𐙚 - Dark & Twisty YA Thriller
𐙚 - Supernatural & Gothic
𐙚 - Suspenseful & Creepy

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain is a haunting YA thriller set in the eerie Ozarks, where 17-year-old Dovie uses her gift of hearing the dead’s songs to unearth their bones. As hikers vanish from the trails near her small town, Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, Dovie teams up with her haunted best friend, Lo, to uncover the truth. The mystery spirals into dark twists, blending gothic vibes, chilling secrets, and even the legend of the Ozark Howler.

The story grips you from the start and ends with a bang. Sain’s descriptive writing immerses you in the suspenseful, creepy atmosphere, while the unique premise of “singing bones” adds a fresh twist to the genre. The small-town secrets, ghostly elements, and tense whodunit make this an edge of your seat page-turner.

With its mix of supernatural thrills, emotional depth, and vivid characters, this is perfect for fans of gothic mysteries and urban fantasy.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰/5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

*4.5 rounded up. This book was a whole journey and I loved it. The SETTING omg. A remote little mountain town full of folklore, yes please. I couldn't put this one down and it kept me guessing. The characters are wonderfully written and despite the supernatural elements the story still feels grounded in reality. The way the plot unfolds makes it nearly impossible to stop turning the pages. When the Bones Sing is a perfect blend of mystery and magic.
Thank you PenguinTeen and Netgalley for the eARC!

I absolutely love Ginny’s writing and this one I think is my favorite. This book has it all. A blend of spooky, murder mystery with paranormal elements and romance. I love how Ginny crafts her stories. The characters feel real and even though they are YA stories I think as an adult they are enjoyable too. Dovie and Lowen were such fun characters. They balanced each other so well and I love when characters have that destiny type bond. The romance never was the main focus of the story but it helped lighten the mood of this otherwise kind of dark story. Small town mystery murders are also so interesting to me because it’s always involving someone close to the characters because everyone knows everyone. I really love that cramped feeling of who can we trust. I also loved the blend of the paranormal elements and real world elements because it made this story feel like an old ghost story. That sometimes bad things happen that are unexplainable and leave us with the what ifs.

Overall this was a really great compelling YA paranormal mystery thriller. I highly recommend this and if you’re a fan of Ginny’s other books then this is a must read. If you haven’t read her books I highly recommend all of them.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the eARC #penguinteenpartner

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank you for bringing an Ozarks book to the market without the stereotypes! Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

Book:
WHEN THE BONES SING by Ginny Myers Sain
Thank you PenguinTeen and Netgalley for the Earc(Mar 4)

Review:
4.5⭐
This is only the second book I've read by this author, and so far it was my favorite---subject to change after I read Sain's two books on my shelf. .
WHEN THE BONES SING is a gothic telling of heartbreak, mixed with loss, and all of the creepy vibes. It was also a mystery that was so knotted up that it seemed almost impossible that it would unravel into a whodunit. This book follows Dovie, who can hear the dead---the bones sing to her until she unearths them. As more and more hikers disappear, she teams up with Lo to put a stop to it. What she inevitably finds is worse than she could imagine.
Like I mentioned above, I really liked this book. The story telling took me on a journey, and it was like I was picking apart the mystery, trying to solve it before Dovie could. In the beginning, I never grasped a suspect. There was no one that I thought could be responsible. Then the suspects started rushing it, and, honestly, I couldn't believe it. Especially when Dovie accused [REDACTED]. That was something I hoped would be proven wrong.
WHEN THE BONES SING started off with a punch, slacked toward the middle, and went out with a bang. Not literally, but the whodunit reveal, the action that led up to it, and the ghosts really set everything straight, and I pieced together the clues that were left throughout the novel. I would recommend this if you like Sain's previous work, but also if you like a mystery that runs deeper in a small town full of secrets.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

An amazing YA paranormal suspense mystery. You’ll keep asking ‘what is it’ and ‘who done it’ well into the last pages.

This is a southern gothic book about a girl named Dove who can hear the bones of the dead. This book has so many twists and turns I did not see coming. This was such a fun easy read and I loved Dove and her two friends as well! Overall this as a great well written mystery and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

As an Arkansan whose parents both grew up in the Ozarks of North Central Arkansas, I found "When the Bones Sing" a fascinating story of Ozark lore and mystery. I am grateful the locals of the town, Lucifer's Creek, are all offered grace by the end when the mystery is solved of several dead hikers in their area. Ms. Myers Sain captures the hillbilly mentality and family life of remote North Arkansas. She does take dramatic license to the level of witchcraft and magic that appears in daily life in the hills of the Ozarks, but it is masterfully weaved into realistic beliefs and the setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of When the Bones Sing.
I have read a lot a Appalachian horror and fantasy this year, and When the Bones Sing was nice switch to the Ozarks in the midwest, a place I have visited and enjoyed.
This is a mystery and urban fantasy about a girl who can hear the bones of the dead. She increasingly helps local police locate missing hikers on their nearby thru trail. For some reason no one is really investigating the increasing body count. Dovie doesn't really think much of it either until her best friend Lowan starts becoming haunted by the spirits of the dead hikers.
Dovie and Lowan begin investigating their town, discovering secrets, and digging up the past in this beautifully written YA horror/thriller.
Four stars!

This was an absolutely wonderful book. If you get a chance to read it please do. I was blessed to get this as an arc and I’m so glad that I was able to read it. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I have been provided with a review copy of When the Bones Sing from NetGalley for an impartial review. I just really enjoyed this story and I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. It was extremely fast paced which is what I LOVE in my books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this great read!

This book blew me away! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and could not put it down. The pacing was immaculate, this vibes were on point and the characters were so great. Very well outlined and presented. The ending took me by complete surprise. I can’t wait to reread this one at release!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. This book gave me goosebumps! I was so captivated and I had no I idea who it was. This book was so fast paced I literally could not put it down.

I loved the story. It had mystery, a touch of magic, and a little bit of horror. I loved the character development. I loved the feeling of being immersed in the community. Being from a small Arkansas town myself, the story really resonated with me.

I usually love this author but I found this one to be pretty predictable, unfortunately. I did like the dynamic between the two main leads, though!

This was really good. A bit spooky, a bit of mystery. I knew the killer well before the end but it was still good. Great setting too.

Wow! Just Wow! I LOVED this book. There is a gothic similarity to Mexican Gothic. The supernatural stories in this book and the beliefs that Dovie struggles with on whether it's true or not is phenomenal. She supports her bff Lo for believing and seeing ghosts to an extent to not hurt his feelings, but she wants to be honest in a way to recognize that her bff may need some phycological help. All the while you almost want to scream as Dovie still won't admit that her natural ability to hear the dead bones within her is magic. She is so pure in believing that the townspeople have old wives' tales and crazy stories that she loves them but also has a logical take on what's going on. Her growth to finding the truth and missing pieces let her evolve for truths and the openness to really be able to see what she hasn't been able to truly believe in. The twists in this murder story is creepy and surreal. I love the emotional tear you can have toward the characters and understand the demons that they carry even if it's telling a lie or protecting their families. It's a thriller that I cannot wait to come out. A love story based on hardships and true screwed up-ness in a small town. Lastly, it's best for a cool fall day with a blanket, coffee/ tea on a patio.

I really liked the idea of this book. It started off really strong and the idea of Dovie hearing the bones sing of missing hikers is what drew me in. I thought the middle was really slow and almost put it down. About 85% into the book is where it picked up hence the 3 star rating. I enjoyed the ending.