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.

Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina is a lush, darkly romantic fantasy brimming with necromancy, divine politics, and razor-sharp stakes, and Ana Osorio’s evocative narration brings every twist of fate and flicker of emotion vividly to life. With a sweeping cast of morally complex characters and interwoven POVs, Medina crafts a world where bones hold power, dreams are currency, and grief becomes a driving force. At its heart is Azul del Arroyo, a determined necromancer whose quest to resurrect her sister spirals into a larger battle against gods and destiny itself. Osorio masterfully captures the intensity and vulnerability of each voice, enhancing the novel’s haunting atmosphere and tragic beauty. Perfect for fans of The Bone Shard Daughter and Six of Crows, this audiobook is a gripping, soul-stirring journey into love, legacy, and defiance.

really wanted to love this one. The concept immediately caught my attention, but unfortunately, the execution just didn’t land for me. I tried multiple times to finish the audiobook but kept losing interest around the 65% mark.

That said, the narration is excellent—easily one of the strongest aspects of the experience and what kept me engaged for as long as I was. I also found the main character likable and tolerable, which helped.

I do think this book will find its audience, especially among audiobook listeners. It just didn’t work out for me personally.

𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟
Mistress of Bones was unfortunately not for me. I was confused by all the different POVs and what was really happening in the story. Sorry, it wasn't the targeted audience. DNF @ 50%; this is the type of book that might do better as an e-read.

The audiobook is narrated by Ana Osorio; she did an okay job. I listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio, for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I am so torn on this one. On the one hand, I read the first half in one sitting. On the other, the second hand was kind of hard to follow.

This is a multi-pov story, and this didn't really work well for me. I adored Azul and the Emissary of Death's storyline, but I wish the book had just stuck with them. I loved the necromancy magic, especially with how chaotic it is in Azul's hand. Plus the push and pull between a necromancer and the religious fool who is her complete opposite but there's a romance brewing there ... it was so entertaining. Meanwhile, the additional storylines with the infant twin and Nereida and the witch--it was too confusing and I still don't understand the significance of much of it.

The narrator also really ruined this book for me. I am deeply sorry to say it but this person is officially my least favourite narrator ever. Her voice annoys me so deeply and it shaded how I listened to this book. But there was also the issue of there being multiple POVs, male and female, but they were all voiced by the same person, which made it super confusing to follow.

I might read the sequel but it will require a re-read of this first.

The summary of this book promised a lot and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to deliver. I love multi timeline stories but they can be confusing if not done well. These are not done well. Part of that is the sheer number of characters that you need to keep track of. You get current and past POV's for no less than 4 characters. I get what the author was trying to do, trying to create suspense but it comes off disorganized and chaotic. Overall the idea is interesting but the book needed another round of editing before being published. The narrator was fantastic and I enjoyed her reading.

⭐️⭐️.5/5

Mistress of Bones is a YA fantasy with immersive world-building and an interesting magic system.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Although Azul was an interesting main character, I found it difficult to connect to the characters. There were many POVs, and I longed for more development of each. The world-building was lush and atmospheric, and I also enjoyed the magic system. I longed for more development of the plot, which felt choppy. The pacing also felt off, and the ending felt rushed. The romance, too, felt rushed, and I hoped for more connection between the characters. Maria Z. Medina’s prose was beautiful and compelling, but unfortunately, the story did not hook me. I would recommend this novel to readers who’ve already had their eye on it.

Ana Osorio narrated this one beautifully. Her voice fit the characters and world well, and I love the enthusiasm and emotion she brought to the story. If you pick this one up, I recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Necromancer Azul del Arroyo only wants one thing: to steal her sister back from Death by reclaiming her sister’s bones. But the Emissary of the Lord Death will do anything to stop her—no matter how alluring he finds her…

I wanted to love this book. The premise is so unique and full of promise—necromancy, sisterly devotion, a mysterious emissary of Death? Yes, please! The world-building was solid, and I genuinely liked the characters. But despite all that, I had a hard time staying engaged with the story.

I listened to the audiobook while reading (which usually helps me stay focused), but I still found myself struggling to get through it. There were definitely moments I enjoyed, and elements that stood out, but overall, it just didn’t quite click for me. The audiobook was well done and the narrator’s did a good job.

Not a bad book by any means—just one that didn’t fully capture me the way I’d hoped. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3.25⭐️
I was really excited for this book when I read the marketing blurb from Susan Denard that said “Like Stepping into one of my favorite RPGs”. And maybe I’m still on a high from reading Dragon Crawler Carl and stuck on it being the standard that I compare anything litRPG related to but this book severely disappointed me. So much so that I’m wondering if the wrong blurb got attached to it.

For one it did not read like an RPG at all with the exception of having such a convoluted plot. There was so much thrown in that it distracted the reader from the goal of the book. The other facet that was frustrating is that while thematically it is indeed YA but it feels like a middle grade read for several reasons. First the FMC Azul del Arroyo is 17 but acts and sounds like a 13-14 year old. So it colors the entire book. Also the writing itself is overly simplistic for YA.

That being said the plot is creative and some may dive into that and younger teens may find the book endearing and an entry into fantasy adventure.

I consumed the audiobook and the narrator Ana Osario did an ok job. She spoke very slow and drawn out at times which can make the reader disconnect from the prose, especially young people to whom the book is written for. Thankfully it could be sped up. Her natural voice for the FMC was fine but I struggled when other characters were voiced. I think the narration was another facet in the book coming across so young.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from MacMillian Audio- young readers through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I chose to use my rating system for Middle grade even though it is not marketed as such.

My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books

⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story, promising, a young necromancer trying to resurrect her sister being thwarted by a servant of Death with both adversarial and romantic potential. However, this book did not quite fulfill the promise. The world-building and magic was quite interesting and the main character was compelling, but there are quite a number of subplots, some of which do little other than to muddy the waters of the main thread of the story. There are a few surprises and curves that intrigued me but the jump-around timeline and large cast of characters made it difficult to follow. I enjoyed some of the story but think it had potential to be clearer.
I listened to audiobook of this novel and the narrator, Ana Osorio, presented the story very nicely.
I received the ALC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This cover and synopsis caught my attention. I like this narrator but unfortunately after 15% I have to dnf this. I kept having to rewind because I wasn't engrossed with the story. It didn't hook me and I wasn't enjoying my time.