The only negative part that comes with reading this ya fantasy book was the fact that I have to wait forever for the sequel. I loved all of the characters and how the twists kept coming. It had the signature Alex Bracken feel to it but was completely different to Lore which I read and loved a few years ago.

Read if you like:
Enemies/rivals to lovers
Great world-building
Curses, magic, and Realm travelling
Arthurian/Welsh mythology
Complex characters
…betrayal

That’s really all you have to know. It’s definitely a book worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Bracken writes some fantastically cool YA fantasy stories, so when I saw she had a new series coming out I jumped all over that! Silver in the Bone is the first book in a new series where people with magical talent, known as Hollowers, search out ancient artifacts straight out of legend. Sometimes they take on paid jobs to find the artifacts or they may just seek out the artifact themselves with the intention to sell it or use it themselves.
Tamsin Lark may live in the secretive world of the Hollowers, but she was merely adopted and doesn’t even have the most basic Sight abilities. Even as a child she felt excluded when her adoptive brother Cabell could unravel curses with his abilities and she was constantly left behind. Their guardian disappeared years ago after retrieving King Arthur’s dagger and the two have been eking out a living ever since. As Cabell’s curse grows stronger, Tamsin decides to pursue the same item their guardian was after when he disappeared - a ring said to break any curse. This hunt brings Tamsin into a reluctant alliance with Emrys Dye, the son of the Boston Hollower guild leader, who she has hated for years just because he had everything she wanted.
While this book really dumps you right into this strange and magical world, the how, what, and why of things become apparent relatively quickly. The Hollowers live alongside those who can’t see the magical world, but interact with sorceresses and other magical folk for their work. They themselves are typically known as Cunningfolk, which are those with a particular ability. In order to travel the world for their artifact hunting they use portals that can whisk them to any location they have in mind, though if it’s a “Vein” made by a sorceress it needs a particular key and is often boobytrapped.
Tamsin and Emrys’s hunt starts in the mortal world, but they end up traveling to Avalon, the Otherworld where King Arthur lies preserved by ancient magic. While the story was interesting before this jump to a new land, the action and excitement (along with my investment) really picked up upon crossing to Avalon. Instead of a beautiful land full of peace and light they find a mist shrouded land full of flesh-rending monsters and a bare scrap of land where people survive.
I won’t spoil anymore of the plot (just know I’ve given you the bare bones of it), so let’s move on to more exciting things. Tamsin is a fantastically fatalistic character who intentionally makes herself hard to like. Despite this, I thought she was great if rather prickly most of the time because well, she’s had a lifetime of good reasons to be this way. Emrys almost immediately proves himself to be deeper than the impression that Tamsin has always held of him. Cabell is also a pretty morbid character because he’s been under the weight of his curse for so long and it only gets worse. He fears harming his sister and those around him, but also acts out. Mind you, these characters are all older teenagers who’ve been taking care of themselves for the last seven years. And then there’s Neve, a bubbly, odd young sorceress who also wants the ring that Tamsin is after so she accompanies them.
This was actually a really wonderful book and after the initial disorienting dunking into the world I really loved it. I’ve had a streak of wins with young adult books this year which is both unusual and pleasant. The emotional moments were quite impactful and there was a great display of young people beginning to speak about their feelings and communicating in a healthier way. And let me just say, the ending was spectacular and has left me adrift because now I have to wait at least a year for the sequel! The final lines left so many questions and really changed the dynamic!

I can see where people might enjoy this book, however I did not. Immediately at the start it felt like it was simultaneously an info dump and made more confusing than it needed to be. If you want a YA Arthurian legend book, just go for Legendborn. That being said, I was not a huge fan of Bracken’s writing in Lore. I enjoyed that book enough to finish, but I also have a personal connection to greek mythology. This was a DNF at 67%. I wanted to like it because I truly did enjoy Lore, but was never a fan of the writing. The writing here was similar, but I think that because of me not having a great interest in the subject matter, it was harder to read. I will not be reviewing this book on my social medias because this doesn’t fall to my target audience and I try not to review DNFs unless they’re truly just bad. This was not a bad book, just not the book for me.

This was such a great start to what I think is going to be an insanely interesting and clever series. I have always been intrigued by the old Arthurian legends and the fact that we get thrown into that world and it isn't the bright and glorious thing one would expect, grabbed my attention even more. The ending had me crying, screaming, CONFUSED, and desperate for more!

I really wanted to like this book. I love Arthurian legends and was excited to have a book that incorporates them. But I really didn't feel a connection to the characters or the story in this book, and I feel that the use of the Arthurian story was both rather simplistic and also as an easy way to get the worldbuilding in the book. Honestly, there was very little reason that this story had to include Arthur and Avalon. It could have been its own invented story and would have worked just as well.

The main character is extremely pessimistic and has trust issues. That's not surprising given how she's grown up, but it does make for a difficult read, to be in that point of view for the entire story. And although I get it from a narrative point of view, the character finally starts to trust and then is betrayed, further emphasizing that she should remain distrustful and pessimistic. Yes, this is the start of a series, so character development can stretch over multiple books, but I'd like to see at least some growth that happens rather than having the character pretty much be the same at the beginning and at the end, just with some new circumstances.

Also, the ending of the book was quite jarring compared to how the book started. Basically, the stakes don't seem all that high, mostly personal for this group of characters. But something happens at the end (avoiding spoilers) that raises the stakes significantly, to the point where it feels like I switched over to another story because it just didn't seem to fit with the first part of the book. Also, I feel that the death of a certain character was emotional manipulation, trying to get the reader to care/cry at the end of the book and thus perhaps feel that the book has provided an emotional journey.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, but it feels almost too much. But it's not enough for me to want to continue reading this series.

As a huge fan of Lore, I was thrilled to get access to an eARC of this (thank you NetGalley)! I really enjoyed her newest book and really hope we hear about book 2 soon. Although I did have a hard time jumping into the first half of the book, the Arthurian-mythology, action and characters made this a solid read for me!

Let me just say that I am BLOWN AWAY and screaming crying dying for the second book ASAP. Literal tears were falling down my cheeks in rage and misery by the end of this book (I may have gotten a wee bit attached to a character or two… whoops). And maybe I’m being dramatic, but I certainly adored this book.

“No matter what they say, or how much they lie to themselves, people don’t want the truth.”

Sometimes I read books and don’t like them, and I know that it’s a me problem because I’m in the wrong mood, but this was the complete opposite! It was exactly what I needed at the right time – a new and fascinating fantasy book, with interesting world-building but a basis of old and well-known Camelot tales, strong and unique characters, and a lil enemies-to-lovers banter to make me giggle and kick my feet.

You cannot – and I mean CANNOT – convince me that Emrys wasn’t whipped for Tamsin this entire book. He was W H I P P E D . And I loved it, because their banter was top level, and his adorable obsession with Tamsin was beyond fun to read about. Also, understandable Emrys, because Tamsin was freaking cool. She could be a little on the nose sometimes, but I loved her growth and stubborn personality, and her love for her brother just solidified my appreciation of her.

“‘It’ll be all right, lass… this once, give his care to another.’
No. That wasn’t right. Cabell was mine to protect. He had been, as long as I could remember.”

I really didn’t enjoy “Lore” by Alexandra Bracken back when I read it, but this book was honestly superb, so now I’m considering rereading that and seeing if it was a me problem last time… not sure yet, but let me certainly recommend “Silver in the Bone” to everyone – whether you’ve enjoyed her previous works or not – because it was brilliant. I need the next book stat – what was that cliffhanger!!

Thank you so much to the author for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review, and the publisher and NetGalley for contacting me about an ARC for this book! Highly recommended!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Children's Publisher for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

Alexandra Bracken swooped me into a dangerous world of hollowers that seek to find ancient relics of Arthurian legends to sell for high prices and show off. I fell in love with the world and the characters, especially Tamsin who is stubborn hearted and is not afraid to tell others she only looks out for herself and brother Cabell. My love for Arthur legends helped me love this book more, as we are taken on journeys and multiple tales of legends of Avalon, the birth place of Arthur, and most of all the Servant's Prize. It was fast pace from the beginning to the end, and some unexpected twists that came up leaving me clutching to each page as I read the next and next seeing what would happen. Moments my heart broke and I wish I could just stab someone for Tamsin, and also moments I was shouting at Tamsin to just trust others. This is my favourite book of Alexandra Bracken, and she has just reopened my childhood love for all things Arthur and Robin Hood legends. Can't wait for book 2, as book 1 was epic.

This book was fine.

I know that's not an exciting way to start a review, but the book was equally as exciting to me. I was really obsessed with Arthurian legends when I was a teenager, so I was super excited to read this. Perhaps my excitement was part of my let down.

Tamsin Lark and her caboodle of friends and frenemies go on a mission to uncover a magic ring, but each with their own motivations, creating a great amount of tension and surprises throughout the book. The story began with almost a heist-like feel, but that kind of fell away as the story went on. Still, Bracken spins a well-thought out novel of magic, myth, and betrayal.

If I look at the book objectively, it had great characters with strong development, along with a well-balanced blend of action scenes and plot-building. Sadly, it just was not for me. The story had a hard time keeping me engaged. That is not to say that the book wasn't well written, or that I don't recommend it, because I do. Perhaps you will like it better than I did.

Silver in the Bone is a solid YA novel set in the present day but revolving around King Arthur mythology. Tamsin Lark is a Hollower, a treasure hunter for magical artifacts. Years after the disappearance of her father figure, Tamsin sets out to find the Ring of Dispel, a ring from Arthurian legend which she hopes will break her brother’s curse. But she’s not the only one hunting the ring, and as the search becomes more cutthroat, she and her companions delve deeper into Arthurian lore—and find that not all is well in Avalon.

Tamsin is kind of a jerk. This really bothered me at the beginning of the book, but when I could see a character arc forming and knew that her prickliness was a deliberate choice based on her backstory, I felt a little more sympathetic toward her.

The pacing of this book isn’t perfect; it lags a bit in the middle. A sizable portion of the book revolves around a mystery, but I felt it was too easy to figure out. Where Bracken really shines, though, is her riveting action scenes that feel almost cinematic. The climax and ending of her book are fabulous with some plot twists and a bold ending where Bracken pulls no punches. The ending bumped my rating from 3.5 up to 4 stars. I’ll likely read the sequel when it comes out, as this one ends on a cliffhanger and I’m so curious to see where it will go. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the DRC.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this! There’s only so many ways that you can write a King Arthur story and Alexandra Bracken does it fantastically. It was a dark and spooky, a new twist on an old tale. Part mystery, part adventure I had a hard time putting it down.

Tamsin was such a good lead character, I connected to her right away with her pessimism and anger and the need to push people away before they can leave you. She's strong and touch but not without her flaws.

That ending! I was shocked at the way this ended. So many twists that I didn’t see coming! I have so many questions that need to get answered… Nash? Emrys? Cabell? What happened and why? I can’t wait for the second book! I hope we don’t have to wait to long for it!

I have loved Alexandra Bracken's work since The Darkest Minds trilogy and I was so excited to pick up the first book in this new epic fantasy series. Tamsin is a lovable main character to follow and you cannot help but root for her. I loved that this book is steeped in Arthurian legend with the found family trope and classic fantasy feel. This was truly such a fun read and I cannot wait for Book 2.

Silver in the Bone is the fantastic new tale from Alexandra Bracken. I love her writing, so I was so excited when I saw she was writing a book that involved Arthurian legends.

Silver in the Bone follows Tamsin Lark, a mortal without magic, who is determined to save her cursed brother. After their guardian disappeared, Tamsin and Cabell were forced to take odd and dangerous magical jobs to survive. When Tamsin catches wind of a job that could solve their problems for good, she eagerly takes it. However, the job comes with many dangers and the Larks are now a target…

I loved Silver in the Bone! I couldn’t put it down. It has a sense of classic adventure to it, with found family, and artful inclusion of Arthurian legends. I was spellbound! Tamsin is such a relatable heroine, making difficult choices but always fighting to protect her brother. I love stories about siblings who would do anything for each other. The secondary cast of characters is fantastic, from the loyal priestesses of Avalon to the charming and irrepressible Neve.

The world-building is fantastic and I can’t wait to learn more about it in book two. Tamsin relies on a number of different magical methods to get by since she does not have magic, which were really interesting to read about. Silver in the Bone would be perfect for readers who love Arthurian legends, found family, and epic adventures. I can’t wait to see what happens next after that ending!!

Silver in the Bone releases April 4, 2023. Thank you so much to Alexandra Bracken, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

Love. Magic. Betrayal. Gods. Death. Alexandra Bracken’s newest novel is easily one of the best she has ever written.

How do I even begin to describe the intricate folklore or emotionally devastation I feel knowing that I must wait for book 2?

Tamsin and her brother Cabell are Hollowers. Descendants of magical folk who can see past a boundary in our world that shows the magic beneath everything. When their guardian, Nash, disappears when they are 10 after finding The Athame, an ancient Arthurian blade from the past, they struggle to make ends meet and stay in the world of Hollowers. When Tamsin finally decides to find Nash, she unexpectedly finds herself in Avalon of lore that is no longer an isle of dreams and beauty, but grief and death.

Emrys is a wealthy and privileged Hollower. For years, he fought with Tamsin, but for years he has also watched her and cared for her. Forced into a deadly race to find the Ring of Dispel, he now must work with her to free himself and his mother from brutality. But he never expected to fall so quickly for her.

Using folklore from Arthurian legend, Bracken weaves a beautiful tale for her readers with a shocking ending that will leave you with goosebumps.

After reading Lore by Alexandra Braden, I knew I had to pick this book up. This book is about a mortal who fights for survival with her cursed brother teams up with her rival and exposes secrets in order to save him. The headline says it's an arthurian retelling but I wouldn't really call it that. There wasn't much retelling in it but more of Bracken's own story with her own created world. Though I really enjoyed the storyline but have to say that the beginning is slow though the ending makes up for it. There were many conflicts that kept me wanting to turn the pages. I do have to say that the setting/world building was confusing for me. I wasn't expecting it to be modern fantasy with the way the summary was saying. Though Bracken did have some great story to tell in this new world though I would have expected more ancient world. I enjoyed how the book was sectioned into three parts which made the story feel more developed in a way and with a physical copy it would also look so much nicer.

The main character in this book is Tamsin and I enjoyed her character. She is strong but man did she make no so many great decisions. It threw me off at times but her development improved her character and also knowing her backstory. I really enjoyed the amount of side characters in this book. They were heavily involved with the story which I enjoyed ad I can see so much potential for some of them in the next book. I loved Emery's character and hope to see/know more of him in the future. The romance is enemies to lovers with a lot of bantering and chemistry between our new couple. There is also a new family theme in this book along with sibling bond.

The ending was very well done and my favorite part of the book. After finding out that this book has parts, I knew the last part would be rushed with a lot of plot twists and action. I really enjoyed reading this book as Bracken truly knows how to write her fantasy book and she is killing it. I did have some minor issues but overall it was a great read. I truly recommend checking out this book especially if you have read her past book, Lore, which you know is good.

"Silver in the Bone" is a captivating new fantasy novel that draws inspiration from the Arthurian legend. The book follows the journey of Tamsin and her brother Cabell, as they embark on a quest to find their adoptive father, who disappeared several years ago. The majority of the book's setting is Avalon, where Tamsin hopes to find a magical ring that will break her brother's curse.

At the beginning of the book, I found it slow-paced and not very exciting; however, the story picked up around 40% into the book. The book introduced several new characters, but unfortunately, none of them was very memorable, despite the author's attempt to make them so.

The romance in the book was promoted as enemies-to-lovers, but it was a bit of a disappointment for me, as it felt like a pale imitation of the trope. Nevertheless, the story was still very engaging, and it stood well on its own, despite being inspired by the Arthurian legend. The author did a fantastic job of portraying Tamsin's character development as she slowly opened up to the people around her. The only other character I found particularly interesting was Neve, who added an additional layer of depth to the story.

The second half of the book had several plot twists that I didn't see coming, making it all the more captivating. The ending left me wanting more, and I was glad to find out that there will be a sequel. Overall, I found "Silver in the Bone" to be an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I would like to express my gratitude to the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I would highly recommend this book to fans of the fantasy genre who enjoy a good adventure story.

Alexandra Bracken has managed to weave an Arthurian retelling with moments of heartbreak, fright, loss and intent. This story follows the lives of Tamsin and her brother Cabell and their quest to find their adoptive father who seemingly abandoned them seven years prior.

Their journey takes them to Avalon in search of a ring that can help Cabell overcome his monstrous curse. The book introduces several memorable characters.

I didn’t see most of the ending coming. I’m excited for the sequel. This is one of the best Arthurian retellings I’ve read and I’d group it with another favorite of mine, Legendborn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Silver in the Bone is a King Arthur-inspired YA fantasy from Alexandra Bracken (an author who I’ve been reading for a decade now). In my opinion, it’s more inspired by rather than being a retelling and doesn’t follow the mythology much at all. As other reviewers have pointed out, I would love to see more mythology in the next books!

For the first 80% of the book, this was sitting at a 3.5 stars for me. However, the third and final part pushed it over the edge to four stars. I read that final 20% faster than I read the other two parts. It was darker and gory and had some amazing twists and turns (especially that last line – I didn’t see it coming!). While that’s not to say the beginning of the book was bad by any means, it was considerably slower-paced than the ending and I wish we would have gotten more of that action throughout.

The strongest part of this book was the character relationships and dynamics. I thought their development over the course of the novel was so well down and I especially liked the burgeoning romance between Tamsin and Emrys. I wasn’t sure about it at first (it almost felt like it was moving too quickly) but at the end of the book, I was fully on board.

The pacing and world building didn’t work as well for me. As I’ve already said, the majority of the book moves pretty slowly. Also, I struggled to get through pages of world-building and info-dumping at a time. Stories are obviously an important part of any mythological retelling but I don’t love reading one character having a looooong monologue where they tell other characters a myth or story. I think the world-building could be done throughout and almost disseminated a little more rather than in giant blocks in the middle of the book especially.

Overall, however, I enjoyed reading this book and I’m looking forward to seeing how the storyline progresses in the sequel!

A really fun and inventive take on Arthurian legends. I haven’t read any of the author’s work before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked her writing style. I did accidentally convince myself that this was an adult fantasy and had to reevaluate what I was reading early on when I realized it was YA, but that’s no fault of the author! Looking forward to the next book.

When we meet Tamsin Lark and her brother Cabell, they’re with their adopted father, Nash, on a job to find magical artifacts. They are what are called Hallowers, those who can sense and see magic in our world, and most have one magical gift that gives them certain skills. Cabell is an Expeller, able to redirect curses from one source into another – very useful when they’re thieving for artifacts where the (previous) owners protected them with spells. Tamsin, however, isn’t able to see the magic around them which leaves her vulnerable. Cabell has a curse which turns him into a wolf-like monster when experiencing heavy emotions – the term werewolf is not used. All of this exposition in the prologue is helpful because by the end of it, Nash has left his two foster children alone in the world with only enough skill to keep them alive and on the path of magical thievery until we meet them again seven years later.

I love Arthurian Tradition, and this new take brings me back to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon in the way Avalon is shrouded from the world by magical mist and the priestesses of the goddess work their magic to protect the island from those who would use the powers and artifacts for evil. However, unlike the decades long tale from Zimmer Bradley, besides the prologue, Bracken’s tale occurs over the span of about a month. I AM SO READY for book two in this series because of that ending. I am giving Silver in the Bone a solid 4 stars. All the recommendations, but I probably won’t need a full re-read before book two.