Dimitri has lost everything. He’s lost the country that he was meant to rule, he lost the husband who ruled it at his side, and he’s also lost himself. Broken, and barely able to keep himself together, he and a few of his friends are in hiding from Alexey, Dimitri’s former husband.
Alexey always knew he was meant to have power, and now he’s found it. Using powers beyond anything anybody could have imagined, he managed to bring himself back to life into a body much stronger and more durable than a mere human’s. Now, Alexey is immortal, and he’s taken the country from his weak husband. He can rule it with strength, and bring forth a new era.
Vasily swore his loyalty to Dimitri years ago, and even though Dimitri is no longer his Tsar, Vasily has never wavered as Dimitri’s spy master. But Dimitri is more than his Tsar, at least to him. When he hears of an opportunity to get close to Alexey, he knows that this might be the chance they were waiting for. They might be able to end the undead Tsar, but it might cost some of them their lives.
I received an advanced reading copy of The Sins on Their Bones in exchange for an honest review.
The Sins on Their Bones is a fantasy novel by Laura Samotin. It’s one that I was very excited about, since it seemed to feature a Russian-inspired setting, Jewish-inspired tradition and magic system, and so much LGBTQ representation!
Before I get into the review, I want to give you a few content warnings. There is death, murder, suicide, abuse, gore, and violence in here. There’s also an abusive relationship, as well as depression and trauma. Be ready for all that before diving into this story.
So, let’s get into the review, shall we?
I want to start talking about the pace of this book. I was actually a little surprised by it. This isn’t the kind of book that, as soon as you open it, it takes off with you. It takes a little while, about a third of the book, before it the plot really picks up, and so does the tension.
But that’s because in the first third, Samotin is laying the groundwork, especially in her characters. We have three POV characters in this book: Dimitri, Alexey, and Vasily. Dimitri and Alexey were in love until Alexey betrayed Dimitri, and now Vasily is taking care of Dimitri. Needless to say, this book is full of LGBTQ representation, and I loved how normalized it was in the world and story.
It’s of course a big part of the characters, and a lot of this book is about how Dimitri has gone through so much trauma. There is discussion here about mental health, as well as about how bad relationships can be. After all, Dimitri and Alexey were married before this all happened, but you can definitely see how their relationship was toxic from the start, and I appreciated having that understanding early on in the book, especially as the plot started to get underway.
Oh, and before I move on from the characters, know that there are quite a few sex scenes here. I don’t often read those, so I can’t tell you much about them, other than to be careful and make sure nobody can read over your shoulder as you yourself read, but I was honestly surprised by how many there were.
There were also some great magical elements to this book. In the author’s note, Samotin explains how she used aspects of Judaism to inspire the magical system, and I really loved how they were represented. Of course, I can’t speak at all about their authenticity, or their representation, but I thought the magic system was one of the strongest elements of this book. The way it drew on angels and demons, and influenced the characters and their world, was fascinating, and I enjoyed every scene with it.
While the magic system and the LGBTQ representation were great, the whole thing didn’t come together for me as much as I’d hoped. Fans of dark fantasy, as well as elements of Judaism or a Russian world would probably enjoy this, though. Also, it’s a great example of a story with normalized LGBTQ characters and relationships. I want to see more worlds like this, and I am still curious to see what more Samotin writes, and where her writing career takes her.

3/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc! I’m always really grateful for the chance to read books before their publication date, but I also always want to share my honest thoughts and feelings in my reviews.
First of all, even though there are some elements of romance in this story, this book is NOT a romantasy. This is a dark fantasy, so please be aware and read the trigger warnings.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the political and cultural aspects of this book, it was like nothing I ever read before. But it was too slow paced for me. I was a little bored for at least half the book, if not more, and the plot lines and the ending felt completely predictable.
I still think it was a really interesting, well written story, but it was not a favorite.

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura Samotin was a gripping, heart-wrenching adventure from start to finish. I'd definitely recommend checking out the website to see the content warnings, as I neglected to do so and was woefully unprepared for some of the darker scenes.

This novel expertly weaves a story full of rich characterization and culture, drawing on Samotin's Jewish heritage and lived experiences (don't skip the end note for this one! It really added to my understanding of the book). Some books with alternating POVs are challenging for me, but each of the three narrators had such a unique voice that I had no trouble keeping track of who I was reading.

The only reason I'm rating 4 instead of 5 stars is because there was a period of time in the first half of the book where the sex scenes felt like they were overpowering the plot. But that's the kind of thing many readers love, so it's easily forgivable.

I was enthralled from the start and can't wait to read more of Samotin's work in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

REVIEW✨
I was kindly sent an e-ARC of “The Sins On Their Bones” by Laura R. Samodin (it comes out 7 May), and I've enjoyed it a lot!🤩

It's a dark, queer, adult fantasy that takes place in a post-war world inspired by 19th century Russia (with a background of splendid Jewish mythology and folklore thrown in) and it touches upon grief, power, trauma, abuse, friendship, redemption and so much more.

I was immediately hooked by the beautiful language and atmosphere and I’m happy to say that the rest of the book lived up to my expectations as well!
I was captivated by the wonderful stile of Samodin and her ability to help the reader get in touch with all the characters’ emotions and thoughts.

I LOVED in particular how the author described the character of Alexey, how he truly believes he’s a savior for his country and how she is able to express so well his thoughts and his feelings for Dima.
I enjoyed the psychological analysis of his figure, it really made possible to understand what happens in the mind of this abuser, the fact that he has been corrupted by his power and how he is blinded by his own ego at the point of being able to manipulate and corrupt everyone around him, even himself.
He is definitely the character I appreciated the most (let’s be clear, I didn’t like HIM but I loved the work that the author did on this character!).

I also liked the friendship and the love story between Dimitri and Vasily (I left some WONDERFUL quotes in the post!).

The epilogue definitely provides a satisfying conclusion to the story, leaving you wanting more!!


SOME THOUGHTS💭
I read a lot of reviews about the fact that there was no plot, or at least not enough, and that it was “filled” by a lot of unnecessary explicit scenes.
In my opinion this is absolutely not true.
It’s indeed a book with a lot of explicit and vivid scenes, but I think that what’s important to remember is that the whole story has a significant meaning if you understand that it’s based on past sex trauma and how the characters are trying to process it.
Overall there are a lot of explicit scenes but I feel like they can bring more value to the story and they are all so well written that it’s quite “enjoyable” even the worst or most violent part of it.

I don’t feel like recommending this book so lightly as it is really intense and graphic, with violence, gore, and sexual abuse that can be really hard to stomach, but I think that if you can handle that you should definitely give it a try, I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark, Eastern European inspired romantasy. Two very different men claim the throne of one country, one who was born into the ruling family, and one who believes he deserves to rule. What lengths will they go to tone the ruler they believe is best for the country? They both will sacrifice everything, one for love and one for hate. If you’re a fan of dark fantasy, this is one you’ll love!

3.5/5 stars

The Sins on their Bones is the first in a dark queer fantasy duology that is Jewish/Eastern European-inspired. Ex-Tzar Dimitri is a broken man, still reeling from the guilt of being blind to his husband Alexey’s machinations and dark turn towards Holy Science, leading to civil war and the usurpation of his throne. Now, Dimitri’s spymaster Vasily must infiltrate their old court and uncover Alexey’s plot before he can go any further. But can Dimitri make the right choices when he still loves the husband who betrayed him while also growing to love the man he sent to do the job?

Reading this book, it reminded me of the Shadow & Bone trilogy, just queerer, darker, and more mature. The antagonist, Alexey, especially reminded me of the Darkling with his turn to dark powers for good reasons corrupting him. One thing to note is that the book has a lot of gay sex scenes (between different partners), and most come with this sort of D/s dynamic. It can be gratuitous and too frequently featured, but I personally didn’t mind.

I liked that all three main protagonists were such complex men with rich histories and motivations, and the story alternates between all three perspectives. Dimitri and Alexey’s relationship was a particularly noteworthy (but possibly triggering) with its demonstration of an abusive spousal relationship between men who seem to love each other. As a result, Dimitri is wallowing in so much grief and guilt through so much of the book that it can feel overly wrought and drawn out. Vasily has the most to do and is the most dynamic in the story. Their romance is primarily sexual and friendly, but the book does something with it (spoilers so I won’t mention) that allows it to evolve.

With Alexey getting an equal proportion of the three PoVs, the book gives up any mystery or suspense because we see all of him. It would have been far more narratively compelling if his parts were shown as brief glimpses (much like we almost never see the Darkling that much in the Grishaverse and that made him all the more sinister). Although admittedly his chapters were the most interesting and compelling of three perspectives we get so I understand why he was so prominent in the book. His whole plan also felt very reminiscent of the Darkling’s actually.

The book’s biggest issue though is that everything is laid out and established already at the beginning, so it missed out on much of the development of the plot and forming of bonds between characters. Dimitri and his friends are all already a found family who have worked out their dynamics after failing to defeat Alexey during the civil war, and they are all licking their wounds and finding comfort in each other. We see them like this at the beginning and they all remain so by the end. Dimitri and Vasily are already in a sexual relationship with each other and just needed to remove their own blinders to see what they are to each other (mostly Dimitri).

The Sins on Their Bones is not without its issues, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would be checking out a sequel.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed the queer Jewish story. The accurate portrayal of what it's like to overcome victims/survivors guilt after experiencing an abusive relationship. The writing is excellent and I love the relationship between Vasily and Dimitri. But I really don't like that epilogue at the end. If Alexyev survived and basically undergoes the resurrection process again, isn't it second book just going to be a repeat of the first and ruin all the growth our characters had?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Sins on Their Bones follows Dimitri Alexeyev, the former Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. After losing a civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey, Balakin, he’s languishing in exile. Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily, contrast a ruse to sneak into Alexey’s court to gather information while Dimitri finds a way to kill him. But it’s not as easy as they believe as Alexey has resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body and claims to be guided by God. Alexey turns Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire as he’s able to summons creatures and demons for an army. But Dimitri will not let Alexey corrupt his country, yet saving Novo-Svitsevo and his people will mean forfeiting his husband’s soul and forsake the spymaster he’s come to love.

The Sins on Their Bones is such a good fantasy! Its definitely Shadow and Bone meets 19th century Russia with Jewish folklore/mythology and dark, enchanting elements. The vibes of the book are so well done with the post-war fantastic Russia. The politics and religious elements were really fascinating and captivating. The world is so complex and pulls you in so deeply.

I really enjoyed the characters overall. Especially Alexey as he's so interesting. He’s such a good villain who truly believes he’s a saviour and his actions are justified. He’s blinded by his ego and he was a truly fascinating character to read about. Dimitri is a really interesting character who was blinded by love and utterly destroyed by it. He starts off quite depressed and has such growth through the novel and I really felt for him. Vasily was a really good perspective as his POV really progressed the plot. He was a fun character to read about and I enjoyed his romance with Dimitri. I quite enjoyed all three perspectives and they were all really well-developed characters.

Overall, such a good fantasy if you love character driven stories with complex characters, dark and enchanting worlds, and queer love stories!

The Sins on Their Bones is a dark queer fantasy story that is inspired by Jewish folklore and mythology. The points of view it is told from are vastly different, one of the POV's even being from the antagonist. There is violence, including sexual violence, plotting, betrayal, resilience, and a lot of different depictions of PTSD.

There aren't a lot of roads to success, possibly not even one, but all of our characters are willing to do what they must for their country. It's just Alexey and Dimitri have very different ideas of what is needed. At times, particularly in the beginning, the book had some pacing issues, but around half way through those smoothed out. There are many potential triggers, so I recommend readers to do research if that's a concern!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not okay, because I now have to wait another year to read the second book.

This novel wasn't quite what I expected, but it was exactly what I needed. The plot is unique and compelling, and the world is so exquisitely developed and described. I loved the magic, the mysticism, the dark and eerie vibes that permeate the whole book.

But nothing compares to the characters. Dimitri is so easy to both feel and root for, and his struggles are both heartbreaking and empowering to read about. Vasily is an absolute darling, but not one-sided in any way. The rest of their court makes such a wonderful found family that my only complaint is that we didn't see the whole group together more often. Alexey isn't likable, but I love that the author doesn't shy away from that fact. At no point is there any attempt to redeem him, but his perspective is still written in a very realistic way and it's fascinating to see his point of view. Even Ivan tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to do nothing but protect him.

Anyway, I think I'm done rambling for now. I'll just go curl up in a corner and cry until I can get my hands on the next book.

This book felt like the best kind of fanfiction. It felt lived in from page one. I didn't have to get to know the characters to root for them and care about their struggles. I was made to from the beginning.

And the romance had me. I was not sure who I wanted together at first. Dimitri's pain was hard to read and I felt so many things.

Go read this!

My first ARC review! Thank you netgalley and the author for this book,

First off, if you’re expecting a romantasy, this is NOT that. It’s maybe dark fantasy, but really , it’s a love story between two people who have been heavily traumatized. Read the content warnings!

The character cast and the setting were compelling. I thought that the fantasy based in Ashkenazi Jewish folklore is a beautiful and interesting idea. I enjoyed the ‘found family’ trope, and I loved loved how queer the character cast was, and how normalized that queerness was within the story itself. I also appreciated the author’s attempt to explore really complex psyches with traumas that generally revolve around relational and sexual abuse and how characters grow and evolve from those experiences. The author’s note was also lovely.

However, I do think something was missing. The plot just felt very slow and incremental, and I found myself losing interest around halfway through. Then, all the action happens at the end, and it almost seems to work out too easily. I feel like the circumstances should have torn my heart be torn out, but really all I felt was mehhh. I think it’s because I never really felt invested in the primary relationship because there was, for the most part, too much telling and not enough showing. I also felt like the world-building had a lot to be desired. I really have no idea what the palace or their city looked or felt like. Even the magical lore in the book felt lacking to me.

I didn’t think the sex was gratuitous because so much of the book and the characters revolves around their experience with sexual trauma and how they deal with their relationships afterward, but readers should know that many of the sex scenes are not really pleasant. Several of them are within an abusive relationship. This is NOT smut or smutty.

To that end, 1/3 of this books is from the abuser’s POV, including some sex scenes. I liked this because I think those stories and psyche’s are interesting to explore, but I would caution others that you should be conscious of your own emotional health and history. The content warning is very nicely written.

Overall, I give this a 3/5 for the fantasy folklore and exploration of trauma, but knock of 2 stars because the plot was just so slow.

I had no idea what to expect when I started The Sins On Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin. I saw that it was blurbed by several queer romantasy authors that I like, so I requested it from NetGalley on a whim and was happy to dive in. I’m so glad I did. It was not what I was expecting but it is an interesting and dark fantasy that I enjoyed discovering.

First of all, if there are things that could trigger you, be sure to read the content warnings before you start this book! This novel deals with some very heavy topics and the author has kindly included detailed warnings on her website (there’s also some stunning character art for you to seek out while you’re there).

The Sins On Their Bones is inspired by Jewish mysticism and folklore and is a high fantasy set in a world similar to Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Dimitri Alexeyev, one of the main POV characters and a former Tszar, has recently lost a brutal civil war to his vicious and newly immortal ex-husband, Alexey Balakin.

At the story’s start, Dimitri is in hiding in the Free States with his closest friends and former members of his royal court: Vasily, his most trusted spy; Annika, who once led his army; Ladushka, his political advisor, and Mischa, his royal physician. Dimitri still harbors a lot of guilt (and other complicated feelings) about Alexey, the war, and the consequences of it. When Vasily brings word that Alexey is building an army to invade the Free States the group hatches a dangerous plan to finally defeat Dimitri’s monstrous ex.

The novel cycles through three POVs. Along with Dimitri, we also get chapters from Alexey and Vasily. All three POVs are engaging and each adds different things to the story. Jumping back and forth through their parts of the story moved the plot along steadily while also filling in the needed backstory. Vasily’s chapters, in particular, give a lot of clarity to the backstory which was one of the many reasons that his chapters quickly became my favorite.

The plot of this is fast-paced, dark, and full of religious and political themes. I also found it surprising and not predictable at all. Multiple moments shocked me and had me frantically flipping pages to see what would happen next.

The characters are also likable. Vasily, as I’ve already mentioned, is a fantastic character. Dimitri is sympathetic and has a nice arc of growth and healing. Alexey is a terrifying and well-written villain. Annika, Ladushka, and Mischa round out the main cast as dynamic characters with a lovely “found family” relationship (together with Dimitri and Vasily).

The Sins On Their Bones is a unique and very queer dark fantasy. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic tales of good versus evil in their fantasy!


OTHER POINTS:
- Alexey reminds me of The Darkling from the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
- There may be a Doctor Who reference?
- There is an asexual character and a non-binary character along with the many same-sex relationships that the book features.
- The whole book is delightfully queer normative with most of the main characters and several side characters being casually queer. There’s no drama or trauma around their identities.
- I also liked how the author wove Judaism into the world.
- Did I mention how much I love Vasily?
- The last 25% of the book is tense, action-packed, emotional, and surprising. It is almost impossible to put down!
- The ending is satisfying while also setting up issues for a future sequel.

The Sins on Their Bones is a gorgeously written story about grief, abuse, and moving on from the past. ⁣
⁣
It has a loveable yet flawed cast of characters, a fantastically written evil villain that feels like the Darkling meets Rasputin, and enough humor to balance out the dark themes. ⁣(At one point, Dimitri has to hold a goat for a ritual, and it's hilarious).

I loved the LGBTQ+ characters, the Jewish mythology, and the Russian-inspired world.

Samotin did an amazing job with the body horror elements in this. The descriptions are dark and gruesome—but I appreciated that the story isn't dark just for the sake of it.

I also enjoyed the multiple POVs—I think Samotin balanced them out really well.
⁣
If you like Anastasia, Frankenstein, and Shadow & Bone/the Grishaverse, then I recommend it! ⁣
⁣
TW: Blood/gore, sexual abuse and violence, death/murder, trauma/PTSD, drugs and alcohol use

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley, and I am choosing to leave an honest review. Thank you so much NetGalley and Laura!

The Sins on Their Bones is a story about loss, grief, family, love, and healing. Former Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, Dimitri Alexeyev, is in exile after losing a civil war to his usurper of a husband, Alexey Balakin. To take back the throne, Dimitri, his spymaster, Vasily Solokov, and his court must find information about how to kill Alexey. Why can't they just kill Alexey as of now? Well, Alexey died, resurrected himself, and now has an immortal body.

Dimitri at the beginning of this book is a broken mess. He can't bring himself to hate his husband, even after all Alexey had done to Dimitri. Dimitri also feels guilty, as if it's his fault that he lost the throne. Dimitri's growth throughout this novel was astounding, and I loved seeing Dimitri heal with the help of his friends and Vasily. Vasily's perspective allowed us readers to have an "outsider" perspective of the relationship between Dimitri and Alexey. Seeing Vasily's feelings for Dimitri, and his reasons for his feelings, were heartwarming. I loved seeing Vasily's competent, sensitive, and loving sides in his spy job. Speaking of Alexey we get his perspective. Diving into the perspective of an abuser, was a daring choice that I believe paid off. While Alexey's perspective is suspect, people like him unfortunately exist, and I am ultimately glad that us readers got to dive into his head.

I love how the author, Laura R. Samotin, made both a Jewish-normative and queernormative world. While many real-life horrors were depicted, I believe that it's important for people to be able to see themselves in books without needing to deal with the horrors faced in our society. Additionally, the magic and religion depicted in this book strengthened the worldbuilding of Novo-Svitsevo. I almost wish that Novo-Svitsevo were real just to hang out with Dimitri, Vasily, and Dimitri's court.

Ultimately, I loved this book, and I can't wait for the sequel! Go read this novel and support a debut author!

Note: please check the CWs of this book. They can be found on Laura R. Samotin's website.

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

The Sins on Their Bones, by Laura R. Samoan, is a dark fantasy romance about the differences between love and obsession. After his ex-husband, Alexey Balakin, betrays and ousts him for the throne of Novo-Svitsevo, former Tzar Dimitri Alexeyev now spends his days drinking and drowning in his regrets. To save Novo-Svitsevo from the corrupt ruler, Dimitri’s spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, hatches a plan that will bring himself closer to Alexey’s court, if only to try and find a way to destroy the man before he destroys Dimitri and the rest of the country. After spending more time hating himself for putting Vasily in danger, Dimitri decides to follow Vasily’s plan to remove Alexey once and for all, despite his heart breaking at the seams.

I loved the conflicts that Alexey and Dimitri go through. They show the painful truth that even though you may love each other and want to be together, it’s not enough. Alexey has a lot of ambition that overpowers his fondness for Dimitri. True, he’ll hold room for Dimitri in his heart, but he still replaced him with Ivan. He still forced his will onto Dimitri and perverted his own soul for the sake of power. Meanwhile, Dimitri has given Alexey numerous chances and was prepared to submit until life happened before suddenly finding himself on the throne. Anyone can see how much they love each other, but at the end of the day, Alexey cannot get out of his own way, and that’s why he lost Dimitri in the end. True, Vasily might not be the dark, brooding love interest we want him to end up with, but he’s miles better than Alexey. That said, I wished Samoan could make the relationship between these two more intriguing. When it came to Vasily and Alexey, to me, it felt more like puppy dog love rather than genuine, mature affection. It was almost like Dimitri settled, but that’s just me.

The Holy Science Alexey wholeheartedly gives himself to reminds me of Christian nationalism, and not in a good way. Many churches in the South had been swept up by proclamations of having their own country and kicking out those who disagreed with them; a theocracy of sorts. The fact that Alexey thinks he’s talking to God painfully reflects the hypocrisy the government is going through now. True, it might be a pseudo-fantastical world filled with (enviably) easy access to angels and demons. However, the sentiment is still the same.

Despite all the wonderful, political and religious mayhem these characters are going through, the world around them seems strangely empty. To me, this book is a sequel rather than a stand-alone; I would’ve liked to know more about Alexey and Dimitri’s relationship before Alexey became lost in power. I’d like to know what Vasily saw in Dimitri before all this happened, and not just see small snippets here and there. And while the relationship between Dimitri and Vasily was sweet, I can’t help but feel like it was a bit forced. I hate to say it, but I think that these two need to suffer a bit more before finally going through with the relationship.

This is a beautiful, horrific romance that would’ve blown my mind away had the world and relationships been more fleshed out. As such, I'm giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

4.25 stars

Oh, my heart. The Sins on Their Bones is a heartbreaking, beautiful, dark fantasy full of political intrigue, found family, trauma, love, and religion & mysticism.

Dmitri Alexeyev, the former Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, is in hiding after the loss of a civil war which saw to Dmitri's husband, Alexey Balakin, becoming Tzar. Alexey died and was resurrected as an immortal being using the Holy Science (a distortion of the Ludayzist religion), and now Alexey is a threat to Novo-Svitsevo and the surrounding lands. As Tzar, Alexey claims he is guided by the voice of G-d, and he plans to use the Holy Science to summon a demon army to obtain ultimate power. The story centers around Dmitri and what's left of his court plotting to remove Alexey from power, while also trying to come to terms with the trauma they've faced and learning that love and joy can be felt again, even after the worst pain.

I loved this book for many reasons, but I was particularly drawn to the inspiration Samotin took from Judaism in developing the Ludayzist religion. I had a deep connection with the religious aspects of the story, which, honestly, I was not expecting because while I was raised Jewish, I am no longer practicing. But the beauty (and horror) that Samotin weaves into the story through religion (and the perversion thereof) was incredible, and I found myself crying on multiple occasions.

My largest issue with TSoTB was that I felt I was missing *something*. Perhaps some more overall backstory? Or more time with other characters? I feel that there was a rich trove of stories that wasn't fully uncovered, and I just wanted more.

I saw another review liken TSoTB to both Shadow and Bone (a much darker version thereof) and Fullmetal Alchemist, and I could not describe the vibes more perfectly. I would recommend this book, but for the love of all that is good in the world: look at the content warnings before you pick this up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Canada for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Sins on Their Bones is an atmospheric debut romantasy, set in a world inspired by 19th century Russia with mythology based on Jewish folklore.

The Sins on Their Bones is a great fantasy story: Samotin captures the dark, grimy atmosphere of a post-war fantastic Russia, the zealotry and blindness of devout religious leaders who become power hungry, the corruption in the name of becoming a messianic figure, the horrors of war (physical and mental), the mysticism, the alien, immense powers who influence the world.

Alexey is a horrific villain who truly believes he is a saviour, a manipulator blinded by his ego, which blinds him to be manipulated himself. He is a fascinating figure to hate (even with the eye-rolling obedience/domination fetish) for the way he treated Dima and the delusion that his "greater goals" were justification enough for everything.

Dima is a man who when his blind love led him to be abused and utterly betrayed, got destroyed into a million pieces and gave up. He is a sad and frustrating character for a big part of the book, until the point where with the aid of his court he gradually finds the strength to fight back. He goes through hell physically as well - the story has brutal scenes. It's Russia-inspired after all.

Vasya is the one with a purpose, which made him a more interesting character. Despite his own demons, he is very strong willed and stubborn, and will never give up the quest for what he wants. He is the POV which moves the story the most. The rest of Dima's court add a found family vibe in some chapters and are the ones who force him to keep living.

Going into the plot in more detail than the blurb would spoil elements of the worldbuilding, which is the story's highlight, so I leave it up to you. Some romantasies are worth it for the romance, this one is for the fantasy!

Which brings us to the issues: the story is really slow in its first part and takes its time to find the correct pace and move from "traumatized moping" to "let's fight back". Some reviewers were put off by it and I understand it, but I promise the 2nd part is better.

The plotline tying Alexey, Dima and Vasya, the human world with the middle world, is based on power dynamics which the author unfortunately likes representing with sexual domination/submission. This is the main reason I don't give a perfect rating: this kind of dynamic is off-putting, even if it is a metaphor or a toxic, abusive relationship. There hasn't been a single sex scene which didn't include direct or indirect submission of one to the other. Nope, this doesn't work for me. It's also part of the general weakness of the story in the romance aspect: too much smut written in a way that is the opposite of cute or hot, and melodramatic resolutions to the triangle and the internal fight of the characters.

The Sins on their Bones is an overall great debut and I will definitely read the sequel Laura Samotin has already planned!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

While I enjoyed the premise of this book, it fell flat for me and I unfortunately DNFd at 50%. I appreciate the opportunity to read early but I feel like this was mis-marked to me. I don't believe I am the target audience for this book and I feel like there should have been more trigger warnings for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for providing the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are here for the feels and enjoy having your heart ripped out of your chest, this book is for you.

The sins on their bones is a dark adult fantasy novel, and when I say dark, I mean it. It's a story about complex and difficult topics, but also about friendship, love and healing. It will shatter your heart and put it back together, all in the same 400 pages: this book was able to make me feel like I hadn't felt in quite a while.

Let's start with the strongest aspect of this novel: these are some of the best characters I've read about in a long while. All of them, even the secondary characters, feel like real people, with real feelings and stories, painted out in a way that makes it easy for the reader to emotionally connect with them. It's clear from the first few pages that this is a character-driven novel and it definitely works.
There are three POV's, and although Dimitri and Vasily were obviously my favourites, I still enjoyed reading Alexey's chapters. Antagonist pov's can often be a hit or miss, but in this case I think it's done very well: they provide insight about what Alexey is thinking (instead of only knowing what Dimitri and Vasily tell us about him) and they help the plot move forward.

The writing is solid, the prose not too embellished, just how I like it; I would consider it excellent for a debut novel. The first few pages are especially great at grabbing the reader's attention and mantaining it until we have gotten to know the characters a bit and have emotionally connected with them.
The worldbuilding is interesting, reminiscent of tsarist Russia and sprinkled with a religion that is (as the author herself stated) heavily inspired by Judaism. The general setting (cities, countries...) is not very detailed, but since that's not the main focus of the novel, I'm not taking points off for that.

What I'm taking points off for is, however, the plot. The first 50%, although very enjoyable and entertaining, goes basically nowhere plotwise, and even when the events do start unfolding, the storyline moves forward in a very predictable way.
Not everything is bad though: I especially appreciated how the story starts off after the war between Dimitri and Alexey and thus offers a rather unique perspective on events, very different form what we're used to reading in fantasy novels.

While I recognise it's not for everyone, I would definitely recommend this book to readers who don't shy away from darker themes and like character led narrations. Just be mindful of content warnings.