3.25 stars
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I was left disappointed. It took me a month and a half to read it.
The world building was good and the magic system was really interesting. I enjoyed seeing how bringing bones back to life played out, how it worked, and what happened to the creatures themselves. My main complaint is that there were too many points of view and time jumps. It made it hard to keep the timeline straight and remember who was who. There were too many subplots that distracted from the main storyline.
I didn't like any of the romance aspects, even though they were minimally present. The story would've been better without them being a consideration. Azul and Enjul had such a power imbalance, it was kind of gross that they started to be attracted to each other.
The story started off slow, and then got interesting around 60% with crazy plot twists that were done well and unexpected. I got really into the story at the point and was excited to see how it all played out. Then at 85% it lost its momentum and started jumping all over the place trying to catch the reader up with what had been happening elsewhere. So many points were left unanswered at the end. Nereida made it seem like she wanted her brother back, because she told him he would come back, and then it wasn't him. We don't know what is going to happen with the witch and de Gracia. It seems like it is being set up for a sequel, but I don't think the story is strong enough for that.
I think some restructuring of the storyline progression would make this better, because it had a lot of potential. The concept is interesting and Azul is a great main character. She is strong and has lots of resolve and focus. She was definitely the best part of the story, and I enjoyed seeing her growth and not willing to be walked over.

I really enjoyed the reveal and that it was set up just enough to pick up on but not glaringly obvious. I also enjoyed Azul's character. It was a little hard to keep track of who was who at first. I also wish we'd spent more time with the Emissary even though he was a little delusional. My biggest complaint is that I wish the book had been longer, there was so much build up but everything came together and resolved rather quickly compared to all the setup.

The first chapter had me intrigued, then we kept flipping back to the past which really took me out of the story.
The premise had a lot of potential but it just wasn't working for me.
DNF 14%
arc provided by Netgalley

This one was not for me, it was a bit confusing and didn't peak my interest. I think this story was just not for me.

Unfortunately, this book has broken my streak of correctly guessing plot twists, and I'm trying not to be mad about it because it was definitely guessable in hindsight.


Mistress of Bones has an extremely interesting concept: the gods gave up their bodies to become land for the mortals, but now that the mortals are stealing the remains of those bodies, the gods want to intervene. The worldbuilding was definitely what drew me to this book; one of my favorite microtropes is gods walking among mortals or being directly involved in their lives. And I did like the worldbuilding in this novel, but sometimes it wasn't executed well (it's never clear exactly what the "Anchors" are in terms of visual imagery), and I think the story would've benefited from a map and/or a dramatis personae. I really needed a dramatis personae given how many characters are involved and how many of them disappear for chapters and are easily forgotten.

Azul's sister is a walking corpse, and Azul is the only thing keeping her alive. When Azul's sister suddenly dies again, Azul is prevented from bringing her back by the Emissary of Death. He proposes a deal: she will help him find the other necromancer causing issues around the world, and in exchange, she will be allowed to raise her sister from the dead once more. As much as I liked the idea for this story, I think there were some issues in the execution. Almost every chapter has a past and a present section, which can make it difficult to keep track of the timelines, especially because the past sections don't occur in chronological order either. I think these sections might've worked better as simple flashbacks, but as it stands, they break up the flow of the plot. The second half of the story was definitely more interesting than the first. It takes about 40% or so to establish the stakes, goals, and direction of the plot. I liked the twists toward the end, and I think this book introduces some interesting premises for a sequel, but the pacing was a bit inconsistent, and I think it took too long to get into the main action of the storyline.

I also struggled to connect to the characters, and looking at other reviews, this seems to be a common issue. Azul is fine as a protagonist - I've read about the necromancer sister trope a handful of times, and it's one of my favorites - but she's very impulsive, and it took almost 80% of the book before I was truly rooting for her. Enjul was very intriguing, but he wasn't in half the chapters, and we only spent a handful of pages in his POV, so his internal motivations are a bit vague at times, and I think he just needed more page time. Nereida was interesting too, but suffered the same issue as Enjul, whereas Count de Anvi was similar to Azul in that he had a lot of page time, but I found him pretty boring and didn't completely understand his relevance to the main plot. There were a lot of other random characters, none of which I paid too much attention to because half of them disappeared after a few chapters, but that proved to be my downfall when I missed the main plot twist.

Mistress of Bones is a YA fantasy featuring minimal romance, an interesting cast of characters, complex and unique worldbuilding, and a mystery plot with hints of court intrigue. I would recommend it to fans of Tara Sim's City of Dusk.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.25/5

The premise of Mistress of Bones had me so intrigued, but the pacing and plot left a lot to be desired. So bummed!

Mistress of Bones is an impressive debut, but I am not completely sold on it. I really enjoyed the writing style, which reminded me of somewhat Leigh Bardugo, so I am very interested to see Medina improve. The pacing and the plot however: there was so much going on that it felt like nothing was going on, and it became a very anticlimactic story overall. For the characters I would say I am invested in them, but not connected. We got MANY points of views, mainly Azul's, but they came at random and constantly shifted timelines.

I think this series (I am assuming it's a series with that epilogue) has a lot of potential to grow, and I will be ordering it for my library, but I just wish this first book had been a bit simpler.

Just finished reading this and part of me loves this concept so much because I've been playing the Dragon Age games!! The necromancy, ancient secrets, and a gothic scenery give this book such a unique touch, as well as moments of tension that do frame the development of the story very well. Even though I felt as the pacing was a bit slow at times, the world-building and aspects of dark fantasy did wrap me into every chapter.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This story has one of the most unique plots and premise that I have read in a long-time. Azul del Arroyo can bring people back from the dead--so long as she has their bones. When she travels with her beloved sister, Isadora, to the land of Lord Death, the sister she once brought back to life is once again claimed by death when reaching the shores. But no bones mark the place where Isadora ceased to exist, and Azul is desperate to return home to her sister's bones and raise her once more. But Death does not like when what is his, is taken. When Lord Death's Emmisary Virel Enjul, is sent to investigate the mysterious death and suspects that Azul is the source of the strange scene blemishing his Lord's land. Enjul is determined to keep Azul away from bones, to stop her from using her gifts, and to stop any others that may defy the will of his Gods.


I wish I could give this a higher rating, but the story struggled from time shifts that were at variable intervals, and POVs that did not align with any particular time or place related to the current action (that I could perceive). The opening is heavy from info dumping of names and surnames that eventually matter to the story. But, the overwhelming amount of telling during the opening makes it hard to discern which characters matter and *when*. The overall plot is comprised of the weaving together of different times and perspectives that ultimately time back and build on the opening of the story. It was a well thought out fantasy, with an intriguing world and set of characters, a half blink of romance, and much more focus on family and friendships. I plan to read the second book as the last third of the story did push me to wanting to know how our myriad cast of characters moves forward from where we leave them.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. While the premise sounded incredibly interesting and unique, the execution wasn’t my favourite. The pacing and the multiple time periods became confusing and challenging to read at times. Overall, the characters, world building and storyline just ended up falling flat for me.

Azul de Arroyo discovered an ability to bring back the dead at a young age, starting with animals, and eventually her fourteen year old sister who died from an illness. When Azul and Isadora travel to a new place, that is imbued with the presence of Lord Death, Azul loses her sister again. Azul is determined to bring Isadora back, but she is confronted by one of Lord Death's Emmisaries who is out to stop her at all costs. Now Azul is caught up in a world she wasn't expecting and facing betrayals and secrets, as well as conflicted feelings for Lord Death's Emmisary, Enjul.

Mistress of Bones is the first book in a fantasy duology. The premise of the book really grabbed my interest with the combination of a young necromancer, the acts of the gods, a faceless witch, and romance. I really enjoyed the different agendas that all of the characters had, and it kept the story interesting. The court politics and scheming also brought great tension to the story.

I didn't find myself as invested in Azul's character, as much as other female characters in fantasy books, but I loved the power that she possessed and that she just wanted to be able to use it to bring back her loved one. And I think one of the reasons I had a harder time with this story, was because I felt like I didn't connect with any of the characters. There seemed to be too many and too much going on, that left me feeling like I just wasn't getting enough depth from the story. The romance between Azul and Enjul seemed to start out with the promise of a great slow burn, and then just fizzled, leaving me disappointed in their relationship. There also seemed to be a lot of side plots that didn't add anything to the main story for me, and there were too many unanswered questions with the world building by the time I reached the cliffhanger at the end of the book.

I think Mistress of Bones has a great underlying storyline and could definitely appeal to readers who enjoy multiple POV/timeline fantasy, with magic, gods, romance, questionable characters, and secrets and betrayals.

DNF at ~35%

I tried really hard to get into this one as the premise was very fascinating, but unfortunately this book isn’t for me.

Some of the things that didn’t work for me:
- The execution of the different POVs made it hard to stay invested in the story. The action was very slow/simple and with the swapping between POVs, it was very hard to keep picking up the book to continue reading, which is usually a sign that I am not becoming invested in the characters or the story.
- The movement between the present and various times in the past (a few days ago, a month ago, a year and a half ago, etc), made it quite difficult to conceptualize the timeline of events. I was never able to really ground myself as a reader and follow along with events as they occurred in the reading - I felt like I understood the events occurring but not how they related to each other or the story at all at times.

This story might be more enjoyable for those who enjoy a very slow build up and complex plotlines that interweave later in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher!

Mistress of Bones was a book I really struggled with, it never truly hooked me at any point. While the story is quite original, the writing felt very slow and heavy, often going in circles over the same ideas. Honestly, if a book doesn’t grab you within the first 50 pages, chances are it won’t do so later on either, and that’s exactly what happened to me.

I wouldn’t say it was torture to read, but it came close. It was slow, repetitive, and not particularly engaging. It also felt very impersonal in the way it was told, it didn’t make me connect with the characters or the story itself. So, even though the premise was interesting, I didn’t enjoy it.

Oh boy, where to begin with this... I struggled with this one. I started it in March, had to put it down due to life getting in the way, restarted it to try again, and then finally got it done. I even looked it up online to verify this is in fact YA and not adult, which adjusted the rating to be honest.

The overall idea is really interesting - Azul del Arroyo can essentially create life from the bodies of one who has died. This is a world where the Gods gave up their own bodies to keep the world from falling into a void, and here is Azul "stealing" from the god of Death. Dubbed a necromancer or "malady", she is stopped by Virel Enjul, emissary of the Lord of Death, and the two end of traveling to the capital to find another like herself, but one that enslaves the resurrected. That's an extremely basic summary of the book.

Here are my issues, and I have many but it boils down to a couple of things: I do not care.

I feel absolutely nothing for these characters, because there isn't really any development or depth to them. Azul has this amazing gift and has used it to "save" her sister's life, but has to keep this hidden. Cool. Makes sense.... except it doesn't. The reason being is the knowledge she has about her gift. How could she have all this knowledge when she hasn't really been using it? And the "romance" with Virel?? Not believable in the slightest. It was rushed with what felt like a check list of moments: have to Azul get lost in his eyes, have to have Virel feel the need to protect her without knowing why, have to have the "longing". But it's the way it is presented feels lackluster.

The time & POV jumps were also VERY obnoxious. Honestly, it took so much away from the plot that I got lost more than I gained anything.

Overall, it probably fine as an introduction to YA fantasy, but this read like a third draft that needed more editing and fleshing out of plot. The idea of Anchor is still lost to me - is it an ore? Rock? No idea. Considering that's a major factor in the plot, it's disconcerting. Perhaps I was expecting too much from this novel. It had such promise, but I don't feel the need to continue this series.

While I am so very grateful for the ARC, I am having to DNF at 54% when I began really dragging myself through it at 32%. I can see this book being enjoyed by those who really loved the quick world-building and plethora of namedrops in the beginning of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo or the quickly switching point-of-views of Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland. Mistress of Bones is listed as a romantic fantasy and I've failed to pick up on any chemistry or romantic undertones at all beyond the subtle indications that someone's physically beautiful in some way.
The world is so very interesting and it kills me to not be able to see this tale through to its conclusion but I'm just not having a good time reading it. I'm floundering and trying to connect with these characters but the story is so disjointed and the time jumps back and forth between past and present do it no favors when those instances don't further the plot in any meaningful way. The cadence of narration reminds me of my biggest gripe in old high school reading curriculums where we read The Scarlet Letter or Frankenstein - there's just far too many words. It needs to be trimmed down significantly so that the focus can remain upon the plot rather than the decorations and lore of the world around the characters.

DNF at 32%. I couldn’t get into the story. The world building was interesting, and I enjoy fantasy books about necromancy, but I didn’t like any of these characters and was a little confused the whole time I was reading it.

DNF at 12%

This has one of the worst info dumps I have read in many years. This really needs to be cleaned up and trimmed down to keep readers interested. The very beginning about the younger sister wanting to raise her other sister from the dead is just fine. But then it throws you into endless paragraphs of why these clothing styles matter, religious lore and always telling you what's important. This is what authors and writing courses tell you not to do. A lot of this information can be saved for later in order to speed up what's going on and narrow in on what actually matters. I did not like getting all this stuff thrown at me and I didn't care. I lost interest very quickly.

I tried to get into this one but really wasn't enjoying it. Idk if it was the characters or the flipping back and forth between the past and the present but I couldn't get invested in the story and didn't have any desire to pick the book up to find out what happens next. The cover is stunning and made me think I would enjoy the book but sadly I don't think this one is for me.

First, I'm grateful to the publisher for granting me an e-copy and a chance to read this. Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. It's an early DNF at 26%-- I wasn't captivated by the characters or the plot. The premise sounds interesting and promising, but the execution just fell flat. But don't let that turn you off-- give it a chance because everyone is different, and what may not work for others may work for you.

Azul del Arroyo is a young woman with the ability to bring people back from the dead by touching one of their bones. When her sister Isadora died, Azul secretly resurrected her. Years later, the two of them are given the opportunity to travel. Upon stepping foot on new soil, Isadora immediately dies again. Azul is held for questioning and vows to bring her sister back again.

Emissary Virel works for Death and is called in to investigate the murder. He suspects Azul is a necromancer, which is repulsive to him and Death, and plans to take her away to see what makes her tick.

When it becomes clear that there is a second necromancer actively bringing people back to life, Azul and Virel have to work together to bring them down, while still trying to achieve their own opposing agendas.

This book had interesting world building. The gods have given the world their bones, called Anchor, to stabilize the continents. Over time, people have dug up Anchor to be used elsewhere. There is legislation being discussed to prevent Anchor from being dug up.

I think this book was hurt by the multiple POVs and jumping around in time. De Anvi is a character we're introduced to early on but doesn't actually do much until the very end. He even acknowledges that he doesn't know who Azul, our main character, is. Maybe he has more to do in a sequel, but all the witch/court drama felt like a totally separate plot line. Nereida helps Azul escape in exchange for bringing someone back to life, but then she seems content to just wait around for Azul as things get more and more complicated.