480 pages flies by here. I know I'm a sucker for Arthurian legends, as a general rule. Bracken does not disappoint. She takes some key points from legend, but using them as a sub-structure for something wholly new. More of a "yeah, yeah, Arthur was real, but that was ages ago" than a retelling. And this *works*. It is easy to get fully wrapped up in Tamsin's story, her hope to find a cure for her brother, her own sense of being unmoored. The conclusion of this part one felt simultaneously a complete surprise, completely obvious, and completely earned.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lore, and I was hoping this would be no different! I was right in some sense. Was this story based off Kind Arthur and everything that goes with it like described, no. Was it a really fun story with amazing characters and a fun story, yes! if you are reading this story for the Arthurian details, you will be a little disappointed. If you aren't looking for a history lesson, you will absolutely devour this! it was a fun read, and I can't wait for the sequel!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5*
Tamsin and her brother Cabell are thieves who get paid to retrieve magical artifacts. Cabell has a problem that is worsening and Tamsin realizes that finding a way to break his curse must be her first priority. The two have been hired to find a magical ring and discover they are not the only ones on this quest. Emrys, who has long been Tamsin’s nemesis, is also seeking the ring. Because saving her brother is her primary goal, the siblings decide to align with Emrys out of necessity. As expected, there are constant squabbles when the enemies try to work together. There’s a lot of Arthurian legend here that keeps the story steeped in myth. It’s compelling, but not quite as tightly woven as some of her earlier books.

lexandra Bracken began successfully publishing at the young age of 19. The high fantasy, Brightly Woven, won many accolades including Third Place in the Best Debut Author Category Reader's Choice Awards Goodreads 2010. Primarily writing science fiction fantasy with a dark slant, Bracken now takes on the Arthurian legend. Silver in the Bone is book 1 in her planned duology.

Bracken has created a world that parallels earth in many ways save one. Magic in all forms exists. The knowledgeable can travel instantly using 'veins' - dark passages that transport a being instantly from one location to the next. Hollowers, are those who travel the veins searching for talismans that can bring power to others. the first speaker in the Book is Tasmin, a young intrepid follower, who along with her brother Caleb, join Nash. Nash the successful, Nash the seeker, and lately Nash the driven. He has brought his young charges to a most dangerous site. Bitterly cold, riddled with corpses and curses he drives them to the prize - a dagger. Retrieving the dagger leads them to Tintagel Castle
in Cornwall. The legend of Arthur begins here, and so does Tasmin's quest.

Nash has deserted Cabel and Tasmin. Seven years have passed. Cabel's nature is growing stronger. Tasmin, born without One Vision relying on libraries and research is running out of time. The only answer, perhaps, is to journey to Avalon. Avalon now a place in the other world, the locale of all peace and goodness might bring salvation. Avalon exists, yes. The twist is Avalon is now also cursed. Will Tasmin and her company be able to bring any harmony back to this sacred Isle? Dark, violent harmonies abound, and a cliff hanger ending leaves the reader grasping for more.

Bracken writes for children and young adults. The themes of darkness, combined with a possible romance indicate suitability for ages 14 and up.

Full disclosure. I read this ARC at the invitation of Knopf and netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! The first half was incredible, with interesting world building and great character introductions. The book dragged severely in the middle, in my opinion, with the introduction of unnecessary (although still interesting characters). The book picked up again the last third, and the ending and twists in the final chapters were amazing. While far from a perfect book, I am very excited for the sequel and cannot wait to read more of Tamsin's journey.

I have never read an Alexandra Bracken book before this one but man am I hooked.
This book had amazing world building which I always love but don't always see enough of. The mix of magic and King Arthurs court was so cool and changed up the original story in a new way. I didn't love the characters to begin with but by the end I really loved most of the characters for all their good's and thor bad's. Though I was root for Tam and Emery's and the way he dipped was just not cool. I hope there is a redemption arc for him though idk we will see. I can't wait to see what comes in the next book because this one ended so well and a whole different way then I expected it to go..

Tamsin is a Hollower, even though she doesn’t possess the magic that everyone else in the profession does. Her guardian left Tamsin and her brother, Cabell, several years ago, and she still hasn’t forgiven him for it. However, Tamsin thinks he was searching for something that might help break Cabell’s curse.

I loved this book. Tamsin is such a wonderful character, with a bit of cynicism and judgement that makes her so likeable. I also loved her relationship with Cabell and how she was willing to do anything for him.

The Arthurian inspiration is such a unique idea, and I loved seeing how Bracken was inspired by source material yet created her own Avalon for the story.

These characters are so dynamic, and there are so many twists and turns. I loved this so much, but I need book two now!

🏰 Arthurian Legend
🔮 Magic
⚔️ Fighting

Unique mix of horror, Arthurian legend, and urban fantasy combine with timely touches of humor, a dash of romance, and a fast moving plot all combine for a satisfying young adult fantasy. Tamsin's strong female character brings Avalon vibes as she embarks on a quest to save her brother.

I was captivated from the very beginning! There wasn’t a moment that I was completely absorbed in this story! A very good read!

I recieved an arc through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

So much packed into the book. I know very little about King Arthur other than a few stories and so I am not a judge of how true to the stories it is. This book is busy. So much packed information and works building packed into it and keeps you on your toes. The assortment of characters is a nice balance. There is some romance and it is the typical ya "bad boy" romance. But it's still fun to read the tension! The plot at times was hard for me to follow but the author would "recap" which I found as a relief due to me not knowing a lot about King Arthur. Fun adventure to read!

Alexandra Bracken's Silver in the Bone is a YA urban fantasy with some Arthurian elements thrown in. To be honest, the book started slowly and only picked up near the end. Those who are interested in Arthurian legends will most likely gravitate towards this book.

First I want to thank NetGalley, Alexandra Bracken, and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I am not one for the mythology surrounding King Arthur but I love Bracken and her easy writing style so I was actually foaming at the mouth for this book. Now onto the review:

“The problem with siblings, I decided, was that they spent years gathering up all these little knives of observation and learning exactly where to slip them between your bones.” -Chapter 6

In a world filled with legends and treasures, Tamsin Lark finds herself magicless and yearning for the day she and her brother, Cabell, do not have to just survive. Tamsin and Cabell, may not related by blood but are very much related by the circumstance of their childhood. Cabell has been cursed since the day Tamsin and their guardian, Nash found him. And through no control of his own, he shifts into a massive beast anytime he experiences high emotions. Tamsin has looked for anyway to break this curse, Tamsin's final attempt to break his curse has lead them to their final destination, Avalon. Tamsin attempts this adventure alone but ends up joining forces with Cabell, Emrys (her biggest rival and who very much annoys Tamsin), and Neve (this strange girl who would never leave Tamsin alone). Their time in Avalon uncovers mysteries long forgotten, and forces Tamsin, Neve, and Emrys to grapple with immense death, betrayal, and a fearsome evil god.

This story by the end will leave you gutted. I loved Lore, s0 seeing Bracken releasing a series based of mythology got me so excited. When I first started this book it was all I could think about and I just wanted to spend every moment reading it. The band of Misfits that this story surrounds consist of Tamsin, Neve, Emrys, and Cabell. All characters have immense trauma of their own that being in Avalon eventually helps them work through it.
I really did not know how Bracken was going to take it but I was sad by the ending but still thoroughly loved the pain. I wish I did not have to wait so long for the next book as the end is a FREAKING CLIFF HANGER!!! And a good one at that. The shock that I felt in the last 10 chapters of this book had my gripped and up into all hours of the night reading this book. I cannot tell you the last time a book had me this gripped.

What I disliked the most about the book was:
*The world building was slow and felt a little lackluster as they spent most of their time in Avalon so I see why it was not necessary to lay out the setting of Cabell and Tamsin’s mortal home.
*Tamsin and Neve fought a lot and it seemed that they left Cabell out of a lot which I felt like led to why he chose to do what he did. Tamsin’s character I love now but HATED at first, along with Neve. They are polar opposite characters but their friendship and how self-righteous they both were drove me CRAZY!! But I came to love them both at the end.

What I loved most was:
*The Priestess and the twist the Bracken threw us with them.
*And most of all the foreshadowing! The ending was foreshadowing in one of the first chapters and I was shocked at the end when all the pieces connected and the puzzle was solved.
*The ending actually I loved the most. Even though I wish I could have had more I love that I am left wondering what will happen next.

Thank you NetGalley for helping facilitate this.

I'm on the book tour with TBR and Beyond Tours and will be posting my review on the 9th of April.

Alex Bracken is one of my all time favorite authors and I was so excited for another fantasy from her. This is a book I'm probably going to have to read again to fully catch every detail and I can't wait to dive back in with a finished copy. The romance was great, but I didn't love the characters as much as I love her other books. As always, she's a master of worldbuilding and always thinks of the tiniest, most intricate details to set her story apart. And can we talk about that ENDING? I can't believe I have to wait over a year to find out what happens next.

I desperately wanted to love this, but it just never worked for me. None of the characters captured my heart. I can see this being exactly what some readers are looking for, but alas it wasn't for me.

I have a love hate relationship with all Alexandra Brackens books. Usually its because I love the tension she builds but hate the wait for the next installment ;)

This might be my favorite Bracken book to date. We’re talking relatable and lovable characters. A magic system that works and is easy to understand. Evenly spaced out small info dumps that aren’t overwhelming. Overall a very promising and entertaining start to a new series that I will definitely keep reading as soon as the next installment releases.

I feel like no words will really describe how well done this book is. My only complaint would be I’d like to see more of the Arthur lore being utilized. This isn’t a retelling where a character is Arthur nor is Arthur a ‘’present’’ character. Rather this is set in Arthurian myth which is still fun but not quite the Arthur retelling I thought it was going to be based off the description. But maybe we’ll get more of this in the next book.

King Arthur lore
Magic
Enemies to lovers
Love hate FMC
Betrayal

Mind the cliff.

I love Alex Bracken's book with my whole heart, and I was expecting to love it the same, but this book was different for me.

It took a while for me to warm up to the main character and root for her, but in the end she managed to capture my heart, with all her flaws and edges.

The world building was excellent, not that I expected anything less from an author such as Bracken, but it's important to reiterate.

The plot also took a while to develop fully and capture me, but the ending is *mwah* chef's kiss. I can't wait for the second book already!

All in all, an amazing read to start the year with!

I wanted to love this book. It has good reviews by other people who got advanced copies and I was excited for it because I love fantasy books. However, this book just wasn’t for me. It is inspired by the King Arthur legend which I am not familiar with so maybe I would’ve liked it more if I was. The story didn’t suck me in like some of my favorite other fantasy stories have in the past. I found the story a little hard to follow and a bit slow so my interest wasn't held throughout the book. Based on what other reviewers have said about the book, it seems like I am in the minority and the book just personally wasn't for me.

Fantastic. I cannot wait to own this book. It was a great story and wonderful read.
10/10 would recommend.

This book had potential, and what should have been an interesting plot. I liked, the main character, Tamsin, she was an interesting character that had character development. I liked the other characters, but I felt Tamsin was the best character. The plot was easy to follow. The book struggled to catch my attention and I believe that comes from pacing issues. I came into this book wanting a King Arthur myth, but it felt more like it was used to get people to pick up the book.