I really like the cover and title a lot. I honestly would buy this book just from the cover. I am also a sucker for a book with culture and dark fantasy so this idea immediately drew me in. The fact that Chloe Gong liked too was a huge plus.

I wanted so terribly to like this book. It had all good aspects: new world to build, ability to create unique characters, touch of romance, sense of family. However, I felt the author fell shy of being able to make it all come together. It is a story of an orphaned girl who remembers little of her parents during a civil war that is modeled after eastern European, Russian history and folklore. She has lived with adopted parents that are of the undead who had a young daughter also now of the undead. She has a belted embordered scarf that we learn was from her mother and gives her some magically powers that are slowly (and I do mean slowly) fleshed out over the book. I felt the story moved very slow and lost caring about the characters. The main arc is the little undead sister being kidnapped and the MC with the current overthrown Czar by her side seeking her return. It lacked action and sometimes you spent 50 words describing the look of a dead body. not grotesquely but the color of hair, the turn of a cuff, a torn pantleg, etc. Editing could have been better in these parts. The ending is rushed and then rather predictable.

Received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and its publisher <3

Could not finish unfortunately. I just couldn't get in to it and continue reading so I had to quit. I think I will try again as the premise sounds so interesting to me. I think the quote, "Right person, wrong time" fits this book the most for me.

For some reason, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I genuine thought that this book was going to be about dark fantasy read with a bit of morbid topics such as death or bones. Instead it's more about high fantasy politics. I wasn't fan of it. I truly wanted more fantasy than the politics aspect in this book.

The characters were relatable and realistic and likable. The plot was okay, but some of the things that happened felt unnecessary.

Bone Weaver is set in a fantasy Eastern Europe where we meet Toma, and her undead family. When her sister is kidnapped by the military, she joins forces with two young men, her life changes forever. The rules of this fantasy world were a little hard to follow, and the characters felt a little underdeveloped. While I’ve loved two of Aden Polydoros’s other books, this just didn’t do it for me.

Polydoros writes fantastic books of rage and revenge. I absolutely loved this book about a girl raised by the dead, It was twisty and turny and kept me engaged the whole way through.

I enjoyed Polydoros' worldbuilding and the queer and Jewish threads woven throughout, but (and this is definitely a me thing, not a failing of BONE WEAVER) I kept waiting for the plot to go one step further, one step deeper. I wanted Toma and her powers to be explored more than they were (what they were, where they came from, what their limits were), same with Vanya, and Mikhail.

The plot doesn't move at a fast pace, so this will take patience for teen readers to stick with it, but I can see this being really popular with the adults that read YA crowd.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. If you know me, you know I love historical fantasy and Aden Polydoros not only gives such amazing fantasy stories, they’re woven with so much history and historical inspiration. I’m always left wanting to learn more about the time and inspiration behind the story.

I would definitely read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros is a haunting dark fantasy with excellent worldbuilding and a captivating blend of imperial Russian history and Slavic folklore. The book explores political and religious conflict in a compelling manner, but the characters felt flat and the dialogue was sometimes wooden. Despite these flaws, the unique concept, original magic system, and immersive setting make it an enjoyable read for fans of atmospheric fantasies.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I gave this a four out five stars, I really enjoyed this book. I totally recommend it, I love the found family trope. I want to read more by this author. May be trigger warning for loss of parents in this so keep that in mind.

I absolutely loved the concept of magic in Bone Weaver. The characters and the plot were also enjoyable, but the magic system was what really stuck out to me. It was highly original, and I especially liked the inclusion of Slavic folklore which I don’t come across often in fantasy novels.

Very much a story of hardship and strength in the face of adversity, although - without spoilers - I did feel the stakes were somewhat lowered after certain events took place and was therefore somewhat less invested.

However, I loved the characters, the folklore, and the magic, so I did overall enjoy Bone Weaver a lot, and will probably read more from this author in the future.

Aden Polydoros's Bone Weaver was a wonderful exploration of Slavic and Jewish mythology. As someone coming from both a Ukrainian and Jewish background, it was a captivating experience to immerse myself in this world. I adore fantasy explorations and re-imaginings of cultural mythologies, so this was very fun to read. I would loved following Toma's journey, and would love to see what happens next. Thank you to Aden Polydoros and NetGalley for the ARC, and apologies for this late review!

Aden's prose leaps off the page and really grabs you in this story. I was a huge fan after reading The City Beautiful and this story also didn't disappoint.

2.5 stars but rounding up to 3

No matter how much lore, myth & monster this book had, which was fresh and new to me, it couldn't save it from the longest, slowest and most drawn-out story.

4.5 stars

I really hope the author writes more books in this world, and with these characters. This was really a masterfully crafted world and story. The characters were unique and richly written, the world was amazing, and the way you experience it all through Toma's eyes as she finds out that all she believed to be true is not was so well done.

Toma lives in the forest with her adopted family of basically undead people but they act just like normal people. Her entire live is flipped upside down when her younger sister is kidnapped after rescuing someone from a crashed airship. The chaos and adventure that ensues kept me turning the pages of this book long into the night.

This is my first book from this author and I will definitely be picking up more from them in the future and keeping my eye out and fingers crossed for more of this story.

4/5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I liked this book! Some of the pacing felt off sometimes, ranging from a little too fast to way too slow and no in-between, however, and it felt kind of anticlimactic in some places. Other times, IT HIT ME WITH A WAVE OF EMOTIONS I DIDN'T KNOW IT COULD GET OUT OF ME. I like how romance was such a subplot, but also showed the characters embracing their sexualities and identities all the while. It focused on other kinds of relationships--sibling, found family, platonic--and that was what this book needed, not romance. The found family trope is one of my favorites and it had me sobbing by the end.

I wish some of the creatures were explained a little bit more in the beginning, and that glossary would've been way more helpful in the beginning, but otherwise, this book had a good plot, great characters and character dynamics, and really showed the tragedies of religious war, religious violence, and the long-lasting impact that war has on a place and people.

I couldn’t believe all the world building in this one. Love that this had Slavic folklore. I’d recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros follows Toma. She is a live human who has been adopted by two undead humans. When her adoptive sister—who is also undead—gets abducted by those who wish to experiment on her, Toma discovers that she may have her own magical powers. The empire is on the verge of revolution, but Toma was unaware in the wilderness of her home before she had to venture outside to rescue her sister. When Tsar Mikhail washes up not far from her home, she helps heal him. Along with Mikhail, they cross paths with Vanya, a commoner who has been labeled a witch. These three together will be the key to taking down Koschei, the leader of the revolution. He must be destroyed if Mikhail is to get his magical powers back. But what it really comes down to is Toma, who must embrace her powers and learn to use them to their full extent.

This haunting political fantasy is world building galore. I really liked how much everything was fleshed out so thoroughly. This is a great dark fantasy.