Thank you to Penguin Group & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me!

Ginny has such a unique sense of writing and storytelling that I always enjoy, it just sucks you right in. I was captivated from the beginning of the book where Dovie starts digging for bones, and we spend the rest of the story following her and her best friend Lo try to solve the mystery of the Ozark Howler. Ginny did such a good job of building such a vivid setting for the book, I truly felt like I was in the Ozarks while reading it!

And while the story did hold my attention and I felt invested in it, it still didn’t check all the boxes for me. What I didn’t like was while reading I was trying to figure out if I was reading a romance book (Lo and Doves friends to lovers), a thriller (they’re trying to solve the mystery of the dead hikers) or a fantasy book (the Ozark howler was a cryptoid hunting down people). I also would have liked to see the ending not have been as rushed, it happened so quickly and then abruptly just ended.

Overall I definitely enjoyed this book!

Title: When the Bones Sing
Series: n/a
Author(s): Ginny Myers Sain
Genre: YA Thriller/Paranormal
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Publishing Co.: Putnam’s Sons
Length: 352 pages/ 29 chapters
Rating: 4 ⭐️ / 🌶️

Trigger Warning/ Tropes:

*Ya Thriller
*Paranormal/Supernatural
*Murder/Death
*Mental Health

When the Bones Sing by Ms. Sain is a gripping and unique read, blending suspense, paranormal elements, and a chilling atmosphere. The protagonist, Dovie "Bird" Warner, is a fascinating character with her eerie ability to hear and feel the bones of the deceased. The setting in Lucifer Creek adds a layer of intrigue too, a place with its own dark secrets. The combination of a fast-paced plot and a spine-chilling ending certainly will be appealing for fans of thrillers with a supernatural twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though it's outside of my typical genre—absolutely a great recommendation for anyone looking to dive into something a little different!

Pre-order your copy now or pick up a copy Tuesday, March 4th!

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy of When the Bones Sing in exchang for an honest review.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Ginny Myers Sain sure knows how to write hauntingly beautiful stories.

When the Bones Sing is a southern gothic tale and it tugged at my heartstrings a few times.

I was able to picture the little Ozarks town so perfectly.

I found this story very unique and it kept me guessing. I did guess part of the big reveal at one point but most of it still took me by surprise.

17 year old Dovie has a supernatural ability where she can hear the bones of the dead sing. This ability leads her to find the bones of murdered hikers in her small Ozark town. In the past three years, many hikers have been murdered. With the help of her best friend, Lo, Dovie hopes to find the killer before she ends up the next victim.

This is the 2nd book that I’ve read by this author and I liked this one much more than the first book that I read by her. I thought this book was very atmospheric and engrossing. I loved the murder mystery and the supernatural elements. There were some predictable moments and I wasn’t a fan of the romance. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read.

I think fans of YA supernatural mysteries will really enjoy this book.

3.5⭐️

This was a captivating story. The book is a Southern gothic mystery set in the Ozark Mountains, where 17-year-old Dovie navigates a world steeped in folklore and danger. Gifted with the unsettling ability to hear the bones of the dead sing, Dovie becomes entangled in a series of disappearances and murders of hikers along the Aux Arc Trail. The central mystery of it all twists and turns unexpectedly, building up to a chilling reveal that skirts the edge of horror.

Just like Ginny Myers Sain's first book, Dark and Shallow Lies, this is an excellent young adult mystery with a touch of the paranormal to spice things up. The atmosphere of Lucifer's Creek is so good. There are several potential murder suspects set up early on if you're reading closely, and while I had the correct one picked out from his first appearance (all of the suspects are men, so no spoilers there) I was still surprised by several of the turns and reveals along the way to the conclusion. This is a good mix--it means the story is written well enough that you can figure it out, but there are still surprises along the way! I really HATE a mystery where there is no way you could have guessed who the killer is; that's just not writing well, and this book does not fall into that trap. I was also worried that it was going to be a bit too like Dark and Shallow Lies in the reveal and resolution, and while there were a few similarities, it definitely wasn't the same story written again in a different spot, so kudos on that. I do think the love triangle was pretty much completely unnecessary, though.

Dovie can hear bones sing, after death the bones lead her to find them buried in the woods in the Ozarks. She inherited this ability from her mother and her grandmother. In town, she is shunned, along with her family because they do not attend church, having stopped after her mother left. Her best friend, Lo, returns to town. He left because he is haunted by the ghosts of those bones that Dovie finds. Together, they decide they need to solve the mystery of these bodies. Twenty-four missing hikers, twenty-four bodies, in just three years. But there is more to disappearances than meets the eye.

I often read novels that are trying to be atmospheric but often I find the descriptions cloying and distracting. Ginny Myers Sain is an exceptional writer. The atmosphere of Lucifer's Creek hangs over the novel, sucking the reader into the stinking, sweltering, country town in the Ozarks.

I also have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of thrillers but sometimes I find some that are just SO good that I want to keep trying the genre. This is one of those rare thrillers that I just loved. While I had my suspicions from pretty early on in the story, there were so many possibilities that it kept my interest and I was unsure throughout.

There is a bit of a love triangle, which seems to always happen in YA but it is not a main focus and does not detract from the rest of the story.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. I think it is a great addition to high school and public libraries.

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

What a good YA mystery! I felt the premise was great and immediately had me hooked. Set in the Ozarks, we are met with characters who experience supernatural phenomenons and a forest that is haunting and scary. Missing hikers have Dove in a chokehold - who is taking them, why are the cops not doing anything, and why does Dove hear their bones and find them? This story gives very similar vibes to Appalachian horror stories where the forest is a character itself. While I did figure out the culprit very early on in this story, I still enjoyed seeing the characters figure it out, develop a love triangle, and there were twists that raised the stakes that I definitely was not expecting. The imagery in the third act was great as it really felt like our characters were on a descension into hell. And ultimately who is scarier - supernatural elements or people?

The world is full of magic, even if Dovie (FMC) doesn’t believe it…I enjoyed this book, the overall concept was different from anything that I’ve read before. Having a character that could hear bones was a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed that this book had elements of suspense, romance, and thrill. I thought I knew “whodunnit” but I was so wrong. Overall, this book was well written and kept my full attention.

When the Bones Sing is a YA thriller with a Southern gothic atmosphere that gave me all the moody vibes I wanted and a chilling mystery to solve. It has touches of the paranormal and romance.

I was completely captivated by Dovie’s ability to hear the bones sing of the recently deceased. They seem to call out to her asking for peace and the building mystery behind the murders had plenty of red herrings to keep things interesting.

This story is such a captivating read blending a haunting, Southern setting with a chilling murder mystery whiling infusing it with spine-tingling paranormal elements!

Pub date is on Mar 04 2025

I love my thrillers with a heavy and descriptive atmosphere, and this novel really delivered on atmosphere for me. My mother lives in Rogers, Arkansas so I have been out in the woods in the Ozarcs before, and the writing really pained the town and the woods beautifully (if a little heavy on the metaphors in the beginning). I enjoy the intersection between thriller and supernatural, and enjoyed the spooky, witchy vibe that this novel had. Plot was well developed, with a variety of twist and turns that were fueled both by the plot and the atmosphere itself. There was one aspect of the conclusion of the story that was completely unexpected, which I enjoy being caught off guard by a writer. There was one lingering plot point that was not resolved, and I’m not sure if it intentionally ambiguous or not but I wish was explored on page. Overall, really enjoyable and spooky YA thriller!

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Dovie Warner has a gift. But some people may call it a curse. You see, Dovie has the uncanny ability of divining for the dead. She can feel the thrumming of the bones from the deceased, and has assisted the local law enforcement discover the many missing hikers in the Ozark mountains.

But there's something sinister about the missing. In three years, twenty-three bodies were found, each buried in a shallow grave. And it's up to Dovie and her friend Lowan Wilder to uncover the mystery behind the grisly murders and lay the dead to rest.

I didn't particularly care for the author's first novel. But When the Bones Sing had an interesting premise. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to read it.

The characters are unusual and reflect the unique legends of the Ozark mountain people. Almost like the Appalachian legends. They were all interesting and were fully developed into the folksy and country like residents of the area.

The story is a murder-mystery with a gothic supernatural twist. Its creepy premise of divining for the dead put an unusual spin on the narrative.

With numerous plot twists and a surprising finale, When the Bones Sing is author Sain's newest novel that shouldn't be missed. Five stars.

I received a DRC from Penguin Group through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was a fun supernatural thriller. I loved the southern representation. The concept of hearing the bones was interesting and unique. And I didn’t see the twist coming. Solid YA thriller!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers' Group for the chance to read the advance copy of When the bones sing by Ginny Myers Sain. The summary is what drew me to request this book; The bones of the dead sing to young Dovie until their bodies are discovered. However, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story, and the story dragged along. I found I couldn't care for the main character, Dovie, and the love triangle (necessary to any YA book these days) was disappointing. I am sure there will some teens who will love the story, but I just didn't enjoy it.

In a remote city of Lucifer's Creek, Arkansas, nestled in the Ozarks, Dovie has a gift that has been passed along to the women in her family. This gift allows her to hear the bones of dead hikers so that they may be found and reunited with their families. Ironically, her best friend, Lo, sees the ghosts of the dead, but Dovie does not believe him because she doesn't believe in ghosts. Not only does she not believe in ghosts, but she doesn't believe in magic either...WEIRD RIGHT!?!

Dove and Lo are trying to solve the mystery of who keeps attacking the hikers and they end up uncovering the mystery of who they are themselves. There is a slight whisper of a budding young love triangle but it is very faint.

This story is so moody and dark! Everyone in it is haunted by the ghost of something. The hauntingly dark feeling falls over the book like room-temperature peanut butter, thick and hard to move around. The development of the characters and the atmosphere was excecuted very well by the author, it deffinately made the fall downthe rabbit hole of this book, entertaining and well worth it.

The ending I did not expect!

Thank you Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers,and Ginny Myers Sain for the ARC of When the Bones Sing.

I voluntarily leave this honest review.

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for my honest review. This YA mystery/thriller had some excellent twists. I figured a few out but definitely not all of them. I liked the paranormal element a lot. The setting of a small town in the Ozarks in Arkansas was perfect for making things even creepier.

📖 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝑴𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘋𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦.”

𝑮𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝑴𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏 knocked this one out of the park! This is the third story I’ve read from her and this is hands down my favorite so far! It’s dark, spooky, and an emotional experience.

What I love most about her writing style is the level of imagery she’s able to invoke in each of her stories. I truly felt like I was inside this story, solving this mystery with Dovie. The concept and the type of ‘magic’ shown in this story was really unique!

Just when I thought I had this mystery solved, there were multiple plot twists that I honestly DID NOT see coming. Dovie’s bond with Lo was so special!

“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.” 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹. “𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬.”

The mystery and suspense were so well done and I was really satisfied by the way the ending unfolded. There is a bit of a love triangle going on which was a surprise!

“𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴. 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤.”

If you love paranormal suspense stories, you HAVE to add this book to your TBR!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✨ 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵
🔍 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 & 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦
👻 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭
🤭 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦
👹𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 & 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
🤐 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴
👀 𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴

GSM doesn’t miss! I’ve read one last breath, secrets so deep, and dark and shallow lies, and she is one of the few authors the I know is always going to be a 5 star read. Always atmospheric, always a little supernatural, and always queer representation. I cannot say enough good things about When the Bones Sing. Read it !

"When the Bones Sing" is a suspense novel with supernatural elements, likely aimed at younger readers, perhaps YA? The story, set in the Ozark Mountains, heavily relies on myths and folklore associated with the area. The mystery and eerie feeling dominate the beginning of the book, giving a sense that "something is not right here." We get to know several characters, all of whom have supernatural abilities. The main character, Dovie, hears skeletons sing, making her the police's best helper when hikers go missing in the area. More and more hikers are unearthed, and in the end, it's up to Dovie and her best friend Lo to face the evil and uncover the murderer once and for all.

The beginning of the story is definitely the strongest part of this book. I loved the atmosphere, the tension, and the expectations mixed with eerie mysticism and superstition. As the story unfolds, I found the pace became a bit too fast, and I missed some of the slow buildup that set the mood at the start. The book turns into an action-packed thriller, with several mysteries solved along the way. It's easy to read, well-written, and addictive. Unfortunately, I felt the author packed "too much" into the story, and it lost some of its southern gothic charm along the way. But all in all, a quick read that engaged me. I give it 3.5 stars.

Such a great thriller. I loved the setting, it reminded me a bit of the setting from Where the Crawdads Sing and I love those vibes. The bones singing is such a unique thing I’ve never seen in a thriller. Everything came together perfectly at the end. Would definitely recommend this one