Your Blood, My Bones is a gothic story about a girl named Wyatt, and she has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead. Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter is semi-immortal, and in order to be free from this, he needs to kill Wyatt.

I had high hopes based on the synopsis, which sounded super interesting, but I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The plot felt very slow, and would keep giving you little hints to keep you hooked, but then nothing would happen for many pages. There were new characters introduced quite far into the story, which I found confusing.

I also didn't like the writing. I’m sure many people will love the writing style in this book, but I just didn’t enjoy it and it made reading such a slog. Everything was over-described and had an unnecessary adjective: “lumpy wooly socks” “pale-as-milk hands” “sticky cockleburs” “beer-slick floor” AND “beer-slick hands”. Far more than a normal amount. I just started to find that annoying.

The descriptions were lofty and the dialogue was excessive. For example, look at the paragraph below:
“Tugging on a thick cable-knit sweater, she pushed out into the chilly haze of the early morning. The chickens scattered at her sudden appearance in the henyard. Atop his shingled perch, the piebald rooster ogled her through an oily black stare. She ignored his questioning warble, shoving through the birch-woven gate and out into the field, where a morning fog wisped off the meadow and ghostly gray coils.”

What I liked:
-setting
-the type of magic presented
-James

What I didn’t like:
-pacing
-prose
-I would have liked to learn more about Pedyr’s past and how the magic worked.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

This book was really enjoyable. The tension and suspension was really well done (in my option) for the first two thirds. Unfortunately, when it hit part three it felt like the entire tone changed. I loved the first two parts of the book and think that it is a great ya gothic type horror. There were things that I felt were a little silly in the story and hard to believe. I wish there was more showing and not telling in the first few chapters, it felt like we were thrown into the middle or a second book for this character.

I did have issues with the formatting for the kindle, it made it confusing to read until I got used to it. Also, I’m unsure about why the book was broken up into three parts and feel like it didn’t need to be. To be honest when I got to part three I was immediately pulled out of the book. Not only did the tone seem to change but there are new characters that are introduced that were never mentioned before in the book. It seemed to turn away from the plot for quite a few chapters causing me to lose all interest in the story.

However, I did enjoy reading the first two parts of this and the final few chapters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this title for my honest review.

I'm very glad I picked this up as it surprised me in a good way. I knew it was going to be at least partly a horror and the writing and integration of that part of the story is outstanding. The tension really builds for the first portion of the book when Wyatt is trying to fix the farm that is falling apart around her. I won't give away the plot by talking too much about the other characters, but will say that the interpersonal dynamics and flashbacks are handled very well in building the story.

I did think that some of the plot elements felt a little rushed at the end, however thinking more about it after finishing the book I appreciated the direction it went in.

Overall this was the horror with heart at it's center that I didn't know I needed to read. It is a story of loss, love, and hope with all the supernatural horror that I could ask for. There are no easy solutions in the world Kelly Andrew has created and I am glad that the story embraces that element.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic books for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I could not finish this book, but I am still rating it because I planning to order it for my library's collection. The biggest issue for me is despite my enjoyment of magical realism and some contemporary fantasies, I could not suspend my disbelief while reading this book. I've enjoyed contemporary fantasy young adult books like House of Hollow and What We Harvest, but this book was not working for me. I also found that the file was not properly formatted, which made it difficult to read. However, it is mostly the first issue that caused the DNF. The hooded men appearing outside the property line towards the beginning felt very juvenile, it just didn't flow well with the story. When Peter is introduced, and really the first few chapters in general, things are told and not shown, and there is not much explanation. There are confusing flashbacks with little to no context that I did not enjoy trying to figure out. This book was really not for me, but the premise is interesting and I can understand how someone younger than me or with different tastes might enjoy it which is why I still plan to add it to the collection.

4/5 ⭐️
If you’re like me and are a fan of spooky woods and things that creep around in the dark, then you might like this book. The set up of this is strange in a good way. It’s about a girl who returns to the home her mom had taken her away from. A home where her dad was more involved in the cult like following than her. But when she returns after his death to burn it down, she discovers her one childhood friend tied up in the basement. To make matters worse, she learns she has to kill him, the boy she once loved, before he can kill her and finally be free from the magic of the place. While reading this, it was dark and creeping, like it felt like unknown things were constantly watching from the shadows. But excellently woven in was flashbacks to the summers she and Peter grew up and grew together, alongside their final friend, James. This was beautifully written, with beautiful prose. However, I felt a little wanting. Like I think this idea had the potential to be more if it had simmered on the burner for a little longer. Overall though, I definitely recommend this book if you like spooky stories with strange ritualistic magic and a beautiful romance, both romantic and platonic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

Wow, I could not put this book down. This has me hooked right from the beginning. Wyatt and Peter were opposite in every way and I enjoyed the push and shove of their relationship. There was so much to unpack in each chapter and I was always left with more questions!

The author really did a great job of sprinkling past events during the current ones. I loved the flashbacks and getting more knowledge but not feeling overwhelmed by it. Wyatt was by no means perfect and she acknowledged it. It was enjoyable to watch her try to use her abilities and what came from it. She was almost just as tortured as Peter. Just in a different way. I appreciated she wasn’t afraid to feel her feelings or own her decisions.

Peter. My poor tortured child. Your chapters were my favorite as we finally got a glimpse at who you were. Who you tried so hard to be. You were definitely a product of your environment and it was intriguing to watch you fight it.

Overall I loved this book so much. The paranormal was just the right amount where it didn’t feel unauthentic. I don’t normally go for dark or horror so this was out of character for me but I loved it! There was a purpose for everything that happened and I appreciated that as it wasn’t just to add elements to the book. My only small complaint was the ending felt a little rushed. That also could be I was not ready for it to end.

This book is a story about love, childhood, loyalty and death. The world building is perfectly done. Wyatt, Peter and James are perfectly written. I don't want to give anything away because everyone has to read this book. This book is a must read. If I were to sum up this book in two words, it would be Hauntingly Beautiful.

Wow! Tragic and beautiful. This was an absolutely stunning read. Andrew has a powerful and lyrical writing style that just completely sucks you in and I was hanging on her every word from page one to the very end. The vibes were immaculate. Dark, mysterious, and devastatingly romantic. Certainly hit the spot for a satisfying gothic witchy read.

Beautiful book, dark and enthralling. Mysterious and captivating. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know how they get out of this sticky situation !

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this earc.

For the fans of Our Crooked Hearts, Book of Night and, of course The Whispering Dark

This book is full of mysteries, Magic and friendships. It’s dark. Be ready for that. But the writing sucks you in and makes you stay all the way to the last page.

It’s hard to describe this book, but if you a fan of spooky reads and magical houses, this one is for you

I'm enjoying the writing style, but the file is not properly formatted for kindle and it's making it difficult to really get into.

I was very excited for this book. The cover is stunning and the summary sounded amazing. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

I do think it will be widely well received, it just wasn’t for me.

Absolutely AMAZING!

Start to finish, I can’t even express my feelings for it. I read it in one sitting, this is my first book by her but I’m now going to read her other ones.

P.S. this book most definitely gave me a nightmare or two after finishing it, but in such a good way. It’ll be going on my Re-read pile!

"Though she didn't know it yet, Wyatt Westlock was the only thing standing between him and the mouth of hell."

It's not often I include quotes in my reviews, but to not make others read the words that are crawling beneath my skin would be a disservice to Kelly Andrew's skill. I was struck by how well she captures Wyatt and Peter's emotions and forces you to experience them along side these struggling teens.

"He could still feel the phantom of Wyatt's pulse in the pads of his fingers. He was torn between the desire to scrape it out of him or to stitch it into his skin." Do I feel the need to itch my arms as I copy this over from my notes? Yes.

Andrew does an amazing job at balancing the fantasy and horror aspects, letting readers latch onto her characters so these admissions of love and sacrifice are as painful as the wounds they suffer (and there's a lot of knife stabbing).

"Your family whittled him away bit by bit, until he became sharp and unfeeling as a weapon."

And that weapon cleaved my heart out but also gave me one of my favorite reads of the year (so far).

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys nature magic, bargains with demons, and a very sassy goat that fears so evils, but if you're a bit squeamish, beware, it's a bit gory.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like the darker, more horror-based younger cousin of "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue."

Your Blood, My Bones is a gothic horror story about Wyatt Westlock. When Wyatt's father dies, she heads home to her family farm, only to find her childhood friend Peter chained in the basement. Throughout the book, Wyatt learns that not everything in her childhood was as it seemed.

There are a few things I truly loved about this book. It pulled me in from the beginning with a unique and exciting premise. While I am not a fan of horror, the book has enough mystery and intrigue going for it that I still felt compelled to read. I found the idea around Peter to be one of the more unique things I've read.

Unfortunately, some big things didn't work for me with this book. While I enjoy a quick start, the book's pacing was off and there needed to be more world-building and backstory. I regularly wished the magic system and Wyatt's power had been explained better, the supernatural threats had been more established, and we had a more complete picture of how Peters's life worked. It was hard to get invested in him because there were no clear rules around his life or death, which also felt like a plot hole.

The division of the book also threw me a bit. There are three sections, but section three starts with an entirely new setting and adds a group of characters that have yet to be mentioned or introduced. This felt so disjointed from the rest of the story that I stopped reading and googled the author's other works only to discover that the added characters, Mackenzie, Lane, and Colton, were from another book. While I usually find guest appearances charming, the focus, attention, and time spent on these three at over 2/3 through the book was jarring. It felt like watching a movie only to have a commercial for another movie interrupt you halfway through.

Who is this book for? Gothic horror fans who also like a YA mystery romance or YA mystery romance fans who don't mind a dose of horror. The book is very light on the romance side and doesn't have a traditional HEA. Because of the nod to the author's previous works, I'd also recommend this to anyone who wants to revisit some past characters.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all, I love the artwork on the cover of this book. Hands down what made me want to read it.
I really liked this story, I'm a sucker for fantasy, and this didn't disappoint at all.
Good story flow, likable main character, and an ending I didn't hate.
Overall I'd rate it as a 4 star book.

“Loving Peter had always felt a little bit like poking at a bruise. Impossible to stop, even when it hurt. But nothing had ever hurt quite as badly as this — kissing him at the world’s end, surrounded by a living monument to all their wasted time.”

A huge thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! I devoured this book completely. The story is gorgeous, with a setting I loved and characters I got attached to so quickly. The writing was spectacular. Peter had me aching at every possible turn. Wyatt, Peter and James are the king of friends I love to read about. Codependent, loyal, never perfect, until the end.

I’d read anything by this author now. Kelly has won me over. Please pick this up when it goes on sale.

I can't lie... this book is definitely getting an extra star from me solely because of the writing. The plot of the story was just alright to me. It was a little jarring just to be thrown into this complex fantastical world with no back story or set. We learn as we go, kind of like our main character Wyatt, but also not so much as we learn later on. I think the strongest elements of this book are the writing and the amount of tension that the author was able to build between Wyatt and Peter. I was literally on the edge of my seat constantly wondering if these two were going to make out or kill each other and I ate up every second of it. The writing was also so lyrical and incredible. I was falling in love just as hard with some of the things being said between these characters. One of my biggest complaints is the ending. I know that this isn't a straight up romance and so there is no expectation for a happily ever after but the author does such an incredible job building relationships and desire in this book between so many of the characters that the ending just felt like a penknife to the gut (iykyk). I would definitely recommend this for people looking for a fantastical atmospheric book filled with lyrical purple prose and a heavy dose of teenage angst and swoony romantic tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"This was always going to end," he told her.
"Not like this," she eked out. "You were supposed to go home."
"It's okay." He pressed his lips to her eyelids, one after the other. His kisses were wet with her tears. "Wyatt, it's okay. I was already home."

This was CRAZY!

This ended up being a little more horror than my usualll reads, but it was wrapped up in a lot of mystery, so it wasn't too bad.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Peter and Wyatt and watching it develop, although it was pretty easy to see that Peter always had feelings for her and only let his hatred fester in the years he was alone.

And in my humble opinion, the ending was bullshit but also seemed to be left open to interpretation? Who knows, but overall this was a very entertaining read.

I also did not realize that there is technically a predecessor to this book but I think they're both considered standalones. I may read the first one 🤔 and I think another one is being set up too.

Achingly magnificent! This book pulled me in right from the get-go and then proceeded to carve out my heart.

Kelly Andrew's beautiful prose made this such a delightful and fun read even amidst the dark imagery and heartache. And woo buddy was there ever heartache -- injustice, misunderstandings, unrequited love, abandonment, and betrayal. But there was also love, loyalty, hope, and desire.
Despite all the magic and fantasy elements of this world, Wyatt, Pedyr, and James were all so relatable and likable in their own ways. They brought back so many memories of being a kid and teenager. I couldn't help but root for them!

**Spoilers Below**

Like Wyatt, I stayed optimistic that they'd somehow all find a way to get out, recover, and find their HEAs despite their seemingly hopeless situation... And then the end of the book started closing in, and Pedyr hadn't come back. Until the very last page, I thought for certain he'd be resurrected, getting to live one last lifetime, a lifetime where he got to finally be home.
When I finally realized he was gone for good... what a gut-punch. A terrible, wonderful gut-punch. It felt like losing someone special when you want to spend so much more time with them; the perfect ending for this story.

This book has left me shaken in the best way possible. I think I need to go sit alone and practice breathing for a while.