The Bone Witch has a really good premise and engaging characters, but it could benefit from a stricter editor. Too often the story bogs down in mundane details about wardrobe and food. I was going for more fantasy, less homage to Memoirs of a Geisha.

The Bone Witch is only the second book I read this year, and I already feel bad for the other books that have to love up to it. Rin Chupeco has created a mysterious, deep and intricate world to which I'm already longing to return. The writing is exquisitely wistful, especially during the Bard's parts. I loved the dual narrative of both Tea and Bard, and past and present, and watching it all knit together.

It's not going to appeal to readers who need a quick pace, spunky, chatty heroine and a simple plot to keep their attention, but for readers who need to sink into novels, and live them alongside the narrator, it's a jewel.

I finally finished this book and, honestly, did not like it. I tried once before and finally skimmed through it just to complete it. I've sworn off YA and I don't like books about witches in general so I'm not sure why I wanted to read this. Sorry, this was just a bad choice on my part.

An absolutely perfect blend of magic, mystery, and the same kind of beauitful language Chupeco has become known for.

Rin Chupeco’s “The Bone Witch” has picked up considerable pre-publication hype which for the most part fails to deliver upon. Personally, I don’t think making bold comparisons with the likes of “The Game of Thrones” does the book any good at all, as invariably it is going to disappoint. Sure ‘Tea’ is a pretty cool and engaging teenage lead character, but she really is no ‘Daenerys Targaryen’ and should not be compared to the ‘Dragon Queen’. George RR Martin is a giant of the genre, this author is just starting out, so let Rin Chupeco find her own legs. Much more fantasy than horror, “The Bone Witch” follows the story of a junior witch called Tea who travels the kingdoms with her mentor and her undead brother whom she has brought back from the dead. For a teen novel it was pretty slow and heavy in parts, and I don’t think it has quite enough going for it to challenge the seasoned adult fantasy reader, so I’m unsure of crossover appeal. However, this sturdy read spent ages on the world building, which was involving in parts and very convincing, but the story just moved along too slow for my taste. It has all the hallmarks of classic fantasy novels, ranging from family, friendship, love to betrayal, spliced with Tea’s story of a quest for justice and vengeance, against all those who have wronged her. The question is, will you care very much? I’m not too sure….. I much preferred this authors “The Girl from the Well” which was a straight horror novel. Like the previous novel, this book has a lot of eastern influences in the story and it many ways that made this fantasy world very believable. As Tea progresses up the greasy pole in the world of magic, the dangers and intrigue also increase. This type of court plotting was entertaining enough, but the interconnected sequences failed to convince and it became more prominent as the novel progressed. It must be said that the dead brother was a pretty great character and has many of the novel’s best lines. As I said, it was more of a fantasy read and I would aim it at girls more so than boys, but if you’re expecting another “Game of Thrones” you will be sorely disappointed. Of course it finished for a sequel, but I for one will not be on the edge of my seat.

The Bone Witch, quite simply, is a captivating read. I expected fantasy and magic, but I didn't realize how fantastic and magical the writing would be. The Bone Witch cast me under its spell from the very beginning. Chupeco skillfully and artistically weaves past and present together to give the reader a sense of gripping intensity and an irresistible force that compelled me to keep reading into the early hours of the morning when I finally finished this wonderful novel, satisfied, but eager for more.
The Bone Witch delivers a magical realm that feels comfortably familiar and vibrantly new. The rules of this fantastic new world make perfect sense in the lyrically beautiful setting that Chupeco's descriptive voice brings to life.
The fully realized characters will steal your heart. They're flawed yet heroic. Uncertain yet unstoppable. Fiercely tragic and smart and witty and enchanting.
I'm eagerly anticipating the next book, even while I'm dreading some of the dark paths these favorite characters are going to tread. People usually try to avoid heartache and tragedy, but in the Chupeca's hands, Tea's future holds a bright kind of darkness! Or a dark kind of brightness! Whichever it is, I'll know I'm in good hands.
Fully recommend!

DNF. The formatting for the ebook was atrocious and made it difficult to read.

An interesting premise that was not implemented as well as it could have been. The plot seemed thin and there was no clear end goal or purpose. The narrative meandered and lost itself in its extended flashbacks and occasionally over-zealous narration. I found myself falling out of the story rather than staying in it as there were some odd formatting issues and a decent amount of grammar and spelling issues (ARC). I also don't think some of the metaphors fit for the background of the protagonist. They just didn't seem like something she would say or know.

Some concepts were also left very abstract. After reading I still am not able to explain the concept of a heartglass. Is it made of the emotions you have? Does it take your heart literally out of your chest and transform it? How do you live without your heartglass if it gets lost or shattered? It is tied to your life so someone could break it and you die? Then how can you get another one if you lose one? That part unfortunately didn't make sense to me.

However this novel does have a lot of potential and I'm sure the grammar, formatting and spelling issues will be cleared by the time it reaches publication. I think the idea of bone witches, versus just the usual elemental witches is a unique and creative touch and I definitely enjoyed seeing that explored. Many of the characters were well-conceived and some of the in-the-moment plot points were original and fascinating.

I do think there was too much narration versus action (tell vs. show if you will). I most enjoyed the moments spent in the main character's point of view. I think that that the monsters too were creative and well-written. However, there was a lot of history introduced in large chunks that later was not needed. I think this slowed down the novel and a better integration of only the most core historical facts as needed would greatly improve the reading continuity, which as is is kind of choppy.

Overall there were too many little issues I found with the novel (its implementation not its concept) that I couldn't stay as into it as I really wanted to. While this book didn't resound for me, I look forward to seeing how this author develops artistically as she refines her style.

I received an ARC of this book for free for an honest review.

Books that start with necromancy and end with (apparently) necrophilia should not work, one would think.

But apparently sometimes they do. Just ask Rin Chupeco, or read her book The Bone Witch when it comes out on March 2, 2017. Then you'll see. Now, according to Amazon the recommended ages for this first book in a coming YA series are 12-17. I read it anyway, because I was lucky enough to get an advanced read copy through NetGalley and the book's publisher, because just about any book will make me happy. However, I would not let a twelve year old read this book - if I had a twelve year old. Why?

Necromancy, possible necrophilia (at least platonically) are big reasons. But Chupeco also focuses heavily on war and violence and political intrigue... and those topics are important, but perhaps best explained in a different setting.

All that being said... YA books about twelve year old girls who discovers she is a (dark) witch when she accidentally raises her brother from the dead are surprisingly good! I feel it important to mention that said girl, named Tea, is not in love with her brother... it's a different dead person, see.

The story is compelling on the whole; a collection of city-states vastly different from one another and yet united against destructive mythical creatures, that women are at the forefront of society and the last line if defense against the dragons, that it is a female driven society...

It does falter in places, though. Chupeco has tied a large part of the story to color - the color of dresses, flowers, uniforms, and heartsrune necklaces. Each color has a meaning and there are a lot of colors heavy with meaning. It is nearly impossible to keep it all straight. I hope that final editions have appendices with lists and explanations for readers. I would have liked that. Chupeco also spends a lot of time... organizing. Organizing is a good word. And it makes sense. It is the first book in a coming series so the world needs to be organized and established.

So despite the slow moments of organization, The Bone Witch is a compelling start to a series and I will keep an eye out for the next book. It is going to be good!

Tea doesn't realize that she is special, until the day she raises her brother from the dead. That event ignites the beginning of her epic journey to harness her power. Tea is a "Dark Asha", very rare, and reviled by most. Her singular job, once properly trained, will be to rid the land of monsters that the people call "Daeva". But the ability to raise creatures from the dead isn't the only reason others are leery of Tea, her extraordinary gift means that other Asha aren't as powerful as they'd like to be.

I enjoyed getting to know Tea, both from her point of view, and the alternating voice of a young woman (I think) who is interviewing her. She is a strong, loyal and smart young lady. However, I had a hard time following the story line. Chupeco's description of the world in which Tea lives relies too heavily on my imagination. I didn't have any background knowledge on which to draw and the maps didn't fill in enough blanks for me.

I found myself confused by the characters and which land they came from. I was also confused by the different abilities various Asha had. It felt to me as if this book was written to become a movie. I needed visual cues to help me through the story. Chupeco writes in detail of the "hua" or dress that all Asha wear. She describes her characters in detail so that you could practically smell them. But, I just had a hard time putting it all together.

The ending was also perplexing. I have no idea why Tea was exiled, why this young girl is interviewing her, what happened to her brother, and why this particular person ends up as her love interest. I guess I'll have to read the next one to get my questions answered.

In summary, maybe I'm too old to follow the plot lines in this story. I don't see any reason that it couldn't go in a middle school. I added it to my book order, we'll have to wait to see if it circulates. I'm hoping at least one of my regulars will read it so that they can explain it to me!

two stories intertwined - a fantastical read that leaves you wanting more, I am hoping for a sequal!

The Bone Witch was a fantastic read! Chupeco has a wonderful talent for enveloping you in Tea's world. The characters are well developed and the story took many unexpected and exciting turns. Fantasy readers, both adult and young adult, will enjoy this book- especially those with an affinity for Japanese culture (many elements of Geisha were woven into the development of an Asha.) I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank You NetGalley!

I wanted to so badly like this book. It sounded like it had a lot of promise.

I just couldn't really get into the story. I felt like I was just reading words that didn't really go together. The premise is really interesting to me. But I really just have to say, that I couldn't connect with the story. I felt confused at times, and even when I re-read the story, I just didn't get it.

I don't usually care for fantasy novels , good read if that's what your into

What do you get when you cross a geisha and a witch? An asha! Yes, the asha can sing, dance and put on a beautiful show. They wear gorgeous clothing, elaborate hairstyles and makeup. But they are also the best fighters around and can control elements. In Tea's case, she is a special kind of asha because her magic comes from the darkness. She can raise the dead and control vicious creatures that threaten the eight kingdoms in her world. Because of her skills, people fear her, but also respect her abilities and rely on her to protect them. I loved learning about all of the training that Tea goes through to develop her skills and become even more powerful. There's plenty of action, but the ultimate battle is reserved for the next book (or books). I can't wait to see what's in store for Tea, her brother and the other asha in the next book. If it's as good as "The Bone Witch," readers are in for a treat!

Even though I found this book to be confusing at times, I really enjoyed it. I loved the writing style and concept so much. Everything seemed very well thought out and very detailed. I really liked the alternating narratives and the world building was really cool. There is some info dumping here and there but it wasn't terrible. I really liked all of the characters. They were all well written and developed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this this. It's pretty original and I really loved the concept. If you're looking a fantasy that has great world building and a great concept, I would recommend The Bone Witch.

Tough to wade through at times but when you get into it it's written well. Looking for more excitement and pace in the next book - if there is to be one!

I was disappointed in how I felt about the book. The premise sounds amazing! A young girl, Tea, is brought into the world of asha--geisha-like women who can control elements--after raising her brother, Fox, from the dead. Tea is a Dark asha, also known as a Bone Witch to those who dislike her kind of asha. Bone witches are rare and considered untrustworthy to many people in the surrounding lands. Though, they are needed to send daeva--demons who cause havoc--back to the dead.

There were intriguing elements about the story: the asha, the daeva, the magic that is infused into their clothing and hairpins, even some of the backstory of how asha and daeva came to be was neat. But, sometimes it felt like there was just too much information. It became convoluted and it was hard to keep who was who and what was what straight in my head. There were characters brought to only one scene and then were only mentioned in passing several pages later and I had no idea who they were.

There was a False Prince? But I didn't know who that was. There were bad guys called the Faceless that were causing a ruckus. There was also political turmoil because some countries were okay with Bone witches and some weren't. Secrets were revealed, daeva were raised, people died.

Which, sounds awesome, but there was just so much going on that it was hard to keep track.

However, at the same time, nothing happened through most of the book. Tea was doing her asha life and learning how to be an asha, which is pretty much like being a geisha with lessons and tea ceremonies and getting fancy clothes. It felt like most of the book was Tea talking about clothes and hairpins and then there were pieces of the book where all this info and action was stuffed into a few pages and then shifted back to boring stuff.

I will say that, despite it's boring aspects, there is potential here. I liked the writing style, so I wouldn't be opposed to reading something else from this author. It was just less kick-ass asha than I thought it was going to be.

If you want to give this book a shot, go ahead. It may appeal more to you than it did to me.

It just wasn't my cup of Tea.

** spoiler alert ** The publisher provided a free brook via NetGalley for an homer review.
I was very excited to read this book from the back cover description:raising the dead, oops it's your brother, distrustful public of one with her rare powers? Great! There are no real spoilers here (small one in the very last sentence).

Let me say I wanted to love this book. But there were some flaws with the story. I never truly liked Tea, the main character. The story being told from Tea the fallen in the present and Tea's origin and schooling never meshed well. She wasn't the most endearing character, though she is spirited. I just couldn't connect.

When I updated my Goodreads to say I was reading this book, I read the review here. I didn't know about the book recipe saying this was like "memoirs of a geisha;" I love that books. It's top 2 of all time for me, I did artwork, school projects-including writing Arthur Golden himself. I read mostly nonfiction books about the flower and willow world, as well as many (good and bad) fictional stories. It seemed the author wrote extensively about the world of the geisha, but substituted asha for geisha. Measuring time spent at parties with with ohana incense markers, accounting, detailed kimono/hua, flower, singing, dancing and musical instrument lessons...but then also just adding on...oh and they can summon the elements and fight, and in Tea's case, raise the dead....but she had to entertain at nightly parties instead of helping the kingdoms. Big disconnect I couldn't go along with.

I also didn't care for the slow build ending with an obvious reveal of love interest and hints at sequels to come.

I did not finish this book. I could not engage with the story or the characters and had to stop reading.