This had such a fun and enticing premise, I loved the idea of this book. Love necromancers and a dark enemies to lovers story. However, this one missed the mark somewhere for me. I did the audio for this book, and I just kept getting lost on what is happening and why. It felt a bit disjointed and didn't flow well. As well as slow. The characters were not that interesting, and sometimes almost interchangeable. I just couldn't get into their quests.

The need to love the darkness of it, just didn't win over how I kept getting distracted from this story, and still it felt like I missed nothing. It was dragged out.

However, I loved the idea that this was based on Spanish lore. That the bones were the ones needed to re-create a human, I loved the character of Nerida, and her darker secrets that she kept close to her heart, and made her who she is.

This was a great fantasy mixed with mystery and plenty of intrigue. Loved the characters, lush world building & lots of weaving plot. I’m looking forward to where this series leads.

Wow. Just, wow.

This is really a stand-out this year so far for me in terms of fantasy, especially when it comes to worldbuilding. Medina has a gift, really, and I do not say that lightly. The worldbuilding is the crown jewel of this book. The whole concept of continents made from the bones of gods is just absolutely phenomenal and haunting.

Likewise, I really loved the overall atmosphere of this book. This was described as “swashbuckling,” and it definitely has Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. The necromancy, the gods and mythology, the duels, all of it was so good.

My only complaint is that the large cast of characters was a bit overwhelming, especially with all the perspective changes happening. Sometimes it felt like I had managed to start reading a different book entirely, and it took me a moment to connect it to the broader story. I liked all of the characters, but I feel that maybe some things were lost in the effort to juggle so many characters and plot points.

I was so excited for this seeing the description of it being like a RPG.

However, I could barely get through this. The jumps in timelines is horrible, and if you have to step away, you have to seriously think about what was happening before you could continue.
The characters fell flat, you barely got to know them, and you need that to become invested emotionally. Maybe it's because I'm not a plot-driven reader, but that alone made this difficult. I get the concept, it's set up like a puzzle, but it just doesn't work for this book at all.

Basically, I love this book if it was concept alone. Maybe it should've stayed in the drafts for a bit longer until there was more skill behind it.

This is a dark, atmospheric fantasy that drew me in with its unique magic system rooted in bones and sacrifice. I loved how the Spanish-inspired mythology gave the world a distinct and refreshing flavor, and the atmosphere was both eerie and beautiful. Azul’s fierce determination to bring her sister back from Death made her a compelling protagonist, and the dynamic with Lord Death’s emissary added a sharp edge of tension and romance. The multi-POV storytelling expanded the scope, weaving politics, secrets, and betrayals into the narrative. While it’s the first of a duology, it already feels epic in scale, and I’m eager to see where Azul’s journey, and this darkly imaginative world, go next.

It took me a while to get into this one. Chapter 1 has A LOT of exposition—which I suppose in the long run is for the best: get the exposition out of the way and DIVE into the story—and DIVE IT DID.

Unlike a lot of readers, it seems, I *liked* the varying POVs and flashbacks. I think Medina made it work. I *do* think it can feel bewildering at first (I surmise this is the point—like wtf is going on here???), but you get used to it easily enough.

The plot starts slowly and then speeds up to a fever pitch and leads to a villain I was admittedly not expecting. Medina gives you so many different pieces of the puzzle—the mystery to whom is the “second” necromancer is, with Azul, our FMC, serving as our first necromancer.

I liked the character of the faceless witch and the feeling that, well, she could be ANYONE, was a bit unsettling, especially after one scene towards the end that I won’t spoil here, but that left me gasping aloud/shrieking “wait….WHAT?”

The MMC Enjul left me feel a whole lotta meh, BUT he sorta kinda changes in the end (you’ll see) in a way that made me curious about getting my hands on the sequel(s) that are undoubtedly headed our way.

One more thought: the magic system, world building, and mythos of the book is SO DIFFERENT than what I typically read that I really enjoyed it. Felt like an alternate universe version of Spain in the maybe…1600s? I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Maria Z. Medina for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this so badly but unfortunately, even with the gorgeous premise and lush prose, I struggled fully engaging in the story. Part of it was the shifting timelines, part of it was how abruptly some POVs changed and pulled me out of the flow of the narrative. I was emotionally detached from the characters and as a character-driven reader that’s not where I want to be.
I would recommend Mistress of Bones to people who enjoy nonlinear storytelling and gothic magic systems.

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This had a really interesting premise, but I found it hard to follow. There are alot of characters with very similar names and I struggled to keep them all straight. The timeline also jumps around alot from chapter to chapter which also makes the storyline hard to follow because you aren't really sure what part of the story you are in because it isn't consistent from chapter to chapter "when" you are. There is some romance, however it is a secondary plotline and not the main focus. It is more of a promise for more to come. The magic system is interesting and Azul's dedication and love for her sister is compelling.

I would have liked more background info on the gods and how the magic is tied to them. I love mythology and lore, but I like a bit of an explanation on how that all works together. Hopefully there is more to come in book 2. The pacing is a bit on the slower side for my preferences when it comes to fantasy, but the ending was interesting enough for me to want to pick up the next book and see where things go.

The audio narration was excellent. Ana Osoria does a wonderful job

This book had everything I love in a dark, high-stakes fantasy world. Azul’s quest to bring back her sister was the emotional heart of the story, and I loved how it wove grief into something so compelling. Honestly, the premise is killer, and the worldbuilding was fascinating.

That said, I think the format made a big difference in my experience. Because the audiobook was absolutely phenomenal. The narrator brought the sprawling cast to life, adding weight and atmosphere that made me sink into the story in a way I’m not sure I would have on page. I’d actually go as far as to say the audiobook is the best way to experience this book, because it smooths out SOME of the confusion.

And confusion there was. Between the many POVs and the nonlinear timeline, I often found myself disoriented. Time jumps popped up really often, so they killed the momentum just when I was most invested. It’s not that the story didn’t have depth (it absolutely did), but I kept wishing it had chosen focus over fragmentation. With fewer perspectives and a straighter timeline, this could have been much more powerful. The romance also didn’t fully land for me. It had potential, but felt rushed and more like an aside than a fully developed thread. I wanted more time to sink into it, more burn, more payoff, more chemistry.

All that said, I still had a good time with this book. Medina’s imagination is bold, and the prose itself was rich and absorbing. A great story in which the scope just needed a tighter frame, in my opinion.

Big thanks to the author, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC! I definitely recommend trying this one on audio. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

3.5

This was such an interesting premise and I love necromantic magic, but I wanted a little more from this.

I enjoyed all the characters and their POVs, as I love seeing inside different people’s heads and why they act the way they do. They were all quite different which kept things feeling fresh, and it was neat to see how they overlapped.

I wish the magic had been explained more. There were things the FMC understood about her ability without explaining why, even though she had only barely used it up to that point. I also found a lot of the descriptions of her using it to be lackluster, just saying she knew something without saying what they actually looked or felt like to her.

I was having a better time with it before I got to the twist near the end, which came out of left field for me and did not seem like where the book was going to go. It was hard for me not to compare it to a recently completed trilogy where this same twist was done very well and all made sense when you looked back on it. I didn’t feel that way here, and was a little disappointed at how I imagine the story will change from here.

Overall this was an interesting book with a lot going for it, but some details could have been explained more and the ending left me disappointed. I’ll continue reading the series to see where it goes.

Thanks to the publisher for the copy.

This had an intriguing premise, and I liked the way the fantasy elements blended with the romance. The YA tone came through strongly, with plenty of emotion and self-discovery. While some parts of the story felt a bit predictable and I wanted a touch more depth in the worldbuilding, the main character’s journey was still engaging. It’s the kind of read you can finish in a couple of sittings, and I think younger fantasy romance readers will enjoy it most.

She can defy death with just one bone and he is the emissary of death and must keep the god in control of his own realm.

This was such a fun, adventure of a book. I really liked our main characters and their banter and sass. The romance was a slow burn and I love that the story focused on a fascinating magic and wove in parts of dreams and masks and witches. The audio was great, and I bounced between the audio and the e-copy to help me keep the characters and stories straight.

The story held me enthralled until the very end. Even though I anticipated a few twists, they were still so fun and a few were surprising! This is a good YA fantasy - and start of a duology!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

necromancer azul del arroyo only wants one thing: to reclaim her sister’s bones so that she can steal her sister back from death. the emissary of the lord death will do anything to stop her, though, no matter how alluring he finds her. however, they soon find out that the fate of the lands is at risk, and azul might have to defy more gods than death to keep humanity alive.

with such a gorgeous cover and being comped to the bone shard daughter and six of crows, both of which i loved, i was quick to add this to my tbr. i can see similarities with both comps, from the bone magic to the technical heist (i mean, azul was aiming to steal back her sister’s bones and life, after all). this book was its own, though, and i enjoyed seeing how medina explored the necromancy and other magic aspects. there were also so many interesting relationships depicted, from estranged siblings, to enemies attracted to one another, even to what was essentially a parasite and a host.

overall, this was an intriguing book. i would recommend this to ya fantasy readers.

I wanted to love this book, it was all things I love, Gods, Necromancy and bringing people back from bones. However, I got lost in the multiple POV and non linear time jumps which made it a bit confusing to follow along. I wanted more from the main character Azul and it took very long to get to De Avi's story. This is not a Romantasy or Romance at all, there is very little connection between Necromancer Azul and Virel Enjul, Emissary of the Lord Death. I wanted more of her, more of them, more of a connection. Overall for me, it just fell flat.

This is not your soft, candlelit fantasy. This is “the gods are dead but still petty, the court wants your head, and your sister’s skeleton is somewhere it shouldn’t be” energy. And I loved every bone-rattling second.

Azul del Arroyo is a necromancer with a mission: find her sister’s remains, bring her back to life, and maybe not accidentally unleash a divine crisis in the process. Easy, right? Well… if you ignore the faceless witches, scheming royals, and the Emissary of Lord Death—a man who is somehow both your worst nightmare and exactly the person you want showing up in said nightmare.

“The romance is all slow-burn danger with a side of ‘is this foreplay or a threat?’” He’s shadowy, commanding, and—annoyingly—kind of right about things. It’s not enemies-to-lovers so much as “we’re on opposite sides of a supernatural mess but also maybe I want to kiss you in between sword fights.”

The worldbuilding is decadent and macabre—entire cities built on the bones of forgotten gods, magic that’s literally stitched together from the dead, and political intrigue sharp enough to cut glass. Yes, it’s occasionally confusing (there’s a lot going on), but honestly? It adds to that “I’m lost in a fever dream” feeling that works for this kind of dark fantasy.

Final thoughts: If you like your heroines relentless, your love interests morally smoky (like morally gray, but hotter), and your plots soaked in gothic drama, Mistress of Bones is ready to dig you a grave and tuck you in with a kiss.

All necromancer Azul del Arroyo wants is to bring her older sister back to life. It's up to Virel Enjul, Emissary of the Lord Death, to stop her. Stealing away her sister's soul from Death once was a mistake. Stealing it a second time would be a blatant act of disrespect.

As Azul escapes to find her sister's bones and Enjul chases after her, the two find themselves locked into a larger plot involving a child king, a witch, and one of Azul's many half-siblings. When the gods raised the continents with their own bones years ago, they didn't expect humans to repay their sacrifice with short memories and greed. It seems like Death is not the only angry deity Azul will have to face.

I loved the idea of this one, but the execution fell a bit short for me. The numerous POVs and flashbacks removed me from the story and made it difficult to become immersed in. However, I am optimistic that a story with such an interesting backbone in worldbuilding can be improved for book two!

Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina is a dark, richly imagined fantasy about gods’ bones, necromancy, and a gripping enemies-to-lovers romance. The world-building and characters are fantastic, though the multiple POVs and flashbacks sometimes made it tricky to follow. Despite uneven pacing, the emotional moments hit hard. A compelling, morally complex story that I’m excited to see continue.

I honestly hate that I have to write this review as I don’t enjoy giving harsh feedback. However, I have only ever not finished two books in my entire life and this was the second. I forced myself to read 22% of it and just couldn’t continue. It is painfully boring and there are so many characters and plot lines and time jumps that I felt like I was getting whiplash, and not in a good way. I didn’t care about any of the characters- they were all flat and boring. Which is really a shame since the premise of this book sounds so interesting.

I just finished Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina and here are my thoughts.

Azul is a necromancer and she only wants one thing.. Her sister.. back from death so she needs her sister's bones. But the Lord of death isn’t going to give up that easily.

Their paths keep crossing and the deadly game has fate hanging in the balance….

The magic in this book is in the world building. It was absolutely earth shatteringly good. The magic was absolutely enchanting and I loved how descriptive the book was.

I got an ARC and an ALC so I switched between the two and honestly, the audiobook was so good I did most of the book this way thanks to the great narration.

I don’t think the constant shifting of timelines worked for me. It was a tad messy and hard to follow and there were too many POV to get a tight story. I think less POV and not so much time shifting would have made the story flow better. Another reason why the audio was better was because it was much easier to follow along this way.

The characters are a tad underdeveloped at this point and it was hard to care about anyone because we didn’t dig deep enough for my liking. I'm hoping because this is book 1 of a duology that the characters will grow in the next book.

All in all the magic is in the world building. The writing was actually quite beautiful and I am going to grab the next installment when it is out.

3.75 stars. I needed more character building. More balance!!

Thank you @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for my gifted arc and alc

Sadly, I did not have time to give this a read before it hit shelves, but I can't wait to dive in when I can!