feel like none of the characters, other than maybe one, are very distinct from each other. I know that’s part of the point, but then the author puts in effort to make them a bit different and I’m not sure I saw the pay off.
However, it was an interesting story. I think with a little work, it could be exceptional.

The Bone Orchard is a debut gothic/horror sci-fantasy/mystery by Sara A. Mueller. The eBook version is 336 pages.

Charm is many things: a mistress, a madam, a necromantic witch, and a psychic with a mind lock. The Emperor, who controls his psychic population with mind locks--forcing them to do his bidding--is dying. His mistress, Charm, is invited to the palace for the first time and he commands her to solve his murder. She must ensure that whomever is responsible for his death will not take control of the empire. If she completes this task, she will finally be free.

The worldbuilding in this book is amazing, and the court politics are quite interesting. I loved the idea of growing bones in an orchard and using them to create flesh-beings known as boneghosts. A certain medication described in this book reminded me a lot of something from Jupiter Ascending.

A good amount of this book is about processing various traumas inflicted on women and more specifically sex workers. This book goes to very dark places, so please check out my content warnings below.

CW: death, murder, mind control, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual assault (off page), sexual abuse of minor (off page), domestic violence (on page), suicide and suicidal ideation, gore, body horror, mental illness

Requested solely on the cover, stayed for the unique story. This was extremely confusing at times and I had to go back and reread just to get stuff straight, but once it got flowing, it just didn't stop. I loved the Gothic sci-fi kind of vibe this gives off. One of the most weirdly crafter stories I've read

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is my favorite read of 2022 so far! The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller is an absolutely amazing adult fantasy debut. The story revolves around Charm, the proprietress of Orchard House, a whorehouse for the Emperor, noblemen, and soldiers. She rents out her boneghosts, girls who have died but who she has given new bodies to. But Charm is not just a madam. The dying Emperor has tasked her with finding his murderer. Will Charm be able to navigate court intrigue and dangerous magic in order to succeed in her task?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1, which introduces us to Charm:

"The night breeze off the sea riffled through the bone orchard, playing softly in the ghastly white fruits, making the solid ones clatter while the long bones chimed and fluted. The trees were as foreign to Borenguard as their owner, Charm. She sat in the solarium with the windows open to the mellow night, going over her books. A soothing rhythm of touch, tally, and check, set to the uneven music of her bones.
...
Charm, a creature of neither taste nor rank, had not forgotten. She wore no colors save black, yet she colored her hair every tasteless shade available. There seemed little reason beyond amusement for the Emperor to put up with his conquest’s futile rebellions of color and her turning Orchard House into a gentleman’s club. There seemed even less reason for his continued interest in private Tuesdays at Orchard House, since Mistress Charm was fully a foot too short and her curves far too pronounced for Borenguard’s ideal of beauty."

Overall, The Bone Orchard is a wonderfully original blend of fantasy and science fiction. It will appeal to fans of First Sister, Crescent City, or the Monstress graphic novels. One highlight of this book is the amazing world-building and original magic system. I absolutely love books like this that take us to a new, unique world. The author didn't inf0-dump at the beginning either.

For example, I wasn't entirely sure what the boneghosts were at the beginning, but I understood and followed the plotline well enough to be drawn into the book, and I gradually understood everything that I was confused about. Another highlight of this book is how dark it is. This is definitely adult fantasy, not YA, and if you need them, read the content warnings before starting. If you're intrigued by the excerpt, or if you're a fan of adult fantasy books in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in March!

I wanted to love this, I really did. But I just couldn't get into it. I honestly only got in a few chapters before I had to call it quits. Everything was confusing and I had no way of understanding the world and is rules before being thrown in the middle of the story. I might try again done other day, but I think it needs more editing to clarify the story. I would probably try reading something else of the authors down the line because I think she has potential.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sara A. Mueller, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an eARC of this novel. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own and given here freely.

First off, check the content warnings for this one because there are a lot of things to watch out for in this dark and twisty novel. It’s an insanely unique combination of sci-fi/fantasy/gothic/horror all tied together with intricate layers of political intrigue. It’s not quite like anything I’ve ever read, which has its advantages and drawbacks. While I was interested in all the various unique concepts floating around, I found myself wishing they’d been tied together in a stronger way.

So at the very beginning of the novel we learn that Pain is the only one of the boneghosts that leaves Orchard House regularly. This sets up a narrative that it more tell than show because the characters are extremely limited by where they can and cannot go. It is difficult to solve a mystery if you require all of the murder suspects to come to you. Almost all the clues to put everything together is brought to Charm by other characters. Pain does go out and about on errands to collect information, but much of it is brought to Charm.

This limitation in setting made certain sections of this really drag. While I like political intrigue and weird hybrid stories, I still want characters that can really take charge of the situation more than passively waiting for the story to come to them because they can’t leave their home. When action comes to the house it can be quite entertaining, but word wars over brandy and cards is not the most interesting version of political intrigue or storytelling in general in my opinion.

In terms of the story, there is very little I can give away without ruining some aspect of it for future readers. Charm herself has many facets and is an interesting character, but we never get her full background, and the details we do get are a bit fractured. Pain and Oram, together, are without a doubt my favorite characters. I would have loved more of the two of them together and less of… everything else. The “magic” system based off of kinesis powers was interesting, but not really well explained at any point, it is a learn as you go affair. If you want your magic systems laid bare, this is not going to be the book for you.

However, if you are a vibe reader, you may love this. If you’re into weird and creepy vibes, like the cover, you will probably enjoy the heck out of this. Bordellos with bone trees, the smell of cigars and brandy, dresses with too many layers… if those sorts of things sound like your vibe, this might be right up your alley. The blend of science and magic is sort of reminiscent of Frankenstein and gives off those vibes a bit as well.

Overall, I know that I sound quite negative with all my critiques, but this is a solid debut book. There are a lot of promising things: the unique world and characters, the genre mash-up, the layered politics, but it is hard for me to lavish praise on it when most of the story we’re also trapped in the Orchard House with Charm and the boneghosts. I understand it to a certain extent, but it does make for more telling than showing. I would be happy to check out another book by Mueller in the future and I think a lot of readers that love weird and creepy vibes are really going to love this.

CW: Necromancy, Murder, Violence, Non-Consensual Sex/Rape (Off Page), Pedophilia (Off Page), Blood, Poisoning, Death of a Character, Military Violence, Infection of a Wound

First, this cover! I love it!

This one is such a different story - dark and uniquely twisted featuring sci-fi, fantasy and maybe what could even be a little horror and toss in some political drama.

Mistress Charm, runs the brothel, but she is also held by a mindlock and is that special someone to the Emperor. On his deathbed he charges her with figuring out which of his sons murdered him. He leaves her in charge of determining who will replace him, this is her last mission and then she is free, or is she? Her main concern is for her workers, her boneghosts; not quite human but not quite anything else either.

I really wasn't sure about this one in the beginning but I ended up liking it. There were things that I would have liked to see done differently. I appreciate some of the narrative here and the plot was intriguing however, I felt it lacked consistent quality.

I feel like any details would giveaway things and I don't like to spoil. I went in this one blind and I think everyone else would benefit from that as well. So I'll leave this warning: necromancy, pedophilia, abuse, sexual abuse, suicide, murder, mind control, experimentation (some are only mentions and some are on page).

Thank you to Tor Books, NetGalley, and Sara A. Mueller for the advanced review copy.