Silver in the Bone is an epic fantasy novel that blends the real world with Arthurian mythology. Tamsin has spent her whole life feeling unwanted. She has no magic but trained with her foster father and brother to find lost magical treasures. One day her father disappears leaving only her brother, Cabell, to try and survive. After getting into a huge fight with her brother, Tamsin decides to go after a ring that will hopefully set everything right. However, she is not the only one searching for it. Along the way she teams up with a sorceress and a competitor from a wealthy family called Emrys. They must work together in order to survive and to meet their goals.

This novel was action packed and filled with magic, mystery, a little romance and more. Even though this is a young adult novel it is a novel any adult would enjoy as well. It is a long novel but there I was engaged with the story the entire time. I can't wait for the second novel to come out because there is still much more that I want to know about. This is a great book for anyone who loves fantasy, a strong heroine, and mythology.

Thank you to Random House Children's Books for this advanced copy.

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken is the first in a series of Arthurian legend-inspired Young Adult fantasies set in contemporary times in Boston and later in Avalon. I found Bracken has written less a retelling of the Arthurian legends and more used them as a springboard into a new world.

Bracken uses a lot of child abuse, neglect and abandonment here. Few of the main characters have experienced a “normal” childhood. Tamsin and her unrelated “brother” Cabell are both Hallowers, and both have been abandoned and somewhat loosely adopted by Nash who abandons them in turn. Cabell is cursed to become a dog when stressed. Emrys, the spoiled son of the head Hallower, has been subjected to something or someone that scars his entire body. Tamsin is a smart-mouthed pessimist on the outside but a scarred, traumatized young girl on the inside with substantial trust issues. Neve is a young self-taught sorceress who was also abandoned but retains positive outlook and a caring personality.

The world-building is fantastic, the magic system interesting, the plot twisty and fun with a huge betrayal, and the main characters are complex, layered, yet relatable and strong. There’s a hint of an enemies-to-lovers romance trope between Tamsin and Emrys. At times this book reaches the realm of horror, so it probably best for upper age young adults. My main criticism is that the ties to the Arthurian legends were not strong enough. They seem to be more of a plot device than a retelling—and, since seeing the movie Camelot as a child, I am a sucker for anything related to King Arthur. The book does end on a cliff-hanger; nonetheless, I look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf for my gifted ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Silver in the Bone is going to be BIG when people get their hands on it in 2023, this book had me glued to me seat, reading like there’s no tomorrow. The use of Arthurian legend was really unique and exciting, especially when I’ve read a lot of really fantastic Arthurian stories this year, and Tamsin is a really fascinating and vulnerable character. We get so much of her emotional journey in this story, and I’m DESPERATE for the sequel after that ending!!!

My only complaint is that every once in a while there was a lot of telling instead of showing, like a lot of “I recounted what happened” in places where I think more dialogue would’ve been nice and a few quickly glossed over moments in the worldbuilding where I thought I’d maybe missed something, but overall I reallly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Requested it because I loved Lore (also written by the same author) and it feels like it’s been way too long since she wrote a book!

I will say that I enjoyed reading it and honestly some of it was super emotional for me there’s some really heartbreaking moments. Typically when I cry while reading I’ll give a book five stars and I’m somewhere between a four and five star rating.

This book was kind of billed as an Arthurian retelling but it doesn’t really feel like it because the Arthurian legend stuff is kind of background and serves more like a setting not a retelling. Essentially most of the book takes place in Avalon and there’s some characters talked about/briefly seen like Merlin and Arthur but they aren’t central. I think the description is a bit misleading.

The reason I went with four stars is there’s a LOT going on and some of the plot is messy. So there will be some spoilers moving on so BEWARE.

Tamsin and her brother Cabell basically make money by stealing magical artifacts for people. They used to have a guardian named Nash who disappeared one night after a job. It’s been hard for Tamsin and Cabell to live ever since and the guild of people like them don’t really help out.

Tamsin is desperate to help her brother who has the ability to turn into a hound of lore and who’s curse is becoming stronger. So she takes a job competing against the prodigal son Emry and the quest takes them, Cabell and sorceress Neve to Avalon. But Avalon isn’t like the stories. It’s dying, rotting and these creepy creatures are attacking what’s left of the people.

They’re searching for a magical ring and learn more about Avalon and it’s own curse so now they’re also trying to do a spell of healing if they get all the things they need. As they spend more time there Cabell gets help from a supposed ancient night to control his change. Neve learns more magic and Emry and Tamsin develop feelings for each other. We learn Emry is after the ring because he wants to free his mother and him from his abusive father.

They supposedly find Nash (their guardian’s bones) in Avalon but that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Tamsin has a lot of abandonment issues consider her birth parents gave her up, Nash left her all the time, etc.

Anyway basically Tamsin has to confront one of those creepy creatures and finds the ring, plus a sword that catches fire only when Tamsin touches it, along with the dagger needed to perform the ritual. But everything goes to shit.

Emry leaves with the ring (bitch move but also makes sense given his circumstances). When the rest of the group returns the creepy creatures were let into the stronghold and killed everyone. Turns out Tamsin’s brother and the ancient knight were responsible for and Cabell has been turned/tricked into thinking the lord of death is the only way forward. The spell basically brings Avalon back to the real world. The moment Emry leaves and Cabell’s betrayal are heartbreaking.

And then the book ends on a cliffhanger. Nash is alive. And Tamsin also has a curse (not surprising because she seems to have magical dreams that come true and there was a voice/lady who saved her from a death curse who whispered she was special. And multiple of things/creatures are whispering that she’s special.

One of my biggest complaints besides there being too much going on and it not really being an Arthurian retelling is that we needed more answers. The book should have ended with us finding out what/who Tamsin really is.

Maybe we will get more answers in the next book but honestly there are too many loose threads. How did Nash fake his death? What happened to him? If those were his bones why couldn’t they use them to find his memories like they’ve done with the other priestesses. Is Tamsin the reincarnated Lady of the Lake? Gwen? Arthur? Why did the librarian sneak them into the attic for years and how did no one realize? What exactly is the librarian? It’s kind of mechanical but…

I suspect Emry will return and be apologetic but he “had” to do it to protect his mom.

I really enjoy Alex Bracken’s work and this didn’t disappoint. I loved Lore and I was curious as to how she would approach Arthurian legend. I really like the magic system and I want to see more in the sequel. The main character Tamsin, I really liked although I know she’s not for everyone. She has a pessimistic view of the world and it is explained well why she holds this view. The romance is pretty tame and I enjoyed Tamsin and Emrys together. The friendships throughout were also great and I can’t wait to read more about the bond of the group. I want the sequel so bad after that cliffhanger,I can’t wait!

I’m a huge fan of Alex Bracken and just love her books and how she puts you on the edge of your seat as you are reading and needing to know what comes next. This book is no exception with how good it was. I do find this a slower paced book to her others, but I enjoyed the characters and the world.

Tamsin has spent her whole life chasing down magic relics and, up until his disappearance seven years ago, listening to her guardian's stories about King Arthur. She's just gotten a new job: racing against the obnoxious Emrys Dye to find a ring for a sorcerer. But as she finds herself tentatively teaming up with Emrys, their path takes them straight into Avalon--the very place of Arthurian legend.

First things first, I honestly can't remember the last time I was this antsy for a sequel--book one isn't even out yet and I'm already itching for the sequel. The story is full of tentative, mistrustful allies, bitter disappointments, and characters doing their best with the shitty hand they've been dealt. This book is full of curses (on people and on the land) and each was intriguing.
There are so many things I could say about this book: the characters and their relationships with each other are compelling, the curses drew me in, and there were things in this book that I normally don't like but that really worked for me here.

This was one of my favorite books of the year, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the sequel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

4.5 stars. Loved the world building and enjoyed the characters. The story was hard to put down and after that ending?! I'm annoyed this one isn't even out yet because I need the next one like... now lol.

TW/CW: Violence, death, gore, death of a child, fantasy violence, brief mentions of sexuality

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily writing an honest review.

Silver in the Bone is the newest book from Alexandra Bracken (Lore, The Darkest Minds). As a fan of hers and as a fan of YA fantasy, I was excited to receive a copy of this book. For the most part, it lived up to it. Silver in the Bone is the story of Tamsin, a non-magical member of a troupe of magical thieves. She lives with her brother, a shapeshifter, as the two of them struggle to make ends meet. Discovering the existence of a ring that could break her brother’s curse, Tamsin sets off on a journey that will lead them to places she couldn’t possibly imagine…

As I said before, this book mostly lived up to my expectations. Though the story was complex, it pretty much made sense as you read it. The writing was solid and the characters were interesting and for the most part fleshed out. I liked her take on Arthurian legend (although that’s something I enjoy no matter how it’s used in a book).

The book was, however, a little long. I didn’t really struggle to get through the pages or anything, but it dragged a little in the middle and I felt like it could have been tightened up a bit.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the sequel!

I am not a huge fan of young adult/new adult books at the moment because they remind me too much of the teens I have, and it takes me out of the story. However, this was unlike my teen/young adults that I wasn’t put off much. I really can’t go in to too much detail about the book as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I can make some observations. This doesn’t really have too much to do with Arthurian legends in the way that I thought it would be, but that was OK as it was still a very interesting premise. I didn’t really feel too invested in the book until it was almost half over, and I feel that was not good because it is so much better in the second half. The first half didn’t do it enough justice. All in all, this is worth it; just stick around for the whole book. The descriptions and writing are definitely worth it. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I was unable to finish this book. I got about 20% in and had no idea what was happening and felt like I was thrown into this world with little to no background or world building. I will try to finish it at a later day and will update my review if things improve.

I adore Alex Bracken's ability to pull me into a world and just make me lose myself in her storytelling. Silver in the Bone was no different and I'm very excited to see where she takes this adventure in the coming books.

From the characters to the plot I found myself completely intrigued and when that thing happens near the end I couldn't believe it happened.

Thank you so much for an early copy!

I have never read anything by this author, and it wasn't until after I finished "Silver in the Bone" that I realized I was at least familiar with the other titles that Alexandra Bracken has written. I would give this book 3.5 stars so I rounded it up to 4.

The premise of this book was very interesting, but I wavered between connecting with the characters and thinking it felt disjointed. The explanation of the magic and sorceresses was hard to understand. The main character also wavered for me - I didn't understand the pain and actions of these characters and it felt like something was missing. Like, an entire chapter or sentences giving more background to build these characters was just missing. For example about 40% in, one of the characters is revealed to have a strange birthmark that is ultimately something else. This was never mentioned before and it seemed like a big plot point and big deal and it just came out of nowhere.

As the book went on, I was drawn more to the characters and the budding love interest, but the last part of the book was extremely chaotic, disjointed, and obviously setting up for the next book. It raised many questions that didn't seem warranted. I am invested now though so I would definitely read the next one in this series.

Thanks NetGalley for the Arc!

I had read the author's book Lore about a year or so ago and really enjoyed it, so when I saw/received a copy of this book, I thought I'd give it a try. And after getting a few pages into the story, I felt like this wasn't the book for me. I think it was one of those books where the premise/summary sounded good, but something about the story telling felt a bit...off to me. So, I think I'll put this one down for now and not finish it. Though I'd definitely recommend that once it comes out next spring, that anyone who's a fan of King Arthur retellings give this book a try.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

After falling in love with Bracken's Lore, I was thrilled to get my hands on her Arthurian retelling. That said, the story fell a little short of my hopes. The beginning was a little disjointed and while I loved the concept of hunting for magical relics, i struggled to connect emotionally with the MC, Tamsin, who was justifiably closed off. Around the midpoint I started to feel more connected to Tamsin, but i didn't completely understand her relationship with her brother or her hatred of the love interest. The character motivations were a little bit murky and rather than answering any questions, it felt more like this book was a set up for the next one. I've read a lot of trilogies but usually the individual books feel some sense of completion, but this one felt like nothing was really fully answered or complete and there are just a whole host of new questions to be answered in book two. The mythology and magic were very interesting, as were the side characters and the magical world Tamsin and her brother get sucked into and I think that was a place where this book really redeemed itself. All in all, it was a solid swing at a big block of mythology and I'm curious enough to read on.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

Alexandra Bracken delivers yet again. This story follows tales of King Arthur and his men with a cool twist/spin with magic and the magical world in a current time. Not to mention, you get witches, sorceress, shape shifters, people who hunt magical items, and nothing is complete without Merlin.

I really enjoyed reading this book and didn't want it to end. I can't wait until the next book to see where Tamsin ends up. Hopefully the newly founded sisterhood kicks Emry's butt. Can't wait to find out and see what other magical lines we get to follow.

10/10 - this is a great read and worthy of a re-read.

This book was phenomenal! The magic system, and the diversity of characters, and the storyline were all spot on! My mind is reeling with all the possibilities of how book 2 will go! I will absolutely be buying this for myself when it releases!

tl;dr
Loosely based on Arthurian legend and featuring an exceedingly pragmatic main character, this book takes a bit to get going, but doesn't let up once it does.

Thoughts
I stayed up way later than I expected finishing this (oops). The opening of this book was, for me, a bit slow. It took some time to get all the world building and the main plot moving, but just as I was getting used to the pace, it took off at a run and never stopped. And WOW! What a run. This tale is inspired by Arthurian legend, but it takes the pieces and creates its own story full of plot twists that kept me guessing the whole way through. Tamsin is a difficult main character. On the one hand, I appreciate not having an eternally hopeful ray of sunshine who always believes the best in people. Sometime a girl's gotta be pragmatic. But there were times when her jaded worldview got in her way, which I probably hate because it's a little too relatable. Thankfully some of the other characters balance out her (mostly) warranted cynicism, with Neve the energetic sorceress being a standout favorite. And speaking of other characters, there's the start of what might be an enemies to lovers romance, with a fade to black-style night spent together (how far they went is unclear). Emrys is as complicated as Tamsin, and I really like how their relationship has progressed so far, but his motives a very unclear, so now I must await book two for answers.

I never read Lore and I gave The Darkest Minds 3 stars, so I went into Silver in the Bone with pretty low expectations. Talk about knocking it out of the park. It's slow to start, but as soon as the characters get to where most of the story takes place, it really pops off. You can definitely tell how much Alexandra Bracken has grown as an author. This book had me by the throat by the time I got to the halfway point. I fell in love with the Tamsin, Cabell, Emrys, and Neve, as well as the priestesses and their friends. Each character felt unique and memorable. The last 30% happens pretty quickly, and there are a lot of plot twists in the last chapters, but none of it feels jarring or unnatural. I'm only left with questions that I can't wait for the next book to answer.

Thank you Random House Children's and Netgalley for the ARC!

DNF around 50%

Unfortunately I did not connect with this story or the characters and have chosen not to continue reading at this time. It is well-written, and I think it will be well received, but it was not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read. I will not be posting a review on social media at this time.