
Member Reviews

i want to start off by saying, i only read 80% of this book before i finally just gave up. i really struggled with this and for some reason found it very disjointed and confusing. it didn’t seem to flow well at all for me. i was very excited for this based off of the description, but the execution was a total fail in my opinion. it was just messy and i kept having to go back and reread because i was confused.

This was such a cool premise for a book, but it just didn’t deliver like I had hoped.
Brace yourself for a lot of info dumping and a slower pace. To me the romance was lackluster and superficial with more of a physical appreciation than true attraction. It’s definitely a slow burn. I found myself slogging through the multiple POVs and timeline changes and it left me more confused than anything most of the time. This book pulled me in so many directions and I think more time spent editing and streamlining the story a little more would have done wonders for it.
That being said, I did find the world and magic system to be really cool even if it wasn’t executed as well as I had hoped. I think necromancer storylines are awesome and I love when it’s the character is from a more inconspicuous background that comes with the world changing powers. And when it’s the FMC who’s got the powers? Yes, please! The concept of the gods and how they oversee things was also really interesting. I also liked the sisterhood aspect and how devoted Azul was to her sister and bringing her back and the concept of how Azul used bones to do so was really cool. The action and fight scenes were fun too.
Overall this book was okay, but I think another round of edits could’ve truly made it shine as it truly is a unique concept that just needed a little reorganizing and polishing.

DNF around 30%. I think the premise is super unique and definitely piqued my interest. Unfortunately, it the execution ended up not necessarily being my cup of tea. I think there is definitely an audience out there for this and the author had very strong bones for this story. If Mistress of Bones sounds like something you'd enjoy or you also find the story to have potential, definitely give it a try!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy.

thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Sadly, I DNF'd this at 30%. The premise was good, I just couldn't get into it.
The info dumping and multiple point of views / going back and forth in time made it had to really immerse myself in the story.

Mistress of Bones
by Maria Z. Medina
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug 5, 2025
St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books
Ages: 14+
Upon stepping onto a new land, Azul's sister crumbled into dust. Determined to bring her back again, Azul will do anything to get back to the city where her bones lie.
It is the Emissary of the Lord Death's duty to stop her, to capture her, and to study her.
Thinking she'd escaped him, she searches for her sister's bones, taking refuge in her brother's home. A nobleman, her mother (a surrogate mother), birthed for that family.
The Emissary caught up with her. Discovering that someone else was waking the dead, she agrees to help find the person.
This was an okay story, but it wasn't as action-packed or attention-grabbing as I was hoping. The world was interesting, as was Azul's gift (power). But in a way, I thought the Emissary was more interesting than Azul. He was a very well-developed character for.... spoiler... Azul's character was also developed, but something was missing, what, I don't know. I do know that some of the rambling could have been taken out.
As for the ending... I wasn't expecting … spoiler, but I was expecting... spoiler and spoiler...
There is violence, (no, not swashbuckling) and a touch of romance, but it didn't even get that far so I think this is suitable for readers fourteen and older.
The book cover is cool, though it makes it seem as if there's more to the book, and that's the same with the title. Yes, bones come into play, but I don't feel that it matches her character. Maybe the title of the next book will better suit her character, which I may read.
A low...
3 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, at 40% in, I'm going to DNF. The premise sounded amazing, a necromancer trying to bring her sister back from the dead? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the execution just isn't going well at all. We don't really get a lot of character development from any of the characters in the book so far. With the sister, you would think that there would be more background laid out for her to form a connection, making you really want to root for Azul to accomplish her task. However, not much is provided. The story is also drawn out with different POVs, bouncing around past to present, which do not come together well. I found my mind starting to wander while reading this. I think it definitely could do with a thorough editing to keep the reader more engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the arc!
**2.5 stars** Sadly, this was another case of interesting premise, but mediocre execution. There were many times I wanted to DNF, but I pushed through—not because it was terrible, but because it had just enough to keep me going.
We follow Azul del Arroyo, a female necromancer seeking to retrieve her late sister’s bones from Death in order to revive her. However, her unethical plan is interrupted by the emissary of Lord Death. After a brief encounter, the two find themselves entangled in unusual circumstances alongside a count, a faceless witch, and a long-lost brother. As they spend more time together, the emissary develops a reluctant attraction to Azul, all while the fate of the land hangs by a thread. With secrets revealed and traitors emerging, the two must work together to save humanity.
Starting with the good things, I really liked the writing style. Story had a rich setting and the prose fit perfectly with the book’s dark, atmospheric vibe. I enjoyed the budding attraction between Azul and the emissary and that basically became the only thing I rooted for in this entire book. I had to push through the beginning because I was bored to tears but since the story is told in multi-POV, things finally picked up once three of the characters’ storylines converged—around the 52% mark.
That said, the story was often hard to follow. Aside from Azul and the emissary, it was difficult to discern what each character's main objective was. One POV in particular was especially boring. As a visual reader, I found the writing hard to imagine clearly—the tone felt quite flat and monotone. There were also time jumps that didn’t add much and felt largely unnecessary. While this book is the first in a duology, it wraps up so cleanly that it reads more like a standalone.
I really wanted to like this especially because the cover is beautiful but sadly it was a disappointing read.

Had to dnf this one. Such promise too but then it turned into a slog that I couldn’t bring myself to get through. Way too many characters introduced without enough back story. If there could have been more character building with the world building, maybe it would have let me get more in. Really sad because the accidental necromancer angle was actually really cool.

Mistress of Bones has a fascinating premise and a beautifully dark tone that immediately drew me in. The concept of necromancy, bone magic, and an Emissary of Death made for a unique and compelling setup. I also really appreciated the emotional drive behind Azul’s mission—her desperation to bring her sister back gave the story a strong emotional foundation. The romance with Virel Enjul had great potential, and while their chemistry and banter were enjoyable, I wished their relationship had been explored in greater depth.
That said, I struggled with the execution at times. The multiple POVs and timelines made the story feel disjointed, and I often found myself confused about the rules of the world or the motivations behind some characters. The pacing was also uneven, especially in the middle. Still, there’s a lot of creativity here, and readers who enjoy romantic fantasy with rich lore may find plenty to appreciate.

A Necromancer and an emmisary of death?! I LOVE to see fresh subject material in the fantasy genre. If youre looking for something to cleanse your pallet of some oversaturated topics and themes in fantasy this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
Not for me. It feels far too similar to a book I read last year that was far, far better.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Too many POVS and the beginning was too overwhelming. Gave it an honest shot but found myself leaning towards another book.

Azul is a necromancer who wants nothing more than to bring her sister back from the dead, but Lord Death has other ideas. What initially intrigued me about this book was the plot. I haven't read many books dealing with necromancy. The best part about this book for me was the world-building. The characters and world felt developed, which allowed me to fully grasp the setting and plot points. However, the pacing and overall plot didn't really click for me. It was lacking in a general way making its ard for me to get through the book.

Favorite quote(s):
"The gods look after each other, so we must look out for our own."
"Azul del Arroyo might be your sister, but she's under my protection. If anything happens to her, you shall have to answer to me."
"And you are you?"
"Your end, if she goes missing again."
Review:
I found this book and its concept to be fascinating. I enjoyed the characters, the world, and the romance between Azul, the necromancer who was trying to get her sister back, and Virel Enjul, the Emissary to the Lord of Death. Though I wish it had gone a bit deeper between them. They had incredible banter and chemistry, but it just didn't get beyond that. But I enjoyed what was there. I also loved the sibling bonds and their strength. There were moments it felt slow and times it was confusing, mainly with it being multiple POV. I felt it could have been executed a bit better. Even with some minor issues, I found this book entertaining, and I liked that each character had their goals, even when they went against another’s. The ending was interesting, and I didn't see it coming. Overall, I enjoyed this story. I just felt like there needed to be a bit more work on its execution at times.

I cannot wait for the follow up to this book and it’s not even out yet I am OBSESSED. As a retired computer gaming girlie I was all in when I saw this was a lady necromancer but what I wasn’t expecting was the overwhelm of feelings I would end up with from the immense bonds of sisterhood. Mistress of Bones is what spooky girls dreams are made of, including a little slow SLOW burn warm fuzzies (if you’re into tall, blonde, and deadly). Crossing all my extremities that this gets a beautiful edition because I loved it.

I absolutely loved this book! Reading Mistress of Bones felt like peeling the layers off of a delicious fruit with every new reveal more tantalizing than the last. By the end of the story, I couldn’t believe I would have to wait at least a year to know how things would end. The other highlights for me in Mistress of Bones were the sisterly bond between Azul and Isadora, which was central to the story even though we don’t see much of Isadora, as well as the game of cat and mouse between Azul and Virul. The underlying romantic tension between Azul and Virul was phenomenal and I loved the pieces of world building we got in this book. It reminded me a bit of Tara Sim’s The Dark Gods so if you enjoyed that you will likely enjoy this book.

What a journey. Sad, tragic, heartbreaking... I couldn't stop reading it. A young sister has the power now, ten years after her sister's death, to revive her. She only needs one or two fingers and bones to defy Lord Death, and she travels with Lord Death's subject in an enemy-to-lovers (touch her, and I'll kill you) kind of couple. But I didn't expect the ending. Crying in the corner.
Scheduled insta post Friday 20th june

I was a bit disappointed in this book overall. I just wasn't invested in the plot or the characters, even though I really wanted to be.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina in exchange for an honest review.
This romantic fantasy had a really unique premise, and the cover is beautiful and is what really caught my attention. The premise starts with lords who forged the land and anchored it with chains made from their own bones, only to now demand those bones back. That alone had me intrigued. Add in a necromancer FMC on a desperate quest to steal her sister’s body back so she can bring her back from death, and a MMC that is the Emissary of Death sent to stop her, this booked seemed to have checked all the boxes.
Unfortunately, the execution of the plot didn’t do anything for me.
I struggled with the world-building, or lack thereof, and I often found myself confused about how the magic worked, who the characters were and why I should care about them, and what was at stake. The story unfolds through multiple timelines and POVs, which can be compelling when done well—but here, it added to the disorientation rather than explaining the narrative and background. With limited background and emotional development, it was difficult to connect. There is romance and a few twists throughout, but again I found that I didn’t really care due to my lack of understanding of the characters.
While this book wasn’t for me, I think the premise was still unique and there will be readers who enjoy this type of writing more than I did.

Such a great fantasy romance! Adored the writing and the setting, and it was so easy to fall in love with the characters. I can't wait to read more of this author's work!