I enjoyed Rin Chupeco’s first book, The Girl from the Well, and jumped at the chance to follow her into the fantasy genre. And while there were some good things about The Bone Witch (the heroine, her brother, lush descriptions, the whole idea of asha, and this specific type of magic), there were a lot of things that either weren’t or just didn’t work for me.

The heroine, Tea, is an engaging narrator, and the glimpses of her in the future, having changed radically from the girl we get to know during her asha training, is intriguing. I wanted a lot more progression on this front, but that’s where the structure of the book undercut itself. Between every chapter was a very short scene of the future, between Tea and an unnamed Bard, and these scenes either constantly killed the momentum of the past or set us up for excitement that took far too long to materialize. If the interruptions had been less frequent (and had been a more coherent narrative, not mostly Tea preparing to raise or raising creature after creature after creature), this might have worked; as it was, it became an irritating distraction, especially once it became obvious that the past Tea and the future Tea weren’t going to be any closer to each other in this book, attitude/philosophy-wise, than they were at the start of it. Having the Bard narrate the future segments felt like a deliberate choice to keep information from the reader (like who Tea’s dead love is and what her plans are for all the monsters) rather than the best choice for telling the story. I felt frustrated, not teased, throughout.

The thing that disappointed me most was the portrayal of the country Drycht. It’s obviously supposed to be the stereotypical conservative Muslim country analogue, what with a kingdom mostly of sand, a king with an “iron grip,” its women veiled, and its stance on gender roles. I cannot think of a single character in the book (aside from the Drycht envoy who is scandalized that Tea is wearing bold colors and must be calmed by being allowed to go on a rant about the shamelessness of women—and he is supposed to be “a progressive man in comparison [to his fellow countrymen]”!) who has anything good to say about the country or the people, aside from occasional praise of its trade goods.

This negative narrative isn’t subtle, either. The nameless Bard was “born in Drycht but was banished when [he] came of age for [his] freethinking ways.” While Farhi, one of the maids, has a name, she never actually speaks on the page (so far as I can remember) and always behaves negatively/distantly toward Tea. One of the heroine’s mentors says flat out “This is Kion, miladies, not Drycht. We are at an age where men and women stand together on equal footing, unlike our barbarian brothers to the south.” To top it off, there are two referenced honor killings: a dance performance “about a woman from Drycht to be executed for dishonoring her family when she fled with a disreputable lover” and a separate incident, where it is revealed that the girl the Bard loved unrequitedly was killed by her father for running away with a bricklayer. (This moment isn’t about this unnamed girl or the not-the-Bard!boy she loved at all, it is explicitly about Tea and the Bard. Because we make the tragic murder of a girl in love all about us, apparently.)

This negative portrayal is never pushed back against in the text, so it doesn’t appear to be a misguided attempt at having a prejudiced narrator. It is simply gross, disappointing, and makes me wonder what other red flags I may have missed in the mashup of other cultures in this fantasy world. I am interested in hearing from other readers and reviewers on this subject.

Recommendation: Just skip it. While there are some good ideas here, the constant interruptions from a future stranger are terribly distracting and hinder, more than help, the main narrative, and the Islamophobic content under the guise of a fantasy culture is not redeemable.

This was a different read for me. But I'm glad I took a chance on this one. This was a solid read, with some really interesting issues that seem to mirror similar ones that are present in our everyday world. It struck home with me, because I work in a heavy male dominated environment, and the need to act manly, and forgo girly things, even in this day and age, is still very real in my line of work.

I have to say, this book had a fast reading pace, but, the descriptions seems to last longer then necessary. Towards the end of the book, things just dragged on and to me felt over explained. I get you need to ease out of the climax, but not to the point where I was actually getting board. So that's why this book gets the 4 star instead of that 5. A another go at editing won't hurt.

Outside of that, I was impressed with the family dynamic, I have brothers, so I know all to well how trying they can be. It pulled at my heart string and it was done very well in that real sort of way.

I highly recommend this book. I can't wait to real more about this world, that was this book. It's dark tones and exciting plot had me hooked. I can't quiet explain it, but this book has me under it's unique spell and I need to read more.

Happy Reading.

E.A. Walsh

I've enjoyed the author's YA horror books, The Girl from the Well and its sequel The Suffering but I've always felt they missed that little extra to make them full five star reads. Now The Bone Witch, the first book of her new fantasy series, was a very different one compared to her previous books. Different in genre but it also felt like a whole new level of storytelling than I've experienced from her. Consider me throroughly and utterly in awe of this amazing book!

I almost don't know where to start with this story. First of all it has two points of view. The first one is of Tea, who finds out, after she brings her dead brother back to life, that she has the gift of necromancy which makes her a bone witch. The second point of view is in the perspective of a bard. It has a very unique style and is very different compared to Tea's. I totally loved these two POVs. I probably liked the bard's POV the most because it was so deliciously dark and captivating.

Tea definitely was a great character to read about. The story continues over a few years so we actually get to see her growing up a little, learning more about the magic she has and what it all means. I also really liked her brother Fox. I absolutely loved his sense of humor and his relationship with Tea. Because she accidentally raised him from the his grave he is her familiar, which makes them connected and in tune to each other.

There's only hint of romance, which I thought was perfect for this book The story does move slowly so I totally get why some people wouldn't like it. Personally I loved this aspect of it because it build everything up perfectly without rushing anything. And then there's the writing... it was beyond a doubt one of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. It was seriously amazing!

Overall, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is nothing short of brilliant. I would absolutely recommend it to any lover of fantasy, especially to fans of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Kiersten White's And I Darken.

The novel reminds me of Harry Potter (my favorite!) meets Wicked. The young girl finds out she has magical powers, but since her powers are dark there is a stigma against her, which makes her life even more difficult. Throughout the story, you learn more about her power and her strength.

Of course, there's a little tiny bit of romance within the story, which I don't think took away from the plot at all.

The end of the novel almost wrapped up too quickly, and I wish that there had been more focus on the ending than I felt there was. I was glad that everything wasn't totally wrapped up, though, to give more of an opening for the followup novels in the series.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely read the next in the series. I would recommend The Bone Witch if you're into fantasy novels, but if fantasy's not your thing, you probably would not enjoy this book.

Well let me start by saying I just love the cover..it's gorgeous. This book took me a very long time to finish I had to re-read some parts.. Was the Bard ever revealed? Name? Did I miss something?
This just was not my kind of book but I could totally see the younger crowd liking it.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know what to expect from this book.. but I was thoroughly entertained and read it quickly. It's kind of a cross between Memoirs of a Geisha and Beautiful Creatures.

The culture that Chupeco describes is really very interesting. The intricate details of dress, hair pins, dance, and fighting were all well written. You wanted to visit this place, which is one of the greatest compliments I think a reviewer can give. I look forward to book two.

4 stars (because it is a little too YA in some parts .. think Twilight)

3 - 3.5 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy fantasy as well as something like Memoirs of a Geisha. It reminded me quite a bit of that.

This book follows Tea who learns at a young age that she is not like other children. She has the gift of raising the dead. Taken in by the asha, she is trained in the arts as well as darker skills. She'll soon find it hard to determine her friends from enemies.

This book is extremely complex in the beginning. The world is built up quickly and there are a lot of names and roles to keep track of. Once I got a bit further in, the plot took over again, and I didn't feel as confused. The book is told in two times the present, and the past. Tea has been exiled in the present, and she explains why throughout the book. A lot of Tea's training reminded me a bit of Memoirs of a Geisha. Tea houses, ornate costumes, music and dancing skills to entertain. Most of the book revolves around that. Intricate settings, outfits, etc. Entertaining at tea houses, etc. I found this book to be missing the action or intrigue that I come to expect with a fantasy novel... but it was still enjoyable. I'm very interested in the magic system, world building, and where the series will go next. I will probably read it, hoping for more action as the series goes.

​If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha, and you like fantasy and magic, then this is your jam. This book is dense with an exorbitant amount of rich details. Vivid scenery and lush fashion and accessories. The world building is just as heavy with the lands and people.
The imagery of the book is painted with precision, and the characters are unique and diverse. Although in some instances, I felt the pace brought to a crawl by the abundance of detail, by the end, I was fully invested. I only wish it didn't leave off when it did, I felt I was just getting into the action!

The Bone Witch is one of those books with an amazing cover and a very intriguing synopsis, so when I received this for review, I was really ecstatic! I immediately wanted to read it, but I also didn't want to read it that soon because I knew that the release date is still so far away. Finally, I decided to read it without regard for the release date, and I'm glad I did!

What I Liked:

1. The Concept
I feel like the concept for The Bone Witch is such a unique one. There are a lot of fantasy books out there, but I believe that none of them are like this book. It's about Asha (magic-wielders) who use different types of elements to their advantage. And there there's the Bone Asha - people who can people from the dead. Although there are many books with magic wielders out there, none have magic wielders who are also entertainers. Also, this book has dragons! Isn't that just something to be excited about?

2. How Interesting It Is
As I said above, the concept is very unique, thus it's also very intriguing. There were so many things that happened in the book, and there were conspiracies buried underneath all that glamour. Hushed whispers and secrets fill this book, and I couldn't help but be captivated.

3. The Setting
Well, not exactly the setting, but how the setting in the book was described so vividly. I can imagine everything, from the asha-ka, to what the ashas were wearing, to how the asha performed dances. I feel like I had been inside the world of the author and that's not a feat that can be accomplished by many authors.

4. The Narrative Style
The Bone Witch is told in a way that is in flashbacks. The main character is actually telling the story of everything to a story teller. To be honest, I was surprised that I liked this. In the other books that I've read, I've always hated it when the narrative was done this way. However, with this book, it just added to the intrigue of the story, and I felt like it made me want to read more.


What I Didn't Like:
1. It Was Dragging
The Bone Witch has a very interesting concept, but it has a tendency to drag at some parts. I found myself skipping some narratives. It also took me a long time to finish the book because of these parts.

2. The Lack of Information
This complaint is coming from the selfish part of me, and not really a big issue. I just feel like I need to know more about what the main character is planning for the future because I hate being kept in the dark. I feel like there's still too many mysteries, and I can't predict the direction the next book would go because of the vagueness of it all.

That said, I really enjoyed reading The Bone Witch, and my only (real) complaint is that it was dragging. I can't wait for the next book!

This was an amazing book and I am buying a hard copy for my own personal library.

I really, really, really want to lovingly adore this book. But it's been a week ... and it's not a good sign that I decided to scrub my bathtub instead of reading it. The writing is beautiful, but just not holding my attention at all.

I liked it. The story was well written and I enjoyed the world created by the author. I will definitely be reading more.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on April 7 2017 at 00.00 AM GMT+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Not bad, but not my cuppa
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: It’s clear from the blurb that the Bone Witch series has an interesting magic-based world, and I enjoyed it very much as a concept. It has a complex magic system, and the medieval-like world was a nice setting.
Characters: I’m not yet sure how I feel about Tea. I mean, I liked her as a concept – her background, her personality, her reactions and view of the world. I enjoyed her up to the point where I gave up on the novel – which is the 30% mark on the ebook -, but not as I would have liked. She didn’t “become real” to me, not because she wasn’t built right but because our mean of communication didn’t work for me – more on that later.
Plot: The story has an action/adventure flair to it, I’d say a epic/high fantasy kind of scenario where we follow the MC through her adventures. The tempo is pretty slow, but it wouldn’t have bothered me, had I actually enjoyed my time with the MC. Since I ended up not enjoying though, the slow pace became too slow for me.
Writing: First and third person narrative, MC and another POV. And here is the reason I actually DNF-ed, though not without regret. Aside the fact that jumping POV is a pet peeve of mine – it often annoys me even in romance, so you can imagine -, it was the style that really didn’t work for me at all. I’d describe it as classic epic/high fantasy, somewhat dry, little to no humor, not that conversational. It didn’t “flow” for me, setting the story as a movie inside my mind – instead it kept zooming me on the actual writing, acting as an effective barrier between me and the characters and story in itself. The main reason I don’t often enjoy epic/high fantasy is precisely this – the writing style. As concepts, they’re very often strong – world. character(s) – but it’s lost on me when the writing style continuously breaks the flow of the reading experience. While this was a turnoff for me, I’m sure that fans of epic/high fantasy will actually LOVE it, and coupled with the strengths of the novel (at least up to the point where I read it), it will probably make for really good reading.
Curb Appeal: The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the blurb is hooking – impulsive buy material for a YA fantasy craving for sure.

When I read the blurb, I was sure this was fantasy. But I didn’t really know what kind of fantasy it would be – considering the YA factor, I hoped it would go in the non-epic direction, to be honest. I was hoping for something in the vein of Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan or the Faraday Files series by Kate McIntyre, or a YA-style The Copper Promise by Jen Williams or Steal the Sky by Megan E. O’Keefe, for instance – I don’t mean the elements of the fantasy world, but the tone of the writing style. I’m only giving you examples of fantasy that isn’t UF or romance and that I did enjoy, to give you an idea of what I mean.
But it went in the action/adventure traditional epic/high fantasy direction, and it’s just one I rarely find myself enjoying.
I found myself feeling like I did when I DNF-ed Weather Witch by Shannon Delany, for instance – SO much potential, and I can’t enjoy it because the style is a barrier instead of a connection. It’s not that kind of style here, but the result was the same.
But I really enjoyed the concepts of the world and characters I met up to the point I DNF-ed, so I do really recommend you give it a try yourself if you’re into what ended up to be my turnoff about the novel.

I tried looking for things I might see in this book that will keep me going. But, this book is not for me. Nothing happened. It might be amusing, but, it is not (for me). But why? Why can't I find to look forward for the next page and to keep reading this? It is because mid-reading I already lost my interest. I can't feel the connection to the characters. No connection at all.

It disappoint me. I expected A LOT from this book but it saddens me as I didn't enjoy it.

I had a lot of unsure feelings about The Bone Witch while reading it. I don't love reading fantasy books set in a completely new world; it's hard for me to have an anchor to them, something that connects me to and keeps me in that world. Too often authors describe the world as though what we should see is familiar, rather than it being described by an outsider that we can relate to. I did have a hard time finding that connection but ultimately ended up really into it.

The book is confusing to read until you figure a few things out. The text alternates between regular and italicized; the regular being the story of Tea's journey to become a bone witch (in the past) and italics being a few years down the road (the "present"). What bothers me is that in a few years (and we get this pretty early on) everything has gone to shit for Tea. I didn't like reading on one page about her wonder for being an asha and a developing crush and the next... well, the utter destruction she's planning to unleash. It was like telling the reader, "She's riding her bike to the store! But she didn't make it to the store. She crashes her bike! She got groceries the next day." Okay, that's a terrible example, but it's no fun reading about someone's future happening and knowing bad things way in advance at the same time. I hope there's a point to writing this way. Oh, and the italicized text is from a different point of view.

The world this author created is pretty interesting but not perfect. The dialogue isn't great, the descriptions and settings aren't great, and it was really difficult to keep reading through the book for the majority of it. It did pick up quite a bit in maybe the final quarter of the book and I am interested to read more, but if it keeps up in the same format I can't say that I'd want to read too many books. I plan to keep an eye out for the next book in the series.

3/5 Stars

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I received an ARC e-book of this title from NetGalley and to be honest, had a really hard time getting into it and staying with it. I made it about a third of the way through but was feeling like I was slogging until I saw it was newly available as an e-book through my library's Overdrive system and decided to try it that way. For me, it was a big improvement. The world that the author created is very detailed and having the narrators talking me through it, made it flow much more. So my 3 stars rating is combined for the audio book (3.5 stars) and the print book (probably 2.5 stars).

Tea is a bone witch who accidentally raises her brother Fox from the dead when she is twelve. He becomes one of the undead and is tied to Tea for life--almost as a familiar of sorts. Because she can do the magic of necromancy, she is taken by Mykala, another bone witch for training. The training for bone witches or ashas (by the way it's not a respectable magic trade in Tea's world) includes learning magic but also a geisha-like training, done away from family that includes learning to serve and entertain and to fight large terrible beasts called daevas. It's a complicated world. ;-)

The story is told from Tea's POV, as well as the POV of a "Bard" who comes across her and asks for her story. This is the first book in a series and perhaps the level of detail (there is a glossary "The World of the Bone Witch: The 8 Kingdoms in the back explaining the kingdoms) is there to set up for future books. I think having a few less Kingdoms and less detail would have helped the story move along and think it could have benefited from being shortened down. That being said, I enjoyed the Tea (and her brother Fox) and learning about her world and I would try a second book--via audio book again.

From the intriguing title, to the stunning book cover, I yearned to read this book from the moment I saw it on NetGalley. Aside from the too-open ended finish, this book did not disappoint.

What I Liked:
Narrative Style:
The book alternates chapters between two first-person narratives. First, a bard (we are never told his name) is compelled to travel to a desolate beach where an older Tea is preparing her revenge. He asks her questions about her life, and witnesses her preparations for her revenge.

The other narrator is Tea reflecting on her training as an Asha and laying the groundwork for why she is seeking revenge.

I've never seen a book organized in this way. It was unusual and compelling.

Setting:
A significant portion of the book happens in The Willows, a place much like that of the Geisha district in Kyoto, Japan. I lived in Japan for several years, and I immediately understood the type of atmosphere the author was trying to convey. The world of Asha (witches) is run much like Geisha. The Asha train for years in more than spells. They must be adept at singing, dancing, musical instruments, and conversation. Then they set about entertaining important people at tea houses in The Willows.

Fashion:
I loved the descriptions of the clothing, and accessories of the Asha. This may seem superficial, but the clothing of each Asha was an important part of their lives. I made a Pinterest board to show what I think the fashions may have been like:

Characters:
I loved Tea, the main character of the book. She was someone who was constantly being controlled by others. She struggled to find the strength needed to break free of everyone else's expectations and be her own person. I also liked that, although her Asha abilities were rare, she wasn't a Super character. She was not great at everything she tried (particularly singing!). I get very irritated when the main character is perfect, and Tea is far from that.

What I didn't Like:
Ending:
While I understand that this will be a trilogy, I was frustrated by the huge cliffhanger ending!

Yes, the main problem of the book was solved. But there were so many unanswered questions, that I was extremely frustrated! I had to take half a star away from my rating to reflect this.

Overall, this was an exciting beginning to a saga I will be following with great interest in the future.

The concept of the book felt really cool-- I haven't found many YA books that deal with necromancers, but unfortunately it just fell flat to me. The author writes very beautiful descriptions of everything, but that is all we get. We don't get a lot of character or personality. We don't get a lot of plot or action. We only get description. Needless to say it wasn't interesting to read when I don't care about the characters and nothing happens.

Loved this book! I was unsure at first, the beginning was interesting, but was unlike anything I have read in a long time. After a chapter or two, though, I was hooked. It was like diving into a beautiful world of magical "asha", the revered wielders of all elements. However, the book follows a young girl, Tea, who has the less respected powers of the Dark. This "bone witch" is a quick learner and thinks for herself, although the teachings of the elders do not allow the latter. A bit of a passive rebel at first, she has romantic feelings for someone above her, which is nearly forbidden as the local history has had terrible results from a similar situation. Lady Tea strongly advocates for changing some of these ways--in a kind of American cultural reflection--to allow acceptance for her friend who does not fit the outdated gender roles. Beautifully written, The Bone Witch describes--with vivid detail--every nuance of this imaginary world and all of its kingdoms. I loved being there and I wanted more, but unfortunately, the book ended abruptly--so I am looking forward to a sequel! 😁