Finally catching up on my galleys after illness kept me away.

Rated:3

I have solidly mixed feelings about this book, hence the 3 star rating. Premise? Amazing. Follow through? Not quite there. I loved the concept of this novel but I feel some things were lacking in the storytelling. In particular I would have loved more explanation as to what was going on with the characters/their powers.

The plot line was solid, and the body horror scenes were intense if a bit detached. I feel like the ending was intentionally left open for sequel options and the like, so I can’t be too upset there.

Bone Weaver (𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂) — 4 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: September 20th, 2022

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Unaware of the civil war and cultural unrest in the Kosa empire, Toma lives a fairly isolated life in the wilderness with her adoptive (yet undead) family, but when her sister is kidnapped, she joins Tsar Mikhail on a journey to rescue her. Along the way, Vanya joins the crew, and he brings all the humor and sass. As the journey continues, Toma starts having memories of her past, including memories of her birth parents, and she starts realizes the truth about herself and her upbringing.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: I’ve been looking forward to this book all year, and I enjoyed the Russian and Slavic inspirations. It gave me Shadow and Bone vibes but still felt like it’s own unique story. I’m glad I read the book on my Kindle because I needed to look up several words. Most were types of mythical creatures including monsters and folklore, which makes it a perfect read for the spooky season!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
✨ YA Fantasy
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Rep
🤩 Addicting Read
🥾 Adventurous
👻 Spooky and Creepy
🔺 Love Triangle

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
💎 You’re sentimental and keep memorable treasures
😈 You enjoy books with ALL the monsters
🪡 You’re a talented seamstress
🎁 You prefer gift-giving over receiving gifts
🙈 You’re a little naive

𝐓𝐖: violence, blood, gore, death, racism, religious persecution, murder

Thank you, NetGalley and Inkyard Press, for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Toma was orphaned as a child, a young girl finds her wandering in an endless forest. Together they are adopted by a kindly couple, and make a home together in the ruins of a long forgotten village. To Toma, her family is full of love and comfort, to but to others that are no more than remorseless monsters incapable of feelings or thoughts.

Then one day, everything changes. A young man falls from the sky, fleeing would be assassins. Toma saves his life, only to have the assassins return and steal away her undead sister. Toma decides to leave behind everything she knows and leaves with the runaway to attempt a rescue. Along the way they meet up with another with an equally dire situation, and together they track across the country.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read this ARC!


Content Warning: death (including that of a child), murder, violence, racism, religious persecution, misogyny.


Seventeen-year-old Toma lives in the wilderness of the vast Kosa empire. Although the empire is turning in on itself, in the midst of a deadly revolution, Toma is unaware of the political tensions and ongoing civil war, having not been amongst other humans in years. Suddenly, the unrest is brought to Toma and her adoptive upyri family's doorstep with the crashing of an airship, holding only two passengers -- and one of them is Tsar Mikhail himself. Forced by disaster into a mission of her own, Toma accompanies Mikhail on his journey to destroy Koschei, the leader of the anti-Tsarist revolutionaries, picking up another straggler, Vanya, on their way. As the trio grows closer, Toma will be forced to confront her past and, even more frighteningly, her future -- and all three of them will learn that true monsters don't wear their wickedness on the outside.

Finally, a book from my list of most highly anticipated 2022 reads that didn't disappoint! Bone Weaver is everything I could ask for in a Russian and Slavic inspired fantasy, replete with folklore and monsters, all while addressing the proletariat revolution and the faults of its fantasy empire.

To start off, this book is simply full of monsters. Something that often bothers me when I pick up a fantasy book is that while it proclaims to have pages full of monsters and folklore, they seem little more than window-dressing. That's never the case in Bone Weaver: there are rusalki, mavki, upyri, and more, all written about with an admiration for their haunting, sometimes frightening, beauty. It's obvious from the first page that Polydoros loves writing about these creatures, and although this obviously deals with much more mature subject matter, it reminded me a bit of reading The Spiderwick Chronicles -- and what more could I ask for then that?

As for the characters, all of them are lovable, even when they are not nice or friendly or on their best behavior. Toma, of course, is my favorite, and she operates as the kind of heroine that is naive but not obnoxious (which is hard to do; instead, her naivete feels endearing). Her companions, Mikhail and Vanya, are equally wonderful, although I will say that it took me a while to warm up to Mikhail. Perhaps it's because I'm a bit biased, but I wasn't sure that I would buy into his rehabilitation, into the narrative that he will truly fight for change in his empire. By the end, however, I greatly enjoyed Mikhail's character, and even ended up rooting for him (which took me by surprise). He still wasn't quite on the level of Toma or Vanya for me, but nonetheless, I think that Polydoros did an incredible job crafting every single character we encounter on the page.

The worldbuilding has real depth to it. One of my favorite things in fantasy books is that feeling you get that, just beyond the page, there's a whole world out there -- real and fully fleshed out -- that we've yet to see. I never, ever say this, but I almost wish that Bone Weaver had been the first in a series. It feels as if there's so much more to explore, even with regards to Toma's background, for example, or Vanya's. My only real complaint about this book is that it simplifies the revolution, and in turn, simplifies its (amazing) villain. However, this is YA fantasy, so I don't mind it being boiled down to basics -- and that isn't to say that there isn't complexity or nuance in this book because there's plenty.

Highly, highly recommended. This is, without a doubt, the best Russian and Slavic inspired fantasy I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

I think I’ve read all of this author’s books, and I can always count on incredible world-building. His previous novel, The City Beautiful, is set in Chicago during the World’s Fair and features a Jewish main character possessed by a dybbuk. The setting of Bone Weaver is very similar to Imperial Russia, and its monsters come from Slavic folklore.

Toma remembers little from her early life, other than her mother’s death after telling her to run. She does know they were running from someone, and it was extremely important that she not lose her mother’s rushnyk (an embroidered tapestry), which seems to have some magical properties. Fortunately, Toma was taken in by a family of upyri (undead, but they’re nice). When her six-year-old upyri sister (her age when she died) is captured by soldiers, Toma travels across a war-ravaged continent to find her. Along the way she teams up with Vanya, who possesses magical powers, and Mikhail, the dethroned tsar whose magic was stolen. It’s an adjustment for Toma as her home is very secluded, and she hasn’t lived among humans for many years.

Vanya is a prankster at times, but he’s also outraged at how commoners are treated. Those who possess magic are branded as witches and killed since magic should only belong to the elite. While trying to regain his throne, Mikhail has the rare opportunity to experience the reality of what’s going on in his country and vows to change things. With very different personalities, Mikhail and Vanya tend to clash at times, and I especially enjoyed their banter.

Soldiers aren’t their only threat. These three encounter dangerous creatures at nearly every turn and have to fight for their lives more than once. Learning about Slavic folklore was both enthralling and horrifying. Once a person is killed in this world, there’s a chance they may return as upyri. To prevent that, they’re dismembered, their body parts scattered, and their mouths filled with dirt and moss. Not all upyri are like Toma’s family – some are prone to feasting on flesh.

This story deals with difficult topics of war and religious and cultural persecution. But it also features strong found family vibes, friendships, and discovering where you belong. This is a quote from the book that struck a chord with me. “And wherever you go from here, always remember – all that you love will return to you.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a beautiful tale woven painstakingly together with Russian myth and legend. Toma has lived in the woods for years. Her family consists of those that other deem monsters, but to her they are more her family then the one she was born into. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect them and make sure that they all stay safe together. So, when a mysterious young man causes her sister to be kidnapped Toma knows that she will follow the kidnappers to the end of the earth if it means that she is able to bring her sister back home safe. Along the way Toma learns that the world is not quite what she remembered it to be, and that she has powers she never expected. Can Toma figure out where she best fits in the world, and will she be able to change the fates design?
This is really an inspired book. I will say that sometimes the different mystical creatures encountered in this text were confusing, but Russian mythology is not one that I know a lot about. I love books that explore their cultures mythology. I think that it is so important for kids to be exposed to all the different cultures and their beliefs. Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. It is very slow at parts, but I am excited to see what Toma encounters next.
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I want to preface this by saying I loved The City Beautiful so I had high expectations.

Bone Weaver is an interesting fantasy story, albeit confusing at some points. It has a cool magic element to it and the creature building was really fun!

However, I found it to be very slow and not very engaging until almost half way through the book. Aden writes a lovely fantasy, but I found this to lack the elements of what I loved in The City Beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros releases September 20, 2022!

BONE WEAVER by Aden Polydoros is a beautifully detailed and sometimes gruesome fantasy based in Eastern European history and folklore. At its heart, it's Toma's story of reconnecting to the wider world after years of isolation with only her upyri, essentially walking dead, family. She discovers both the beauty of human connection and the horrors that humans inflict upon one another for opposing ideologies, as well as her place among it all. Her arc is nicely tied into her physical journey from her isolated home to the heart of the battle between imperialists and revolutionaries. The mythological aspects and historical aspects of the story are also nicely woven together to feel cohesive and grounded. I appreciate how the micro-level, or human, story is the central narrative, whereas the political war remains more of a backdrop yet still affects the main characters in major ways. It's a well-balanced narrative, though some readers, like myself, might need to reference the handy glossary with relative frequency. BONE WEAVER is a great read, particularly for lovers of fantasy and/or Eastern European, Russian, and Slavic history and myth.

With Magic woven throughout the story with the intent, delicacy, and precision of a tapestry you see so many magical moments, some subtle and some so powerful you find yourself questioning who's really in control, who's good and who's just plain evil.

Bone Weaver is a Seemless blending of folk lore and imagination that will awaken your senses and your mind to a tale that takes you through this intense world like you're right there experiencing all of the ups and downs with Toma, Mikhail, and everyone that makes this book so special.

These Characters will take you through a lifetime of emotion in the course of the story and never lets you down while in a setting that will bring tears to your eyes with its beauty and sincerity.

This book is wonderfully written, well thought out and has a voice and uniqueness all its own.

This is a solid 4.5 book for me.

Bone Weaver is dark political horror story. It's not tagged as a horror but I would consider this a horror novel, it has lots of graphic details and is very violent. Toma is being raised raised by benevolent spirts while a war wages around her. She meets Vanya who is ousted by their town and Tsar who was recently dethroned. Bone Weaver is a unique story but the politics and world building got heavy and confusing with the magic twisted in. I loved the horror themes to this story and thought the plot was unique enough to keep me invested.

Bone Weaver is the atmospheric tale of a young necromancer and the two boys she meets on her journey to save her sister. It has a whole host of creepy creatures that are all ready to take a bite out of anyone they can get their hands on, as well as some friendly monsters that are just misunderstood. This book combined the power elements of Shadow & Bone with sentient undead to make a unique world based on Russian/Slavic folklore.

Now, while Bone Weaver did have some unique elements, unfortunately, it didn't start off on a strong note. Why? Because I didn't know the protagonist, Toma, was a girl until 10% into the book. (I hadn't read the synopsis since I requested the book months ago.) I was so disoriented when it was finally revealed. That's the issue with first-person POV, it's hard to establish the main character outside of their thoughts. Toma is kind of a necromancer, but not. She weaves thread that helps put her dead family members—who are kind of like sentient zombies called upyr—back together when they start falling apart. When Toma's sister is taken, she meets two boys on her journey to rescue the little upyr. One is a serious prince, Mikhail, and the other is a not-so-serious commoner, Vanya.

I know what you're thinking, a love triangle is about to happen. But actually... no. This storyline had the potential to be a TRUE LOVE TRIANGLE. Meaning there's attraction between all three characters. Sadly, the relationships don't really go anywhere over the course of the story (so if you're reading it for the romance, you might want to bow out), but it was refreshing to see a love triangle done right, nonetheless. Unfortunately, the characters weren't as developed as they could've been, either. They lacked depth and were just kind of... there... in my opinion. I felt no connection to them.

As for the plot of the book, it was pretty straightforward and easy to follow until the worldbuilding got involved. Every time a fight scene was explained that involved some sort of political situation or the various locations or creatures were mentioned my brain just could not follow. During one particular mid-book fight scene, I had no idea why certain characters were doing certain things. Why were the townspeople fighting? What were their motivations? Why did the main characters get involved? It just wasn't very clear, even though it had kind of been discussed by the protagonists. Some descriptive element of scenes like this one were just missing somewhere. Until the ending, that is. Towards the end, things got a little better, but by that point, the book was over.

All in all, the political factions and random creature name drops made this a hard book to wrap my head around for quite some time. Bone Weaver had potential as a series. However, I'm not sure if it has a sequel coming out or if it's a standalone. The ending to this one was left pretty open, since not a lot was truly settled. I would say try Bone Weaver out if you're looking for something a bit creepier and different in your YA fantasy stories, but be wary of that potentially unsatisfactory finale.

3 stars

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

I love the world-building of this book. It definitely sets itself apart by being inspired by Russian and Slavic culture. I love the turn of the century/steampunk vibe with dirigibles and trains and guns and the inclusion of mythical creatures and magic. I love the idea that maybe the monsters aren’t what you think they are and the real monsters are the humans causing violence and destruction instead.

Both the world-building and characters have a lot of depth to them. I love each of the journeys of main characters and how things tie together. The banter between them is also fun. The ending suggests there is more to their stories and while I don’t think this book needs a sequel, I wouldn’t mind reading about what happens next in this world. There is a lot of potential here.

My only issue is that the middle meanders a bit. The beginning has the right amount of excitement to get the story going, but things slow down in the middle. I don’t think this is a long book, but it feels long while reading. I found myself just wanting to hurry and get to the end. I realize that what the characters face in the story is important for their journeys, but it just seemed to take forever for them to get to where they needed to be. And they’re constantly being captured and escaping, captured and escaping, which gets repetitive after a while. And Toma also gets knocked out a lot, enough that I started noticing it.

But overall, this book was mesmerizing and intriguing. The world-building is so well-down, the characters well-developed. This book would appeal to fans of the Grisha books and A Far Wilder Magic.

Bone Weaver is prefaced by a "Letter from the Author" in which Polydoros explains that he wanted to create a fantasy world inspired by Imperial Russia that reflected the true diversity and strife found within the empire. (In contrast to other Russian-inspired fantasies that present a mostly homogenous world.) I am here to say, “Mission accomplished.”

The world Polydoros builds here is richly detailed and feels viscerally real. The tensions and divisions that exist within this society are fully developed, and Toma, our stubborn, steadfast heroine, makes for the perfect vessel through which to explore them.

Orphaned at a young age and scarred by her traumatic past–to the extent that most of her early memories are repressed or distorted–Toma has been surviving in the wilderness alongside a found family of “upyri,” or revenants–dead who came back. Indeed, Toma’s world is populated by any number of spirits and folkloric monsters who were once living people but came back as something else after they died. The casual existence of these creatures and the ever present danger they pose adds to the overall uniqueness and lived-in feeling of the setting

Toma exhibits a great ability to heal and bind together that which would otherwise fall apart. When the arrival of another living person leads Toma to leave the isolation of her desolate home, this skill is put to the test in more ways than one and may just be the key to mending her country.

This is not a fast paced book, but I would not call it slow so much as steady. An air of melancholy hangs over the pages as both the story and the characters press ever onward. There are bad things happening everywhere. And yet our heroes fight to find the good, to preserve what hope remains and repair all that has been damaged.

All in all, an atmospheric and well-crafted tale.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

A girl raised by zombies? Fascinating!

The politics of the story were confusing, but to be fair, they are for the main character Toma as well. I think I got it figured out by the end. If it would have been clearer this might have been a five-star read for me. What hooked me was the exploration of loving something/someone that seems unlovable, like the Undead.

I loved this first-person, dark fantasy set in a Russia-like setting. Great for readers of The Bone Houses and Shadow and Bone.

3.5 stars

Toma has been living separated from the turmoil currently happening in the Kosa empire. As civil war wages on, the empire is on the edge of being torn apart. She lives in the outskirts with her family of the undead. At least, she did. Until she meets Vanya, an accused witch, and Mikhail, the dethroned Tsar.

The three band together to help Mikhail to restore his magic and hopefully take back his throne. And hopefully find Toma’s sister as well. But in order to defeat the revolutionary leader, Koschei, Toma will have to dig deep in order to discover her own power. If she can’t find her power in time, the entire empire will be at the mercy of Koschei.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced copy of Bone Weaver to review! Polydoros’ debut, The City Beautiful, was a top read for me last year, so I was excited to dig into this new fantasy. There is a lot to like about this fantasy/horror combo!

If you like your fantasy with a lot of world building, this is definitely the book for you. Polydoros based a lot of the mythology in this book on Slavic mythology. Especially religious and cultural unrest, which definitely comes through the story. I found myself looking up some of the monsters and things included in the book, and I learned a lot! Honestly, I can’t think of a lot of YA books that are based in this kind of mythology.

That being said, there were moments in time where the story itself felt a bit dragged down by the amount of world building there was. It almost felt Tolkien-esque, in a way? In that there tended to be a lot of description about things, which isn’t always a bad thing. Just not necessarily my cup of tea.

Despite this, the characters were well developed, and the different uses of magic were interesting and well done. It’s definitely a dark horror/fantasy, so I would keep that in mind when reading!

All in all, this is going to make a great book to have on any fall TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, rounded up.

This is a tough one for me. I really did enjoy this book, but it also left me wanting a little more. I’m hoping there will be a sequel, because I have a lot of questions that I would love to see answered.

The Slavic folklore influences were a highlight- I love learning about cultures’ folklore and belief systems, and this is one I don’t see too often in books.

The plot itself was fun, but I would have loved to see the characters and their relationships to each other a little more fleshed out.

Content warning: on-page murder and violence, decapitation, gun violence, body horror, off-page dismemberment, reference to the mutilation of corpses, religious and ethnic persecution, death of a parent (off-page)

Toma lives in the wilderness with her benevolent upyri parents and younger sister. A dirigible erupts near their home, where the found family nurses a boy back to help. He turns out to Mikhail, the tsar who is on the run from violent revolutionaries. The two run off to find Toma’s sister, Galina, stolen by enemies, and pick up a snarky boy witch on the way.

With layered world-building that examines monstrosity and otherness with an endearing cast, this one is a must-read for fans of historically-grounded Slavic dark fantasy.

I might be somewhat biased because I am Slavic myself, but the way folklore and mythology weave throughout the tapestry of this novel is so cool. It’s unequivocal that this is a fantasy world and the levels of familiarity with that magic felt so organic to me. For example, some people see the rusalki as monsters. Others see them as beings not to mess with. Sometimes resurrections and necromancy just happen like any other natural phenomenon, or it’s guided by a magician’s hand. And this kind of nuance extends to all aspects within the world. It’s an empire teetering on the edge of revolution, with the scars of past wars and conflicts still very raw. The shadow hanging over every new location feels immersive and makes the world seem much larger and older than this one adventure of a girl seeking her sister while crossing a continent in conflict.

Though the aesthetics, world conflict, technology, and class structure clearly draw from early twentieth century Russian history, this is not a Romanovs book. While Mikhail might be the tsar on the run, he’s fully aware of his privilege, power, and role among the characters he interacts with and meets. His character arc is probably my favorite. He starts off as an emotional-injured boy who would love nothing more than to run. As he sees what conflict and inequality are doing to his country, he slowly learns that he cannot run away, but he can try to make things better between the nobility and everyone else. The book doesn’t end with a happily-ever-after as that conflict goes, but there is the promise of rebuilding and work to be done. There is also the acknowledgement that just because he survives this story, it doesn’t mean he’s healed. But there is healing to come well past the last page.

That being said, the happily ever after coupled with a mysterious past and present belongs to Toma. Specifics are avoided because spoilers. But what I can say is I loved how Polydoros strikes a balance between love of family and love of friends, with both carrying equal weight. This book does embrace its darker themes and moments, but treats them with the proper reverence, especially when the characters themselves wallow in gallows humor to keep themselves going.

When it comes to the queer representation, I found the solidarity among all the characters so refreshing. The world isn’t necessarily queernorm, but queerness is not at all the reason our characters are on the run (the mention of paternal rejections stems more from unreasonable expectations rather than homophobia). They have other problems, like a tribunal, rebels, monsters, and more. Talking more specifically with regard to how the relationships play out would spoil the end game couple, but I really enjoyed the camaraderie, banter, and bickering among Vanya, Toma, and Mikhail.

I’m going to be thinking about this story and its cast for a long time.

Anything Aden Polydoros writes is an instant 5 star read from me. The City Beautiful was one of my favourite reads of the year and I was absolutely delighted to get to read Bone Weaver early, especially as I love books inspired by Slavic folklore.

Aden has such an incredible ability to craft such well rounded stories. His characters absolutely jump off the page— everything from their motivations to their feelings is so fleshed out it is almost painful to leave their mind when the story ends. Toma in the Bone Weaver was no different. From the first page, her love for her family, willingness to help others and pure tenacity was evident. I really enjoyed spending 400+ pages in her head.

While I think this has a lot of elements of a strong character development story, the strength really lies in the plot. Bone Weaver tells the story of Toma, a girl searching for her stolen, undead sister, Mikhail, a displaced boy-Tsar, and Vanya, a magic wielder with too much charm for his own good. They set off to find Toma’s sister and kill Koschei along the way, with the hopes of reinstating Mikhail in the process. Combining elements of Russian history with a spooky vein of Slavic folklore (especially with supernatural creatures), the plot is fast paced and absolutely gripping. I was truly on the edge of my seat for the entire read.

My only complaint is that I was really hoping for a romantic vein like in The City Beautiful. Mikhail and Vanya had so much chemistry and there was so much potential for romance between them, but alas! Even so, I adored the Bone Weaver and will happily pick up anything Aden Polydoros writes in the future.

4.5/5

I really enjoyed the City Beautiful and was very excited to read Aden Polydoros’s next book! I really liked the fantasy aspect here. Polydoros has a way with fantasy systems that is just so interesting to read. I enjoyed this and will be recommending it to all who are looking for some fresh new fantasy.

When Toma’s sister is kidnapped, she embarks on a cross-empire rescue mission to save her. Toma crosses paths with Mikhail, the overthrown Tsar, and Vanya, a commoner with suspect powers. They join forces to bring an end to the evil Koschei’s bloody regime.

I always love a good historical fantasy set in Russia. The Bone Weaver, however, gave us a delightfully different perspective on the Russian Revolution. Many fantasy novels drawing inspiration from the Russian Revolution focus on the European part of Russia. The Bone Weaver, instead, draws inspiration from the religious and ethnic diversity across the Russian empire. With this model, Aden Polydoros has crafting an enchanting (if not mildly gruesome) tale about identify, found family, and belonging. I fell in love with the friendship between Toma, Vanya, and Mikhail.

I particularly liked Toma. Many times in YA, we see “strong female characters” as women who have mastered historically “masculine” skills, such as fighting and swordplay. In Toma’s case, her magic comes from stitching embroidery in a style native to her mother’s heritage—it is literally life-saving at certain points in the novel. Toma is an amazing, strong female character. She is loyal and perseverant, and her stitching (a traditionally “feminine” skill) only adds to her resourcefulness.

I was only disappointed that Vanya and Toma ended up together romantically. I didn’t necessarily believe their romance. Vanya had much more chemistry with Mikhail, and that would’ve made for a much more compelling romance.

This book was definitely still a fun read. I recommend this for anyone who has an interest in slavic culture and Russian history, or anyone who loves a good Zombie story!